Geshur
Geshur was a border town between the nation of Israel and Aram to the north. David’s wife and Absalom’s mother, Maacah, was from this city,… Read More »Geshur
Geshur was a border town between the nation of Israel and Aram to the north. David’s wife and Absalom’s mother, Maacah, was from this city,… Read More »Geshur
Why did Tamar not want to be sent away? Although Amnon raped her, Tamar knew that the Mosaic Law said he must now marry her… Read More »Why did Tamar not want to be sent away?
David’s disobedience. David broke three of the Ten Commandments in his relationship with Bathsheba. He broke the tenth commandment by coveting another man’s wife, then… Read More »David’s disobedience
Sexual activity while on military duty was expressly forbidden by law in ancient Israel. It brought about ritual impurity and therefore forced a soldier to… Read More »Sexual activity while on military duty
Hamstringing horses (8:4) was a practice used by victorious armies to ensure that their enemy’s horses could not be used in battle again. It involved… Read More »Hamstringing horses
Building a house for gods was a common thing for a king or leader to do in the ancient Near East. David’s desire to build… Read More »Building a house for gods
Dancing was a vital part of both worship and celebration (6:14). The Hebrew word for dance can mean to twist or whirl about in circular… Read More »Dancing
Millo means “fill” in Hebrew. The Millo (5:9) was a series of terraces built so that houses and other structures could rest on flat areas… Read More »Millo
Hanging by the neck was never used as a form of execution in ancient Israel. However, the hanging of a person’s body after execution was… Read More »Hanging
Dogs are mentioned 40 times in Scripture, and few of the references are positive. Dogs were viewed as unclean animals because they were scavengers, not… Read More »Dogs
The pool of Gibeon (2:13) was probably a huge round cistern cut into limestone rock. Since the water was about 80 feet (24 m) below… Read More »The pool of Gibeon
Laments were a common way of showing grief and mourning for the dead. They could poetically capture a person’s feelings toward the departed.