Tag: Bible
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David and Goliath
David fought Goliath in the Elah valley which is in the Judean foothills (called the Shephelah). The Elah valley runs east to west and its stream empties into the Mediterranean. To the east of this valley is the coastal mountain range, home to the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. West of this valley Read more
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The Prophet Samuel
The prophet Samuel (Hebrew meaning “Name of God”) is one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. He is one of the few who were a Nazarite from birth (1 Samuel 1:11). From about the age of 4 or 5 until his death he was in the service of God. He was the last Read more
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Samson
Samson (Hebrew meaning “Of the Sun”), Judges 13:1-16:31, was a man who was prophesied before his birth to free Israel from the Philistines: “A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and Read more
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The Philistines: Who Were They, and When?
Who were the Philistines and where did they come from? There was much circumstantial evidence pointing to Crete until recent DNA testing. DNA testing in 2019 on Philistine burial remains showed the best match to be Crete genetics. The DNA burial samples date roughly corresponds to the fall of the Minoan civilization on Crete. The Read more
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Jethro the Father-in-Law of Moses
Jethro is identified as the Priest of Midian (Exodus 2:16). He is also called Reuel (Hebrew meaning “friend of God”), and Hobab (meaning beloved). Jethro was a descendant of Abraham through his wife Keurah, who Abraham married after Sarah’s death (Genesis 25:1-2). Jethro and his family clan were nomadic shepherds that sometimes lived in the Read more
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Moses Sees the Promised Land from Mount Nebo
Above photo: the view looking west toward the Promised Land from Mount Nebo. This is the view Moses would have seen with his mortal eyes of the promised land. “And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against [away from] Jericho. Read more
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Moses Smote the Rock of Meribah and Water Came Out
Near the beginning of Israelite’s 40 years of wandering they came to a waterless place near a city called Kadesh. After moaning and complaining to Moses, he was instructed to gather the people around the rock of Meribah (Hebrew meaning: Quarrel, Strife, Contention): “And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and Read more
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Sinai, Moses and the Israelites
Moses and the Burning Bush Before becoming a prophet, it was at this location that Moses was living with Jethro, his father-in-law, and Moses ascended the Mount and first spoke to God: “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside Read more
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Abraham Lived and Died at Hebron
Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob/Israel and Leah were all buried here in the Cave of Machpelah (Hebrew meaning “doubling”). Jacob/Israel’s favored wife Rachel is buried near Bethlehem. Located in the center of present day Hebron (also called Kirjath-arba) is the cave of Machpelah, called today the Tombs of the Patriarchs. Technically it should Read more
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Abraham at Beersheba
Beersheba (also spelt Beersheva, and Be’er Sheva) is Hebrew, meaning either “Well of the Oath”, or “Well of the Seven”. Both possible meanings refers to the Biblical story recounted in Genesis 21:25-33: “And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away. And Abimelech said, I wot not Read more