Title | Reference |
Major Background Issues from the Ancient Near East | Genesis |
Creation and Existence | Genesis 1:1 |
“Vault” and “Water Above,” The | Genesis 1:6–7 |
Image and Likeness | Genesis 1:26 |
Rest | Genesis 2:2 |
Serpent, The | Genesis 3:1 |
Name of God, The | Genesis 4:26 |
Genealogies | Genesis 5 |
Flood, The | Genesis 6–8 |
Historical Setting of Genesis, The | Genesis 10 |
Ziggurats | Genesis 11:4 |
Cosmic History and Mythology | Genesis 11 |
Patriarchal Religion | Genesis 12:1–3 |
Covenant, The | Genesis 12:1–3 |
Genesis 14 and Ancient History | Genesis 14:1–17 |
Ratifying the Covenant | Genesis 15:9–21 |
Circumcision | Genesis 17:9–14 |
“The LORD Will Provide” | Genesis 22:14 |
Marriage Contracts | Genesis 24:50–54 |
Inheritance Rights and Birthrights | Genesis 25:31 |
Stairway to Heaven | Genesis 28:10–22 |
Household Gods | Genesis 31:19 |
Jacob’s Strategy | Genesis 32:1–21 |
Levirate Marriage | Genesis 38:6–11 |
Embalming | Genesis 50:2 |
Egyptian Kings of the New Kingdom | Exodus 1:8 |
God’s Name | Exodus 3:13–15 |
Historicity of the Exodus | Exodus 6:2–8 |
Timing of the Exodus, The | Exodus 6:13 |
Interpreting the Plagues | Exodus 7:14–11:10 |
Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart, The | Exodus 8:15 |
Passover | Exodus 12 |
Red Sea, The | Exodus 13:18 |
Yahweh’s Victory | Exodus 15:1–21 |
Literacy | Exodus 17:14 |
Covenants | Exodus 19:5 |
Mount Sinai | Exodus 19:11 |
Ancient Laws, Scripture and Modern Issues | Exodus 20 |
Divine Verdict | Exodus 22:8–11 |
Tabernacle, The | Exodus 26–27 |
Urim and Thummim | Exodus 28:30 |
Consecration | Exodus 29 |
Golden Calf, The | Exodus 32 |
Moses’ Horns | Exodus 34:29 |
Glory | Exodus 40:34–38 |
Ancient Law Codes and Leviticus | Leviticus 1 |
Great Symbiosis | Leviticus 2:9 |
Unclean Food | Leviticus 11 |
Zones of Purity in the Camp of Israel | Leviticus 14:8 |
Disease Transmission in the Ancient World | Leviticus 15 |
Azazel | Leviticus 16:10 |
Sanctioned Relationships in the Ancient Near East | Leviticus 18 |
Weights and Measures | Leviticus 19:35–36 |
Penalties for Sexual Offenses in Biblical and Mesopotamian Law | Leviticus 20 |
Festivals | Leviticus 23 |
Numbers in Numbers | Numbers 1:46 |
Nazirites | Numbers 6:1–21 |
Geography of the Wilderness | Numbers 10:12 |
Balaam | Numbers 22 |
Canaan’s Borders | Numbers 34:2–12 |
Canaanites, The | Deuteronomy 1:7 |
Decrees and Laws | Deuteronomy 4:1 |
Treaty Formats and Biblical Covenants | Deuteronomy 4:13 |
Monotheism, Monolatry and Henotheism | Deuteronomy 6:4 |
Ancient Near Eastern Worship | Deuteronomy 12:4 |
Magic | Deuteronomy 18:10–11 |
Death of Moses and the Authorship of Deuteronomy, The | Deuteronomy 34 |
Land Grants | Joshua 1:3–4 |
Divine Warfare | Joshua 3:14–17 |
Fall of Jericho, The | Joshua 5:13–6:27 |
Altar on Mount Ebal | Joshua 8:30–35 |
Sun Stands Still and the Moon Stops, The | Joshua 10:12–13 |
Judges 1 as Annalistic Military Reporting | Judges 1 |
Keys and Locks | Judges 3:23–25 |
Gideon’s Fleece: Testing the Deity | Judges 6:36–40 |
Fables in the Ancient World | Judges 9:8–15 |
Women Serving in the Tabernacle | Judges 11:30–40 |
Moab | Ruth 1:1 |
Dagon | 1 Samuel 5:2 |
Lyre | 1 Samuel 16:16, 18 |
Combat by Champions | 1 Samuel 17 |
Consulting a “Spirit” | 1 Samuel 28:8–25 |
Music and Musicians | 2 Samuel 6:5 |
David’s “Empire” | 2 Samuel 8 |
New Kings and Temples | 1 Kings 5 |
Architecture of the Temple | 1 Kings 6 |
Geographic Setting of Kings, The | 1 Kings 12 |
Challenging Chronology of the Kings of Israel and Judah, The | 1 Kings 15 |
Baal | 1 Kings 16:32 |
Divine Council | 1 Kings 22:19–23 |
Lord of the Flies | 2 Kings 1:2 |
Practice of Magic | 2 Kings 6:1–7 |
Omri and Jehu in History | 1 Kings 16:21–28; 2 Kings 9:1–10:36 |
Tell Dan Stele, The | 2 Kings 8:25–29; 9:14–29 |
Azariah King of Judah | 2 Kings 15:1–7 |
Israel and Damascus Versus Judah | 2 Kings 16:5–20 |
Extispicy | 2 Kings 16:15 |
Shalmaneser | 2 Kings 17:3–6 |
Nehushtan | 2 Kings 18:4 |
Hezekiah and Assyria | 2 Kings 18:17–19:37 |
Death of Sennacherib, The | 2 Kings 19:37 |
Hezekiah’s Tunnel | 2 Kings 20:20 |
Manasseh of Judah and Ashurbanipal | 2 Kings 21:1–18 |
Books and Literacy | 2 Kings 22:10 |
Significance of Genealogies for a Postexilic Audience, The | 1 Chronicles 1–8 |
Dreams and Temple Building in the Ancient Near East | 2 Chronicles 1:7–12 |
All the King’s Horses | 2 Chronicles 1:16–17 |
Temples and Sacred Space | 2 Chronicles 2–3 |
Mixed Marriages | Ezra 9 |
Murashu Texts and the Elephantine Papyri, The | Nehemiah 2:10 |
Chronological Context of the Character Job | Job 1:1 |
Satan | Job 1:6 |
Innocent Suffering in Ancient Near Eastern Texts | Job 1:8–22 |
Retribution Principle | Job 1:9–10 |
How the Book of Job Differs From Ancient Near Eastern Thinking | Job 1 |
Ways in Which Job Thinks Like an Israelite | Job 1 |
Mourning | Job 2:12–13 |
Death and Sheol | Job 7:21 |
Cosmic Geography | Job 9:5–10 |
Metals and Mining | Job 28 |
Negative Confessions and the Oath of Innocence | Job 31 |
Job’s Covenant and Arranged Marriages | Job 31:1 |
Divine Discourse | Job 38 |
Identification of Behemoth and Leviathan | Job 40–41 |
Leviathan | Job 41 |
Psalm Titles | Psalm 1 |
Psalm 20 and Papyrus Amherst 63 | Psalm 20 |
Honor-Shame Cultures | Psalm 25 |
Psalm 29: A Canaanite Hymn? | Psalm 29 |
Death and the Underworld | Psalm 30:3 |
Community Laments in the Ancient Near East | Psalm 44 |
Enthronement in the Ancient Near East | Psalm 47:5–8 |
Hymns to Holy Cities | Psalm 48 |
Sin and Sacrifice in the Ancient Near East | Psalm 51:16–17 |
Imprecations and Incantations | Psalm 58 |
Coronation Hymns in the Ancient Near East | Psalm 72 |
City Laments | Psalm 74 |
Chaos Monsters | Psalm 74:13–14 |
Sacred Space | Psalm 84 |
Great Hymn to Aten, The | Psalm 104 |
Demons in the Old Testament | Psalm 106:37 |
Repeated Psalms | Psalm 108 |
Acrostic Psalms | Psalms 111; 112 |
Pilgrim Psalms | Psalms 120–134 |
Making an Idol | Psalm 135:15–18 |
Sages in the Ancient Near East | Proverbs 1:8 |
What Does It Mean for a Proverb to Be True? | Proverbs 1 |
What Is a Proverb? | Proverbs 1 |
Ancient Near Eastern Wisdom Literature | Proverbs 4:1 |
“Strange” and “Foreign” Woman, The | Proverbs 5 |
What Is Wisdom? | Proverbs 8 |
Education and Sages in the Ancient Near East | Proverbs 8–9 |
Harpers’ Songs | Ecclesiastes 1 |
Fictional Royal Biography | Ecclesiastes 1:12–2:11 |
Hellenistic Philosophy and Ecclesiastes | Ecclesiastes 5–6 |
Egyptian Love Poetry | Song of Songs 1 |
Mesopotamian Love Poetry | Song of Songs 1 |
Historical Background of Isaiah, The | Isaiah 1 |
Prophets and Prophecy | Isaiah 1 |
Allegory | Isaiah 5 |
Wordplay | Isaiah 5:7 |
Dating Methods | Isaiah 6:1 |
Syro-Ephraimite War | Isaiah 7:1 |
Israel and Aram Destroyed | Isaiah 7:16 |
Names in the Old Testament Period | Isaiah 9:6 |
Nations Targeted in Isaiah’s Prophecies | Isaiah 13:1–14:27 |
Prophecies Against Foreign Nations | Isaiah 13–24 |
Siege Warfare | Isaiah 23:13 |
Old Testament Concept of Resurrection, The | Isaiah 26:19 |
Egyptian Relationships Under Hezekiah | Isaiah 30 |
Psalm of Thanks for Healing | Isaiah 38:10–20 |
Prophecies of Consolation and Hope | Isaiah 40–66 |
Substitutionary Rites | Isaiah 53 |
Historical Setting of Jeremiah | Jeremiah 1 |
Exposure of the Dead | Jeremiah 8:1 |
Symbolic Action Report | Jeremiah 13 |
Proper Burial | Jeremiah 16:4 |
Title Deeds in the Ancient Near East | Jeremiah 32:10 |
Rekabite Family, The | Jeremiah 35 |
Scrolls in the Ancient World | Jeremiah 36:2 |
Oracles Against Foreign Nations | Jeremiah 46 |
Neo-Sumerian Laments | Lamentations 1 |
Aramaic | Ezekiel 1 |
Shaving in the Ancient World | Ezekiel 5:1–4 |
Esarhaddon’s Inscription Concerning Babylon | Ezekiel 10 |
Is Ezekiel 28:11–19 Talking About Satan? | Ezekiel 28:11–19 |
Gog, of the Land of Magog | Ezekiel 38:2 |
Stories About Courtiers | Daniel 1 |
Babylonian Chronicle, The | Daniel 2:1 |
Tale of Ahiqar, The | Daniel 4:33 |
Prayer of Nabonidus, The | Daniel 4:34–35 |
Zoroastrianism | Daniel 6:7 |
Cyrus Cylinder, The | Daniel 6:28 |
Dreams and Dream Reports | Daniel 7–8 |
Greek History | Daniel 8 |
Daniel and the Akkadian Prophecies | Daniel 11 |
Baal in Hosea, The | Hosea 2:8 |
Amos’s Judgments Against Foreign Nations | Amos 1:3–2:3 |
“For Three . . . Even for Four” | Amos 1:3–2:6 |
Playing With Place-Names | Amos 1:5 |
Economic Changes and Social Classes in Eighth-Century BC Israel | Amos 2:6–8 |
Prophets | Amos 2:11 |
“Sovereign LORD,” The | Amos 3:7 |
Administration of Justice | Amos 5:12 |
Obadiah’s Audience | Obadiah 1 |
Ships and Seafaring in the Ancient World | Jonah 1:3 |
Fantastic Creatures Sent From the Gods | Jonah 1:17 |
Prophets Receiving a Hearing | Jonah 3:4–5 |
Judgment on the Nations | Zephaniah 2:4–15 |
Apocalyptic Literature | Zechariah 1 |
Historical Setting of Zechariah, The | Zechariah 1:1 |
Ancient Temple-Building Accounts and Zechariah | Zechariah 1:16 |
Matthew’s Genealogy | Matthew 1:1–17 |
Herod the Great | Matthew 2:1 |
Kingdom | Matthew 4:17 |
Demons and the Bible | Matthew 8:16, 28–34 |
Houses in the Holy Land of the First Century AD: Peter’s House in Capernaum; Insulae | Matthew 14 |
Jesus’ Trial | Matthew 26:59–68; Mark 14:55–64; Luke 22:66–71; John 18:12–24 |
Location of Jesus’ Tomb, The | Matthew 27 |
Baptism | Mark 1:4 |
Parables | Mark 4:2 |
Herod’s Successors and Uneasy Relations Between Rome and Judeans | Mark 4 |
Herod’s Temple | Mark 11 |
Josephus and the Fall of Jerusalem | Mark 13 |
Shroud of Turin Controversy, The | Mark 15 |
Mary’s Allusions to Hannah’s Song | Luke 1:46–55 |
Caesar and Christ | Luke 2:1–7 |
Disease and Medicine in the Ancient World | Luke 4 |
Qumran and the New Testament | Luke 6 |
Healing Miracles in the New Testament | Luke 11:14–28 |
Cana of Galilee | John 2 |
“Jews” and “Jewish Leaders” in John’s Gospel, The | John 2:6 |
Samaria and Samaritans | John 4 |
Tabernacles and the Promise of Living Water | John 7:37–39 |
Pool of Siloam, The | John 9 |
Triclinium | John 13 |
Synoptic Passover Meal Versus John’s Passover Lamb, The | John 18 |
Crucifixion, The | John 19 |
Ascensions | Acts 1:9 |
Synagogue of the Freedmen | Acts 6:9 |
Answered Charges and Parallel Figures in Acts 7 | Acts 7 |
Magic in the New Testament | Acts 8:9 |
African Empire of Meroë, The | Acts 8:27 |
Tarsus | Acts 9:11 |
Caesarea and Its Soldiers | Acts 10:1 |
Ancient Philosophies | Acts 17:18 |
Rome | Romans 1:7 |
Homosexual Activity in Antiquity | Romans 1:24–27 |
Adam in Jewish Tradition | Romans 5:12–21 |
Flesh and Spirit | Romans 8:1–17 |
“Pure” and “Unclean” Foods | Romans 14:1–23 |
Erastus Inscription, The | Romans 16 |
Rhetoric and Paul’s Letters | 1 Corinthians 2:1–5 |
Prostitution and Sexual Immorality | 1 Corinthians 6:12–20 |
Celibacy in Antiquity | 1 Corinthians 7:1 |
Sacrificed Food | 1 Corinthians 8:1–13 |
Athletic Imagery in 1 Corinthians 9 | 1 Corinthians 9:24–27 |
Head Coverings in Antiquity | 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 |
Banquets in Corinth | 1 Corinthians 11:20–21 |
Prophecy in Antiquity | 1 Corinthians 14:1 |
Resurrection | 1 Corinthians 15 |
Corinth | 2 Corinthians 1 |
Ancient Boasting and 2 Corinthians 11 | 2 Corinthians 11:16–21 |
Paul’s Experience of the “Third Heaven” | 2 Corinthians 12:2–4 |
Paul’s Jewish Opponents | Galatians 3 |
Gods of the Greeks and Romans, The | Galatians 4 |
Marriage Roles in Antiquity | Ephesians 5:21–33 |
Slaves and Slaveholders in Ephesians 6 | Ephesians 6:5–9 |
Background of Colossians 1:15–20 | Colossians 1:15–20 |
Mystery Cults | Colossians 3 |
Travel in the Greco-Roman World | 1 Thessalonians 3 |
Jesus’ Teachings as Background in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11 | 1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11 |
Women’s Education in Antiquity | 1 Timothy 2:11–12 |
Ephesus During the Time of Paul | 2 Timothy 4 |
Books of the Apocrypha, The | Titus 2 |
Ancient Slavery and the Background for Philemon | Philemon 8–21 |
Function of the Tabernacle | Hebrews 9:1–5 |
Poverty and Revolt in Judea | James 1:9–10 |
Dress and Fashion in the Greco-Roman World | James 2 |
New Testament Canon, The | 2 Peter 3 |
Writing Materials in the Ancient World | 3 John |
Letters to the Seven Churches | Revelation 2:1–3:22 |
Laodicea | Revelation 3:14–22 |
Heaven as a Temple in Revelation | Revelation 4 |
Sealing Documents and Revelation 5 | Revelation 5:1 |
Parthia | Revelation 9:14 |
Symbolism in Revelation 12:1–6 | Revelation 12:1–6 |
Time in Revelation | Revelation 12:6 |
Imperial Cult, The | Revelation 13:1 |
A New Nero | Revelation 13:3 |
Mark of the Beast, The | Revelation 13:16–18 |
Babylon and Rome | Revelation 17:5 |
Rome’s Imports | Revelation 18:12–13 |
Millennium, The | Revelation 20:1–6 |
Dimensions of the New Jerusalem | Revelation 21:15–17 |