Who was Rimmon?
Who was Rimmon? Rimmon was another name for the Syrian god Baal-hadad. Known as the storm god, he was depicted as a bearded deity holding… Read More »Who was Rimmon?
Who was Rimmon? Rimmon was another name for the Syrian god Baal-hadad. Known as the storm god, he was depicted as a bearded deity holding… Read More »Who was Rimmon?
The wild gourds gathered by the prophet (4:38–41) were poisonous. The prophet, of course, did not realize this. He added the gourds to the stew,… Read More »Wild gourds
The Moabite Stone is a small monument inscribed with details about the conflict between the Israelites and the Moabites (3:4–27). Written by the Moabites, it… Read More »The Moabite Stone
Though bears no longer live in the region of Palestine, the bear God used to punish the disrespectful boys (2:24) was probably of a type… Read More »Bears
Israel and Judah’s sins continue. Picking up where 1 Kings left off, Israel and Judah continued to decline through false worship and disobedience. They were… Read More »Israel and Judah’s sins continue
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