Gilead
Nations fought for control of Gilead (2:36) because an international trade route, known as the King’s Highway, passed through it. The region was also an… Read More »Gilead
Nations fought for control of Gilead (2:36) because an international trade route, known as the King’s Highway, passed through it. The region was also an… Read More »Gilead
Was Deuteronomy a treaty? There are many similarities between the book of Deuteronomy and various ancient Near Eastern treaties that date from the time of… Read More »Was Deuteronomy a treaty?
The Arabah (1:7) refers to the rugged and extremely dry region surrounding and south of the Dead Sea. The Israelites’ travels took them through this… Read More »The Arabah
Chronicling a journey, as seen in ch. 33, was a form of record keeping employed widely in ancient times. These detailed records were a valuable… Read More »Chronicling a journey
Amorites. The Amorites inhabited the land west of the Euphrates River, which included Canaan. In fact, the name “Amorite” means “westerner.” They spoke a dialect… Read More »Amorites
Sharing the plunder. Soldiers in ancient times were regularly paid through the spoils of war. Contracts were often signed to guarantee that commanders would not… Read More »Sharing the plunder
During the Feast of Booths, the Israelites were to live in temporary dwellings (“booths”) as a reminder of their life in the wilderness. The large… Read More »Feast of Booths
How wealthy would the Israelites become? The sacrifices described in chs. 28–29 called for a total of 113 bulls, 1,086 lambs, more than a ton… Read More »How wealthy would the Israelites become?
Wild oxen (24:8) are believed to be the ancestors of domestic cattle. In the OT, the wild ox was a symbol of strength.
Aram. The pagan prophet Balaam described himself as being from Aram. Aram was a confederation of small towns in present-day Syria. It was named for… Read More »Aram
Balaam remembered. Evidence for Balaam’s existence can be seen on an eighth-century b.c. inscription found in Jordan. It begins with, “Inscription of Balaam the son… Read More »Balaam remembered
The bronze serpent. When the people of Israel looked upon the serpent in order to live (21:9), it was a prophetic picture of the day… Read More »The bronze serpent