Ahab’s ivory palace
Ahab’s ivory palace. Archaeologists have discovered remains of Ahab’s palace (22:39) in Samaria. Beautifully carved ivory fragments with Egyptian and Phoenician designs were found where… Read More »Ahab’s ivory palace
Ahab’s ivory palace. Archaeologists have discovered remains of Ahab’s palace (22:39) in Samaria. Beautifully carved ivory fragments with Egyptian and Phoenician designs were found where… Read More »Ahab’s ivory palace
Confiscation of land. Israelite law did not allow the king to confiscate the land of an executed criminal. This was, however, a common practice outside… Read More »Confiscation of land
The word bazaar (20:34) meant “place of prices” in Persian. Bazaars were permanent places designated for merchants and traders to buy and sell goods. Either… Read More »Bazaar
Broom trees (19:5) are a type of desert shrub common in Palestine, Arabia, and Egypt. Its long branches form a bush that grows to about… Read More »Broom trees
Why did the prophets of Baal cut themselves? According to one ancient Canaanite myth, the father of Baal slashes his chest, arms, and back upon… Read More »Why did the prophets of Baal cut themselves?
Life for a widow was not easy in the ancient Near East. Widows had difficulty protecting themselves and their children economically, legally, or physically. If… Read More »Life for a widow
Though the story of King Omri is told in just eight verses (16:21–28), politically speaking he was one of Israel’s most important kings. He built… Read More »King Omri
The role of the queen mother was an important one in the royal court. She might serve as an adviser to the king and also… Read More »Queen mother
What were high places? High places (14:23) were worship sites for local pagan gods. Before the temple was built in Jerusalem, Israelites often offered sacrifices… Read More »What were high places?
“Man of God,” meaning “prophet,” is used 37 times in 1–2 Kings. Though God judged the Judean prophet’s disobedience (13:1–32), his prophecy against the temple… Read More »“Man of God,”
Lions (13:24) were once plentiful in the ancient Near East. The last recorded sighting of a lion in this area was in the thirteenth century… Read More »Lions
How long did the United Kingdom of Israel last? All 12 tribes of Israel were together as one nation for a total of 120 years:… Read More »How long did the United Kingdom of Israel last?