Bible Holy Lands in Photos, Scripture, and Commentary

See and learn about the Holy Lands of the Bible. New sites will be added every week. See the famous and off the beaten track sites referenced in the Bible.

Category: BibleHolyLand

  • Israelite Temple at Arad and Who Were the Kenites

    Israelite Temple at Arad and Who Were the Kenites

    Dennis

    The above Israelite fortress of Arad city has existed for the entire period of the Kingdom of Judah in the Old Testament and was partially reconstructed by archeologists. It is atop an imposing hill in the southern desert of the Negev. The fortress and the temple within the fortress were the heartbeat of the city… Read more

  • Mt. Tabor: Prophetess Deborah defeats the Canaanites, and A Possible Site For The Lord’s Transfiguration

    Mt. Tabor: Prophetess Deborah defeats the Canaanites, and A Possible Site For The Lord’s Transfiguration

    Dennis

    The king of Hazor, the largest Canaanite city in Galilee (and larger than any Israelite city of the period), oppressed the northern Israelite tribes roughly around 1200 BC. Hazor is located north of the Sea of Galilee and along the main highway between Egypt and Mesopotamia (present day Iraq). At this time all of Israel… Read more

  • Where Jesus Told Peter to Feed His Sheep, and The Feeding of the Five Thousand

    Dennis

    After the resurrection and events in Jerusalem, the 11 disciples returned to Galilee. Peter, James, John, Thomas, Nathanael, and two others (unnamed) decided to go fishing in the Sea of Galilee. When they were fishing about 300 feet (91 meters) off shore, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples didn’t recognize him. He asked… Read more

  • The Tombs of the Virgin Mary

    The Tombs of the Virgin Mary

    Dennis

    There are four (that I am aware of) different tombs for the Virgin Mary located in five different countries, plus two places marking her death. The most venerated is in Jerusalem, in the Kidron Valley a few steps away from the Garden of Gethsemane. This location is a grotto and named Church of the Sepulchre… Read more

  • The Gates of Jerusalem

    The Gates of Jerusalem

    Dennis

    First a brief history of the walls. There are eight gates into the walled city of Jerusalem including one gate that is blocked up. The current city walls were built (in 1538 AD) by Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1556 AD) and thereafter maintained by the Ottoman Turkish Empire until 1917. The current walls do not completely… Read more

  • Cana of Galilee Where The Lord Performed the First Miracle

    Dennis

    “And the third day [Tuesday] there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:” John 2:1 “And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. … His mother saith unto the… Read more

  • The Potter’s Field Where Judas Iscariot Hung Himself

    Dennis

    The traditional site as identified by St. Jerome (about 345-420 AD) as the Field of Blood (Matthew 27:8) and the Potter’s Field (Acts 1:18-19) where Judas Iscariot hung himself after betraying Jesus Christ near the Garden of Gethsemane. “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought… Read more

  • The Mocking of Jesus by the Soldiers: The Roman Game of Kings

    Dennis

    The King Game (known as Basileus in Greek) was commonly played throughout the Roman Empire by soldiers. The soldiers preferred to play using a condemned prisoner, but it is thought that a non-violent version of the game could be played amongst the soldiers themselves when a prisoner was not available. In the double-square, sheep knuckles… Read more

  • The Garden Tomb is Empty on Easter Morning

    The Garden Tomb is Empty on Easter Morning

    Dennis

    Christ the Lord is Risen “Then took they [Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus] the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein… Read more

  • Good Friday Crucifixion at Golgotha/Calvary

    Dennis

    Why do we refer to this day as Good Friday? Because on this day our Lord and Savior died on the cross for us. Some people mistakenly believe that the entire atonement took place at Gethsemane. The atonement continued, and the Lamb of God’s sacrifice on the cross for us is an essential part of… Read more