Revelation

All Things Made New

21

21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ² Then I, John,^a saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

⁵ Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me,^a “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

⁶ And He said to me, “It is done!^a I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. ⁷ He who overcomes shall inherit all things,^a and I will be his God and he shall be My son. ⁸ But the cowardly, unbelieving,^a abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem

⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me^a and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”^{b 10} And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy^a Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ¹¹ having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. ¹² Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: ¹³ three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

¹⁴ Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names^a of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵ And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. ¹⁶ The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. ¹⁷ Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. ¹⁸ The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

The Glory of the New Jerusalem

²² But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it,^a for the glory^b of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. ²⁴ And the nations of those who are saved^a shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.^{b 25} Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). ²⁶ And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.^{a 27} But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes^a an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

The River of Life

22

22:1 And he showed me a pure^a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ³ And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. ⁴ They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. ⁵ There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

* The Return to Paradise (Rev. 22:1–5)

No book in the New Testament depends upon imagery supplied from the Old Testament for its message as does the Book of Revelation. Perhaps this characteristic appears in no more dramatic fashion in the book than in the description of the new creation (Rev. 22:1–5), and particularly in the imagery of the tree of life.

The tree of life appears in the midst of the New Jerusalem, growing on both sides of the river that flows from the throne (22:2). Fruit from the tree is available for all the citizenry to eat, making life in the New Jerusalem full, abundant, and eternal. This tree brings about the “healing of the nations” (22:2).

The tree of life first appeared in the Old Testament story of Eden, the garden that God planted for the first humans (Gen. 2). According to the Genesis account, the tree was “in the midst of the garden” (Gen. 2:9), and openly accessible to humanity before sin entered the world. After the Fall, however, God banned the humans from the garden, precisely to keep them away from the tree of life (Gen. 3:22). The tree of life thus belonged to humanity before sin entered the world, when all creation reflected the goodness in which God had created it.

The location for the tree of life is linked to paradise. Traditionally, the word “Eden” has been viewed as meaning “delight” or “luxury.” This view is reflected in the Septuagint, where the Greek translation for “garden of Eden” is “paradise of Delight.” Again in the First Book of Enoch the tree of life appears in paradise. Enoch journeys to God’s mountain paradise where the tree of life is kept. The tree’s fruit will be given to the righteous when the tree is planted in the New Jerusalem (1 Enoch 24:2–25:7).

John’s vision repeats these allusions. Fruit from the tree of life, located in the “Paradise of God,” is promised to “him who overcomes” (Rev. 2:7). The inexpressible abundance of the tree is symbolized in its yield being available “every month” (22:7).

The Time Is Near

⁶ Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy^a prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

⁷ “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

⁸ Now I, John, saw and heard^a these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

⁹ Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For^a I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” ¹⁰ And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. ¹¹ He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous^a still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

Jesus Testifies To the Churches

¹² “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”^a

¹⁴ Blessed are those who do His commandments,^a that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ But^a outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

A Warning

¹⁸ For^a I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add^b to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away^a his part from the Book^b of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

I Am Coming Quickly

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.^a Amen.

Chronological Study Bible

Cultural and Historical Topics

The background notes in The Chronological Study Bible offer cultural and historical information on several topics, which are grouped under eight categories:

Art and Literature

Daily Life and Customs

Gods and Goddesses

Peoples and Nations

Personalities

Places and Geography

Politics and Government

Religion and Worship

The topics listed below are followed by the titles of background notes where information is found on that topic. For example, to locate information on the deity Dagon see the category “Gods and Goddesses,” which references the background note titled Dagon Breaks Before God.

Art and Literature

Topic

Accadian

The First World Empire

Acts of Thekla

The Tortured “Others”

Adapa myth

Adapa Misses Out on Immortality

Humans in Heaven

Amarna documents

Adapa Misses Out on Immortality

Shechem in the Amarna Letters

Humans in Heaven

Apuleius

How Immoral Was Corinth?

Aristophanes

How Immoral Was Corinth?

Assyrian annals

Sennacherib Fails to Open the Cage

A Bird in a Cage

The City of Failed Revolts

Assyrian Doomsday Book

Counting Heads

Assyrian King List

These Are the Kings

Assyrian law codes

Middle Assyrian Laws

autobiography

The Nehemiah Memoirs

Babylonian Chronicle

Jehoiachin’s Exile in Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon

Babylonian Theodicy

Babylonian Job and Other Innocent Sufferers

Black Obelisk

Jehu Encounters Shalmaneser and Hazael

cherubim

Cherubim, the Divine Guardians

Curse of Agade

The First World Empire

Cyrus Cylinder

Cyrus’s Religious Propaganda

De Dea Syria

Technical Prophecy Seeks Divine Knowledge

Mocking Canaanite Religious Ritual

Diodorus Siculus

The Natives of Malta

Djoser’s Tradition

Egypt’s Seven Lean Years

dragons

Symbolic Pictures of Heavenly Conflict

Edict of Horemhab

Appointing Just Judges

Elephantine writings

Aramaic Writings at Elephantine

Emar texts

Swearing to the Gods

Enmerkar

Enmerkar and the Heavy Mouth

Enoch

The Return to Paradise

Enuma Anu Enlil

Oracles in Heaven

Enuma Elish

Creation by Conquest in Babylon

When the Heavens Go to War

Marduk Ascends the Divine Ranks

A Festival for Bel Marduk

Epic of Erra

When God Is Angry

Epimenides

An Ancient Prophet from Crete

Etana

Humans in Heaven

flood

King of the Universe

folklore

The Birth of Sargon

Gilgamesh Epic

When the Bird Does Not Return

God’s Bow or a Goddess’s Necklace

The Sleep of Death

Death Is Our Lot; Enjoy Life

What the Dead Know

Weeping for Tammuz

great flood accounts

The Sumerian King List

The Flood Through Other Eyes

When the Gods Tire of Noisy Humans

When the Bird Does Not Return

God’s Bow or a Goddess’s Necklace

Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi’s “Eye for an Eye”

Herodotus

The Weak and Temperamental King

Offspring of Vipers

Hittite text

Abram’s Ceremony and a Hittite Ritual

household codes

Family Values in the Household

Hymn to the Sun Disk

The Aten, the Egyptian Sun Disk

hymns

There Are gods and Then There Is God

I Will Praise the Lord of Wisdom

Babylonian Job and Other Innocent Sufferers

Israel Stele

Merenptah, the Subduer of Gezer

The Israel Stele of Merenptah

ivory

The Ivory House

Josephus

Founding Solomon’s Temple

Before the Governor at Caesarea

When Did Festus Take Office?

Paul’s Pedigree as a Pharisee

Agrippa, Paul’s Judge

Justin Martyr

Simon Magus, the Great Power

Karnak

The City of Failed Revolts

Kuntillet ‘Ajrud

Asherah, Queen Mother of the Gods

Lachish

Signal-Fires in Beth Haccerem

Lachish Letters of Distress

Lament for Ur

Lamenting for the Defeated City

Lamentations

Lamenting for the Defeated City

Legend of Aqhat

Even If Daniel Were Here!

Myth and the Prince of Tyre

Legend of Keret

A Quick Cure for Snakebite

Logos

The Word Becomes Flesh

Ludlul bel Nemeqi

Manasseh’s Repentance and Forgiveness

magical texts

Dueling Deities: Magic and Magicians in Egypt

Mari tablets

The Habiru-Refugees or Outlaws?

The Mari Tablet Towns

Benjamin-Sons of the South

Dagon Breaks Before God

A Prophet Prophesies Against the Prophets

The Ox That Gored

Matthew

Matthew and Old Testament Fulfillment

Melchizedek

Melchizedek in Jewish Tradition

Menander

Founding Solomon’s Temple

Moabite Stone

Ahab the Religious Compromiser

The Moabite Stone and King Mesha

Omri’s Name Lives On

Myth of Nergal

Nergal and Nergal-Sharezer

Nag Hammadi

Melchizedek in Jewish Tradition

Nehemiah

The Nehemiah Memoirs

Nineveh

The Siege of Lachish

Nippur

The Slandered Bride from Nippur

numerology

Is Nero’s Number 666?

Nuzi texts

The Habiru-Refugees or Outlaws?

A Slave of a Wife Becomes a Mother!

The Ox That Gored

The Household Gods of Nuzi

omen texts

When God Listened to a Man

Origen

Early Jewish Missionaries

parables

How to Understand a Parable

Pliny the Younger

Persecuted in Bithynia

Holding Fast the Confession

Prism of Esarhaddon

The King of Assyria Deports Manasseh

psalms

David the Sweet Psalmist

Punic

The Natives of Malta

pyramids

The Great Pyramid at Giza

Qumran

Melchizedek in Jewish Tradition

Saqqara Papyrus

Ekron Drinks God’s Wine Cup of Fury

Seneca

Vile Passions and Unnatural Lusts

Siloam inscription

Hezekiah’s Tunnel

song

The Levitical Singers

Song of Moses

God Among the Warrior Deities

Sumer

Sumerian Cities of Refuge

Gods Abandon People Who Abandon Their Gods

Babylonian Job and Other Innocent Sufferers

Sumerian King List

The Sumerian King List

Sumerian texts

Sumerian Abominations

Tale of Sinuhe

Sinuhe Visits a Fertile Palestine

Tale of Two Brothers

The Tale of Two Brothers

temples

Paul Versus the Goddess Diana

tree of life

The Return to Paradise

Ugarit

Annihilation of the Golden Calf

Taxes in Ugarit

Anath, Goddess of War

Baal, God of Storms

Angel: Messenger and Presence of God

Storm God Imagery

When Gods Go Bad

A Human Sacrifice for a Hopeless War

A Covenant with Death

God Punishes Gods and Kings

Mourning at the Banquet Hall

Even If Daniel Were Here!

Myth and the Prince of Tyre

Mistaking the Sun and Moon for Deities

Leviathan, the Sea Serpent

Utnapishtim

When the Bird Does Not Return

yod

The Tiny Hebrew Yod

ziggurats

Babel and Its Tower

Daily Life and Customs

Topic

Abba

Abba, Father

adoption

My Servant Is My Heir!

The Household Gods of Nuzi

banquets

The Who’s Who of Banqueting

bronze

In a Mirror or Face to Face

burial

Buried in the Cave of Machpelah

calendar

Months of the Yearly Calendar

camels

Bedouins and Their Camels

caves

Buried in the Cave of Machpelah

chariots

Chariots and Chariot Cities

Christians

Those “Christians” in Antioch

cisterns

The Pools of Heshbon

Broken Cisterns

city gates

Gates and Fortified Cities

city walls

Towers of Safety

Digging Through a Wall

close relative

Naomi’s Close Relative

commerce

Taking Off the Sandals

concubine

The Sort-of Wife

death

Waiting to Bury Their Dead

deeds

Business Documents at Ebla

divorce

Divorce and Remarriage at Corinth

dogs

You Dirty Dead Dog!

drinking

Mourning at the Banquet Hall

Epicureans

Stoics, Epicureans, and a Babbler

eunuchs

Candace’s Eunuch Believes

exile

Tough Times in Jerusalem

famine

Sealed Judgments

fathers

Widows in the Household

food

Eating the Good Foods of Egypt

footwashing

They Washed Their Feet

friendship

Friendship with the Master

garbage

Broken Pieces in the Garbage Dump

gatekeepers

Not Just Guarding the Gates

gates

Solomon and His Architecture

genealogy

Genealogy and Messianic Hopes

Gihon spring

Hezekiah’s Tunnel

gold

Egypt and Its Gold

head covering

Covering a Woman’s Head

Hellenism

Alexander the Great

Alone in the City of Philosophers

Hellenists

Food for the Hellenist Widows

homosexuality

Vile Passions and Unnatural Lusts

honor

Widows in the Household

The Who’s Who of Banqueting

household codes

Family Values in the Household

household gods

The Household Gods of Nuzi

iron

From Copper to Bronze to Iron

lamps

Lights for the Night

language

Israel’s Southern Drawl

laws

The Ox That Gored

The Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi’s “Eye for an Eye”

lectures

Ask at Home, Not at Church

letters

Letters of Commendation

magic

Dueling Deities: Magic and Magicians in Egypt

A Quick Cure for Snakebite

manners

Sumerian Abominations

marriage

A Slave of a Wife Becomes a Mother!

Levirate Marriage and Sandal Ceremony

The Sort-of Wife

A Prophet Without a Family

Betrayal and Betrothal

No Divorce-Except for Immorality

Jesus Opposes Divorce

Divorce and Remarriage at Corinth

Wives Submitting to Husbands

Husband of One Wife

Wives, Husbands, and Religion

marriage and divorce

The Slandered Bride from Nippur

metalworking

From Copper to Bronze to Iron

Jonah Sails for Tarshish

Destroying Their Idols

Millo

What Was the Millo?

millstones

The Old-Time Bread Machine

missionaries

Early Jewish Missionaries

mourning

Ashes of Sorrow

Mourning at the Banquet Hall

numerology

The Number “12”

Olympic Games

Running in the Olympics

Passover

His Body, His Blood, and Passover

patronage

Of Paul or Apollos? Patronage at Corinth

Patrons, Clients, and Puffed-Up Christians

perfume

Is Beauty Judged by the Nose?

Pharisees

Paul’s Pedigree as a Pharisee

potsherds

Potsherds from the Ashes

poverty

Various Trials of the Poor

prodigal son

Robe, Ring, Sandals, and Calf

purple

A Tragic Loss of Business!

sandals

Taking Off the Sandals

seals

A Faithful Friend and Scribe

servants

Servant of the Church at Cenchrea

shaving

Priests Upholding Ritual Purity

Shibboleth

Israel’s Southern Drawl

slavery

The Temple Slave of the Lord

More Than a Slave

Bondservants, Be Obedient!

sling

From the Pocket of a Sling

snakes

Offspring of Vipers

Stoics

Stoics, Epicureans, and a Babbler

Bondservants, Be Obedient!

stone tools

Circumcised with Flint Knives

sword

Is the Armor Too Big, or the Crown?

Jonathan Transfers Claim to the Throne

temples

Temple Afire

Not Just Guarding the Gates

teraphim

The Household Gods of Nuzi

throne

King of the Universe

towers

Towers of Safety

trumpets

Pictures of the End Time

widows

Food for the Hellenist Widows

Widows in the Household

wine

Wine or Intoxicating Drink

women

Ask at Home, Not at Church

Servant of the Church at Cenchrea

Learn Quietly but Do Not Teach

Wives, Husbands, and Religion

writing

The First Major City

Gods and Goddesses

Topic

Adonis

Is This a Ritual for a Dying God?

Ahura Mazda

Satan, Initiating Evil for Israel

Jerusalem, the Future World Center

Amon-Re

The Creator God Is Not Sun or Moon

Amon of No

Anath

Anath, Goddess of War

Angra Mainyu

Satan, Initiating Evil for Israel

Anubis

The Tale of Two Brothers

Artemis

Paul Versus the Goddess Diana

Asherah

Organizing a Pantheon of Many Gods

The Person of Lady Wisdom

Asherah, Queen Mother of the Gods

Ashtoreth

Worshiping Your Neighbors’ Gods

Asshur

Okay, the Assyrians Really Serve Asshur

Assyrian gods

The Curses of Disobedience

Gods of the Assyrian Exiles in Israel

Aten

Jerusalem’s Apostasies and Other Gods

Cutting Off the Names

Athena

Myth and the Prince of Tyre

Aton

The Creator God Is Not Sun or Moon

Baal

Anath, Goddess of War

Baal, God of Storms

Worshiping Your Neighbors’ Gods

Storm God Imagery

Mocking Canaanite Religious Ritual

Baal Worship in Samaria

Baal Worship in Jerusalem

Jerusalem’s Apostasies and Other Gods

Baal of Peor

Chasing the Gods of Moab

Baal-Zebub

The Lord of the Flies

Bel Marduk

Marduk Ascends the Divine Ranks

A Festival for Bel Marduk

Canaanite gods

The Temple Pantheon of Jerusalem

Harlotry After Other Gods

Chemosh

Gods ’ Lands, Gods ’ Peoples

Dagon

Dagon Breaks Before God

Day Star

A Failed Assault on Heaven

death

Death Comes Through Your Windows

Diana

Paul Versus the Goddess Diana

Dumuzi

Weeping for Tammuz

Egypt

Harlotry After Other Gods

El

Calves, Cows, and Bulls Representing the Divine

Organizing a Pantheon of Many Gods

God Punishes Gods and Kings

Erra

When God Is Angry

Gad

Feeding the Gods of Fortune

Hadad

Baal, God of Storms

heavenly bureaucracy

Bureaucratic Reports in Heaven

Inanna

Weeping for Tammuz

Ishtar

The Birth of Sargon

God Among the Warrior Deities

Weeping for Tammuz

Leviathan

Leviathan, the Sea Serpent

Lilith

Lilith, a Deadly Demon

Lucifer

A Failed Assault on Heaven

Marduk

Creation by Conquest in Babylon

God Is in the Midst of His City

Adopting Their Idols

Should We Correct a Cult Gone Astray?

Marduk Ascends the Divine Ranks

Gods Abandon People Who Abandon Their Gods

Cyrus’s Religious Propaganda

Meni

Feeding the Gods of Fortune

Milcom

Cleaning Out Solomon’s High Places

Molech

A God Consuming Human Flesh

moon god

Mistaking the Sun and Moon for Deities

Mot

A Covenant with Death

Death Comes Through Your Windows

Paraded Before the King of Terrors

Nanna

Lamenting for the Defeated City

Nergal

Nergal and Nergal-Sharezer

Ningirsu

Ritual for an Audience with God

Ninhursag

God’s Bow or a Goddess’s Necklace

Ninurta

Sumerian Cities of Refuge

patron deities

Each with Their Own God

Ptah

The Creator God Is Not Sun or Moon

queen of heaven

Family Worship of the Queen of Heaven

Re

The Creator God Is Not Sun or Moon

Satan

Satan, Initiating Evil for Israel

Enter the Adversary-Satan

Clothing, Symbols of Inner Being

Shamash

The Creator God Is Not Sun or Moon

Sin

The Brothers and the Moon God

sons of God

Were You There at the Beginning?

sun god

Mistaking the Sun and Moon for Deities

Sun God or Sun of Righteousness

The Aten, the Egyptian Sun Disk

Tammuz

Weeping for Tammuz

Tefnut

The Creator God Is Not Sun or Moon

Tiamat

Creation by Conquest in Babylon

Tyche

Feeding the Gods of Fortune

Ugarit

Organizing a Pantheon of Many Gods

wisdom

The Person of Lady Wisdom

Yahweh

Arad in the Inscriptions

Testing the Presence of God

Storm God Imagery

King of the Universe

When God Is Angry

When Gods Go Bad

God Is in the Midst of His City

Kings as Vice-Regents

Davidic Kings in the Cosmic Order

Asherah, Queen Mother of the Gods

Baal Worship in Samaria

Baal Worship in Jerusalem

God Is the God of All Peoples

Isaiah Encounters the Seraphim

No King-Priests in Judah

Each with Their Own God

Assyrians Worship Yahweh

God Punishes Gods and Kings

Jerusalem’s Apostasies and Other Gods

Gods Abandon People Who Abandon Their Gods

The Sacred and Profane

Bureaucratic Reports in Heaven

Peoples and Nations

Topic

Ammonites

Gods ’ Lands, Gods ’ Peoples

Amorites

Amorites on the Move

Aram-Damascus

King, Dog, and Son of a Nobody

Vassal to Sovereign to Vassal

Arameans

Laban of Aram-naharaim

Chaldeans Become Babylonians

Assyria

The Assyrians Make a Comeback

Assyrians Worship Yahweh

A Chaldean Thorn Pricks Mighty Assyria

Okay, the Assyrians Really Serve Asshur

Ararat-Assyria’s Enemy to the North

Avoiding Ungodly Alliances

Assyria’s Capital Is Destroyed

The City of Failed Revolts

Babylon

Creation by Conquest in Babylon

Protecting the Weak in the Jubilee Year

Chaldeans Become Babylonians

Cyrus, the Lord’s Anointed

Wickedness Carried to Shinar

bedouins

Bedouins and Their Camels

Bene-yamina

Benjamin-Sons of the South

Chaldeans

Chaldeans Become Babylonians

Cushites

Ethiopians Ruling in Egypt

Edom

Edom Will Not Return

Edomites

The Horites of Mount Seir

Edom-Judah’s Unwanted Neighbor

Edom Carries On Esau’s Hatred

Egypt

The Creator God Is Not Sun or Moon

Joseph Goes to Egypt

Dueling Deities: Magic and Magicians in Egypt

Egypt and Its Gold

Eating the Good Foods of Egypt

Pharaoh, King of Egypt

Shishak Campaigns Against Solomon’s Son

Worshiping Moles and Bats

Avoiding Ungodly Alliances

Habiru

The Habiru-Refugees or Outlaws?

Shechem in the Amarna Letters

Hebrews

The Habiru-Refugees or Outlaws?

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

Hittites

Kings of the Neo-Hittites

Horites

The Horites of Mount Seir

Hurrians

The Horites of Mount Seir

Hyksos

Joseph Goes to Egypt

Ishmael

An Arabian Tribal Confederacy

Jebusites

Jebus, City of the Jebusites

Up the Jebusite Water Shaft

Jews

Origins of the Passover Meal

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

Medes

Ararat-Assyria’s Enemy to the North

The Medes and Persians

Minoans

An Ancient Prophet from Crete

Moab

The Moabite Stone and King Mesha

Neo-Babylonians

No Middle Ground

Nimrod

The First Major City

Palestine

Shishak Campaigns Against Solomon’s Son

Persia

An Empire Forms in Persia

The Medes and Persians

Philistines

The Sea Peoples Settle in Philistia

Royal Cities of the Philistine Lords

Pelesets, Philistines, and Palestine

Whatever Happened to the Philistines?

Phoenicians

The Natives of Malta

Rechabites

The Obedient Rechabites

Sabeans

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

Samaria

Marveling over Jesus with a Woman

Sea Peoples

The Sea Peoples Settle in Philistia

Pelesets, Philistines, and Palestine

From a Capital to a Vassal City

Ugarit

Taxes in Ugarit

Personalities

Topic

Abraham

The Great Pyramid at Giza

The Habiru-Refugees or Outlaws?

Abram’s Ceremony and a Hittite Ritual

Passing Between the Halves

Business Documents at Ebla

My Servant Is My Heir!

Buried in the Cave of Machpelah

The Brothers and the Moon God

Haran, a City with a Long Life

Absalom

Absalom’s Monument

Achan

Accursed and Under the Ban

Agrippa I

Immorality and Herod’s Politics

Agrippa II

Agrippa, Paul’s Judge

Ahab

Ahab the Religious Compromiser

The Uptown Girl

The Ivory House

Heaven Plans an Assassination

Ahaz

Edom-Judah’s Unwanted Neighbor

Ahaziah

The Lord of the Flies

Akhenaten

Egypt’s City of Sun Worship

The Aten, the Egyptian Sun Disk

Cutting Off the Names

Alexander

Alexander’s Siege of Tyre

Alexander the Great

Worship the Emperor

Amos

From a Capital to a Vassal City

The Decline of Hamath the Great

God Is the God of All Peoples

Annas

Annas and Caiaphas the High Priests

Antiochus IV

Antiochus IV-Epiphanes or Epimanes?

Archelaus

Judea Groans Under Archelaus

Aretas IV

Immorality and Herod’s Politics

Artaxerxes

Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Persian King

Athaliah

Baal Worship in Jerusalem

Augustus

Augustus, the First Roman Emperor

Judea Groans Under Archelaus

Worship the Emperor

Balaam

Balaam: Prophet for Hire

Baruch

A Faithful Friend and Scribe

Ben-Hadad

The Declining Kingdom of Ben-Hadad

Benjamin

Benjamin-Sons of the South

Bernice

Agrippa, Paul’s Judge

Boaz

Naomi’s Close Relative

Caiaphas

Annas and Caiaphas the High Priests

Caleb

Long Gone but Never Forgotten-the Nephilim

Caligula

Worship the Emperor

candace

Candace’s Eunuch Believes

Cornelius

Who Was the God-Fearing Cornelius?

Cyrus II

Adopting Their Idols

Cyrus, the Lord’s Anointed

Cyrus Allows the Judeans to Go Home

Cyrus’s Religious Propaganda

Starting Over in a Difficult Land

The Medes and Persians

Daniel

Even If Daniel Were Here!

Myth and the Prince of Tyre

Darius the Mede

Who Was Darius the Mede?

David

Is the Armor Too Big, or the Crown?

Jonathan Transfers Claim to the Throne

What Was the Millo?

Idrimi Returns to His Kingdom

Cherethites and Pelethites

David the Sweet Psalmist

Counting Heads

Genealogy and Messianic Hopes

Diodorus Siculus

The Pharaoh Who Was But a Noise

Dionysius

Stoics, Epicureans, and a Babbler

Eleazar

The Tortured “Others”

Eliezer

My Servant Is My Heir!

Elijah

Mocking Canaanite Religious Ritual

The Lord of the Flies

Elisha

Life from a Spring

Esarhaddon

The King of Assyria Deports Manasseh

Evil-Merodach

Evil-Merodach Extends Goodwill

Ezekiel

A Prophet in Exile

Digging Through a Wall

The Sacred and Profane

An Old Battlefield

Felix

When Did Festus Take Office?

Festus

When Did Festus Take Office?

Gallio

Gallio Rules the Province of Achaia

Gamaliel

Rabbi Gamaliel, Paul’s Teacher

Gaubaruwa

Who Was Darius the Mede?

Gedaliah

Political Turmoil After Jerusalem’s Fall

Geshem

Geshem the Arab

Gideon

Baal, God of Storms

Goliath

How Big Is a Giant?

Gudea

Ritual for an Audience with God

Hadadezer

Hadadezer Falls to King David

Hammurabi

Babel and Its Tower

The Mari Tablet Towns

Hammurabi’s “Eye for an Eye”

Hanno

From a Capital to a Vassal City

Hazael

King, Dog, and Son of a Nobody

Herod Agrippa I

Worship the Emperor

Herod Antipas

Immorality and Herod’s Politics

Multicultural Prophets at Antioch

Herod the Great

Herod, the Great Builder

Before the Governor at Caesarea

Herodias

Immorality and Herod’s Politics

Hezekiah

Hezekiah’s Tunnel

Hezekiah Brings Revival to Judah

A Pool and Tower in Siloam

Hiram

Hiram, King of Tyre

Hophra

Nebuchadnezzar Campaigns Against Egypt

The Pharaoh Who Was But a Noise

Idrimi

Idrimi Returns to His Kingdom

Isaac

Blessed Are the Blessed

Isaiah

Smoldering Ends of Burnt-Out Logs

Is This a Ritual for a Dying God?

Jacob

Family Leadership and Household Gods

Blessed Are the Blessed

Jehoiachin

Jehoiachin’s Exile in Babylon

A Prophet in Exile

Evil-Merodach Extends Goodwill

Jehoiada

Priests Wielding Political Power

Jehoiakim

Jehoiakim Resists Babylon’s Control

Jehu

Jehu Encounters Shalmaneser and Hazael

Jephthah

Gods ’ Lands, Gods ’ Peoples

Jeremiah

Avoiding Ungodly Alliances

Jeremiah in the Days of King Josiah

A Faithful Friend and Scribe

A Prophet Without a Family

True or False Prophet?

Property Rights Under Siege

The Pharaoh Who Was But a Noise

Jeroboam I

Holy Cows

Jezebel

Ahab the Religious Compromiser

The Uptown Girl

John the Baptist

John’s Baptism of Repentance

Jonathan

Jonathan Transfers Claim to the Throne

Joseph

Joseph Goes to Egypt

The Tale of Two Brothers

Egypt’s Seven Lean Years

Betrayal and Betrothal

Josephus

Zealots Against the Romans

The Abomination of Desolation

Annas and Caiaphas the High Priests

Joshua

Long Gone but Never Forgotten-the Nephilim

When the Heavens Go to War

When God Listened to a Man

Clothing, Symbols of Inner Being

Josiah

Should We Correct a Cult Gone Astray?

Cleaning Out Solomon’s High Places

The Temple Pantheon of Jerusalem

Jeremiah in the Days of King Josiah

Laban

Family Leadership and Household Gods

Laban of Aram-naharaim

Lydia

A Tragic Loss of Business!

Maachah

Asherah, Queen Mother of the Gods

Manaen

Multicultural Prophets at Antioch

Manasseh

The Long, Dark Years of Manasseh

Manasseh’s Repentance and Forgiveness

Marduka

Mordecai, Esther’s Famous Guardian

Mary

Betrayal and Betrothal

Mattathias

Paul’s Pedigree as a Pharisee

Melchizedek

Melchizedek in Jewish Tradition

Mephibosheth

You Dirty Dead Dog!

Merenptah

Merenptah, the Subduer of Gezer

The Israel Stele of Merenptah

Merodach-Baladan

A Chaldean Thorn Pricks Mighty Assyria

Mesha

A Human Sacrifice for a Hopeless War

The Moabite Stone and King Mesha

Micah

Omri’s Name Lives On

Micaiah

Heaven Plans an Assassination

Mordecai

Mordecai, Esther’s Famous Guardian

Moses

The Birth of Sargon

Enmerkar and the Heavy Mouth

Dueling Deities: Magic and Magicians in Egypt

In a Mirror or Face to Face

Nabonidus

Should We Correct a Cult Gone Astray?

Nabonidus in Tema

Nabopolassar

A New King Rises and a Capital Dies

Nadab and Abihu

Right or Wrong Ritual: Life or Death

Nahor

The Brothers and the Moon God

Naomi

Naomi’s Close Relative

Levirate Marriage and Sandal Ceremony

Nebuchadnezzar I

Adopting Their Idols

Nebuchadnezzar II

The City of Failed Revolts

Who’s Controlling Carchemish?

Jehoiakim Resists Babylon’s Control

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon

A Prophet in Exile

Nebuchadrezzar or Nebuchadnezzar?

Nebuchadnezzar Campaigns Against Egypt

Temple Afire

The 13–Year Siege of Tyre

Necho

Who’s Controlling Carchemish?

Pharaoh Necho Battles the Babylonians

Nehemiah

Tobiah, the Enemy of Nehemiah

Nero

Is Nero’s Number 666?

Seven Kings and Seven Mountains

Nicodemus

Born of Water and the Spirit

Nimrod

The First World Empire

Omri

Omri’s Name Lives On

Omri Builds a Capital at Samaria

Osnapper

The Great and Noble Osnapper

Osorkon IV

King So or Dynasty So

Paul

Paul’s Pedigree as a Pharisee

Philemon

More Than a Slave

Phoebe

Servant of the Church at Cenchrea

Pilate

Governor Pilate’s Unhappy Constituents

Pompey

Christians of Antioch in Syria

queen of Sheba

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

Rabshakeh

The Assyrians Serve God, So They Say

Okay, the Assyrians Really Serve Asshur

A Bird in a Cage

Rachel

Family Leadership and Household Gods

Where Was Rachel’s Tomb?

Ramesses III

The Sea Peoples Settle in Philistia

Pelesets, Philistines, and Palestine

From a Capital to a Vassal City

Rezin

Vassal to Sovereign to Vassal

Smoldering Ends of Burnt-Out Logs

Samson

Samson the Nazirite

Sarah

A Slave of a Wife Becomes a Mother!

Sargon

The First World Empire

The Birth of Sargon

Sargon II

The Tartan Comes to Ashdod

Sargon II Devours Israel

The Exiles Return to Samaria

Saul

Saul the King?

Is the Armor Too Big, or the Crown?

Seneca

Gallio Rules the Province of Achaia

Sennacherib

Sennacherib Fails to Open the Cage

A Chaldean Thorn Pricks Mighty Assyria

The Siege of Lachish

A Bird in a Cage

Should We Correct a Cult Gone Astray?

Assyria’s Capital Is Destroyed

Servant, the

Behold, My Servant

Shalman

Remember the Brutal Shalman

Shalmaneser

Remember the Brutal Shalman

Shalmaneser III

Jehu Encounters Shalmaneser and Hazael

Shishak

Arad in the Inscriptions

Shishak Campaigns Against Solomon’s Son

Simon Magus

Simon Magus, the Great Power

Simon the Zealot

Zealots Against the Romans

So

King So or Dynasty So

Socrates

Stoics, Epicureans, and a Babbler

Solomon

Solomon Marries Pharaoh’s Daughter

Solomon Worships the Gods of His Wives

Hiram, King of Tyre

Chariots and Chariot Cities

Syro-Phoenician woman

Who Gets the Children’s Bread?

Tamar

Ashes of Sorrow

Tefnakht I

King So or Dynasty So

Terah

The Brothers and the Moon God

Tiglath-Pileser III

The King Nicknamed “Pul”

Tirhakah

Tirhakah, King of Ethiopia and Egypt

Tobiah

Tobiah, the Enemy of Nehemiah

Trajan

Persecuted in Bithynia

Holding Fast the Confession

Uzziah

No King-Priests in Judah

Xerxes I

The Weak and Temperamental King

Zedekiah

Property Rights Under Siege

Zephaniah

Jerusalem’s Apostasies and Other Gods

Zerubbabel

Zerubbabel the Governor

Zoroaster

Satan, Initiating Evil for Israel

Places and Geography

Topic

Accad

The First World Empire

Alalakh

Idrimi Returns to His Kingdom

Amarna

Cutting Off the Names

Antioch in Pisidia

Prominent Women of Antioch in Pisidia

Antioch in Syria

Christians of Antioch in Syria

Arad

Arad in the Inscriptions

Aram-Damascus

The Declining Kingdom of Ben-Hadad

Ararat

Ararat-Assyria’s Enemy to the North

Areopagus

Paul Before the Areopagus

Ashdod

The Tartan Comes to Ashdod

Athens

Alone in the City of Philosophers

How Immoral Was Corinth?

Azekah

Lachish Letters of Distress

Babylon

Babel and Its Tower

Berea

Nighttime Exit to Berea

Beth Arbel

Remember the Brutal Shalman

Beth Haccerem

Signal-Fires in Beth Haccerem

Bethesda

The Pool of Bethesda

Bithynia

Persecuted in Bithynia

Caesarea

Before the Governor at Caesarea

Caesarea Maritima

Who Was the God-Fearing Cornelius?

Caesarea Philippi

The City of Several Names

Canaan

Long Gone but Never Forgotten-the Nephilim

Capernaum

Simon Peter’s House at Capernaum

Carchemish

Who’s Controlling Carchemish?

Jehoiakim Resists Babylon’s Control

Pharaoh Necho Battles the Babylonians

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon

Carthage

A Place for Burning Babies to the Gods

A God Consuming Human Flesh

Colosse

Cities in the Lycus Valley

Corinth

How Immoral Was Corinth?

Crete

An Ancient Prophet from Crete

Cyrene

Jews of Cyrene Visit Jerusalem

Decapolis

Cities of the Decapolis

East Gate

The East Gate of the Temple

Ebla

Business Documents at Ebla

Eden

Where Was Eden?

Edom

The Horites of Mount Seir

Seir Is Edom

Egnatian Way

Nighttime Exit to Berea

Egypt

The River of Egypt

Ekron

Ekron Drinks God’s Wine Cup of Fury

Elam

The Persian Province of Elam

En Gedi

En Gedi, an Oasis in a Mountain

En es-Sultan

Life from a Spring

Ephesus

Paul Versus the Goddess Diana

Ephraim

The Exiles Return to Samaria

Erech

The First Major City

Ethiopia

Ethiopians Ruling in Egypt

Candace’s Eunuch Believes

Galilee

Landowners of Galilee

Gath

Gittites Fight with David

Gaza

From a Capital to a Vassal City

Gehenna

Tophet Burns with Much Wood

Gezer

Merenptah, the Subduer of Gezer

Gihon spring

Up the Jebusite Water Shaft

A Pool and Tower in Siloam

Gilgal

Gilgal, Place of Covenant

Saul the King?

Giza

The Great Pyramid at Giza

Hamath

The Decline of Hamath the Great

Haran

Haran, a City with a Long Life

Hazor

Solomon and His Architecture

Hermopolis

Family Worship of the Queen of Heaven

Heshbon

The Pools of Heshbon

Jebus

Jebus, City of the Jebusites

Jericho

Accursed and Under the Ban

Life from a Spring

Jerusalem

Jebus, City of the Jebusites

Shechem in the Amarna Letters

The Politics of the Siege

Jerusalem, the Future World Center

Jerusalem temple

Money Changers in the Temple Court

House of Prayer, Den of Thieves

Herod, the Great Builder

Lachish

The Siege of Lachish

A Bird in a Cage

Signal-Fires in Beth Haccerem

Lachish Letters of Distress

Laodicea

Cities in the Lycus Valley

Lycus River

Cities in the Lycus Valley

Machpelah

Buried in the Cave of Machpelah

Malta

The Natives of Malta

Mari

The Mari Tablet Towns

Megiddo

Megiddo in Solomon’s Districts

Solomon and His Architecture

Memphis

Tirhakah, King of Ethiopia and Egypt

Mesopotamia

Laban of Aram-naharaim

Nile

The River of Egypt

Nineveh

A New King Rises and a Capital Dies

Assyria’s Capital Is Destroyed

No

Amon of No

On

Egypt’s City of Sun Worship

Palestine

Sinuhe Visits a Fertile Palestine

Panion

The City of Several Names

Persepolis

Jerusalem, the Future World Center

Philippi

Women Leaders in the Philippian Church

Philistine Pentapolis

Ekron Drinks God’s Wine Cup of Fury

Pontus

Persecuted in Bithynia

Rabbah

Rabbah, Capital of the Ammonites

Rameses

Eating the Good Foods of Egypt

Red Sea

Where Was the Red Sea?

Rome

Seven Kings and Seven Mountains

Samaria

The Ivory House

The Assyrians Make a Comeback

Omri Builds a Capital at Samaria

The Exiles Return to Samaria

Seir

The Horites of Mount Seir

Seir Is Edom

Edom Carries On Esau’s Hatred

Shechem

The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

Shechem in the Amarna Letters

Shinar

Wickedness Carried to Shinar

Sidon

The Uptown Girl

Tyre and Sidon, the Economic Oppressors

Siloam

A Pool and Tower in Siloam

Sumer

The Sumerian King List

The First Major City

Susa

Shushan the Citadel and Shushan

The Persian Province of Elam

Tarshish

Jonah Sails for Tarshish

tells

A Mound of Ruins

Tema

Nabonidus in Tema

Thyatira

A Tragic Loss of Business!

Tophet

Tophet Burns with Much Wood

A Place for Burning Babies to the Gods

Tyre

The 13–Year Siege of Tyre

Myth and the Prince of Tyre

Tyre and Sidon, the Economic Oppressors

Alexander’s Siege of Tyre

Uruk

The First Major City

Wickedness Carried to Shinar

Valley of Hinnom

Broken Pieces in the Garbage Dump

way of Horus

The Road Through Philistia

Ziklag

Royal Cities of the Philistine Lords

Politics and Government

Topic

Benjamin

Where Was Rachel’s Tomb?

Carchemish

Nebuchadnezzar Campaigns Against Egypt

census taking

Counting Heads

centurions

Who Was the God-Fearing Cornelius?

cities

Theology of Palace and Temple Districts

covenants

Passing Between the Halves

Cyrus II

Cyrus Allows the Judeans to Go Home

East Gate

The East Gate of the Temple

Egypt

Kings as Vice-Regents

Ethiopians Ruling in Egypt

Tirhakah, King of Ethiopia and Egypt

exile

Needing Comfort in Exile

Can God Really Do This “New Thing”?

The New Exodus

Starting Over in a Difficult Land

Jubilee year

Protecting the Weak in the Jubilee Year

judges

Appointing Just Judges

kingdom

A Kingdom of Truth

Mocking the So-Called King

kings

Davidic Kings in the Cosmic Order

laws

Middle Assyrian Laws

marriage

Solomon Marries Pharaoh’s Daughter

Solomon Worships the Gods of His Wives

mercenaries

Gittites Fight with David

Cherethites and Pelethites

murder

Finding a Dead Body

persecution

Seven Kings and Seven Mountains

Pharaoh

Pharaoh, King of Egypt

priests

Priests Wielding Political Power

prophets

Heaven Plans an Assassination

refuge

Sumerian Cities of Refuge

scrolls

The Heavenly Scroll

seals

Sealed Judgments

siege warfare

The Politics of the Siege

Property Rights Under Siege

How to Conduct a Siege

Digging Through a Wall

Solomon

Megiddo in Solomon’s Districts

Syro-Ephraimite War

Smoldering Ends of Burnt-Out Logs

Edom-Judah’s Unwanted Neighbor

taxes

Taxes in Ugarit

No Longer Forsaken

temples

Theology of Palace and Temple Districts

tithe

Tithe and Loyalty

torture

The Tortured “Others”

vassals

The Long, Dark Years of Manasseh

Zealots

Zealots Against the Romans

Religion and Worship

Topic

altars

Forbidden Religious Objects

ancestor worship

Worshiping Ancestors as Gods

angels

Angel: Messenger and Presence of God

Humans Are Not Perfect Before God

Pictures of the End Time

ark of the covenant

A Throne for God

Testing the Presence of God

Ascension

The Ascension of Christ

Asherim

Forbidden Religious Objects

baptism

John’s Baptism of Repentance

Born of Water and the Spirit

blessing

Blessed Are the Blessed

cities

God Is in the Midst of His City

clothing

Clothing, Symbols of Inner Being

collection

Paul’s Collection for Jerusalem

covenants

Abram’s Ceremony and a Hittite Ritual

Passing Between the Halves

death

The Sleep of Death

Death Is Our Lot; Enjoy Life

What the Dead Know

Paraded Before the King of Terrors

Sheol for All the Dead Without Distinction

divination

Technical Prophecy Seeks Divine Knowledge

Omens, Spells, and Other Abominations

Testing the Presence of God

divine curses

The Curses of Disobedience

divine wars

When the Heavens Go to War

Accursed and Under the Ban

Egypt

Were You There at the Beginning?

emperor worship

Worship the Emperor

Father

A Petition to Our Father in Heaven

Feast of Tabernacles

The Spirit and Rivers of Living Water

festivals

The Day of Judgment

forgiveness

Manasseh’s Repentance and Forgiveness

fungus

Rituals Against Fungus

healing

The Pool of Bethesda

high places

The Evil High Places

Cleaning Out Solomon’s High Places

human sacrifice

A Human Sacrifice for a Hopeless War

Tophet Burns with Much Wood

Cleaning Out Solomon’s High Places

A Place for Burning Babies to the Gods

A God Consuming Human Flesh

hymns

Praise God, All Heaven and Earth

idols

Calves, Cows, and Bulls Representing the Divine

How Is an Idol a God?

Annihilation of the Golden Calf

Holy Cows

Mocking Canaanite Religious Ritual

Adopting Their Idols

Destroying Their Idols

Worshiping Moles and Bats

The Temple Pantheon of Jerusalem

Jerusalem temple

House of Prayer, Den of Thieves

The Abomination of Desolation

kings

No King-Priests in Judah

local deities

Worshiping Your Neighbors ’ Gods

Gods ’ Lands, Gods ’ Peoples

Messiah

The Spirit of Prophecy

mountains

Where the Gods Live: Sacred Mountains

Nazirite vow

Samson the Nazirite

necromancy

What the Dead Know

New Moon festival

Months of the Yearly Calendar

omens

Should We Correct a Cult Gone Astray?

Passover

Origins of the Passover Meal

Passover and Society

His Body, His Blood, and Passover

pillars

Forbidden Religious Objects

prayer

Ritual for an Audience with God

Praying to Our Father

Abba, Father

prophecy

Balaam: Prophet for Hire

Prophets Between God and Humanity

A Consultation with a Prophet

Ezekiel’s Prophetic Theater

The Sacred and Profane

The Spirit of Prophecy

prophets

Samson the Nazirite

A Prophet Prophesies Against the Prophets

True or False Prophet?

Intimidation Denied

Multicultural Prophets at Antioch

purification

Waterpots for Purification

Scandalous Faith

rabbis

Learn Quietly but Do Not Teach

ritual

Right or Wrong Ritual: Life or Death

Rituals Against Fungus

Annihilation of the Golden Calf

Finding a Dead Body

Is This a Ritual for a Dying God?

Family Worship of the Queen of Heaven

A Festival for Bel Marduk

ritual prostitution

Harlotry After Other Gods

ritual purity

Priests Upholding Ritual Purity

sacrifice

Chasing the Gods of Moab

scapegoat

Animals That Carry Away Sin

seraphim

Isaiah Encounters the Seraphim

singers

The Levitical Singers

snakes

Isaiah Encounters the Seraphim

Spirit of God

Breathing New Life

symbolic actions

Ezekiel’s Prophetic Theater

synagogue

Put Out of the Synagogue

temples

The Prince in the Temple

Laying the Foundation of the Second Temple

A Eunuch and a Foreigner in God’s House

Begging at the Gate of the Temple

tithe

Weightier Matters of the Law

Torah

The Tiny Hebrew Yod

Urim and Thummim

Technical Prophecy Seeks Divine Knowledge

Omens, Spells, and Other Abominations

A Guide for Divine Wisdom

vows

Swearing to the Gods

washing

Waterpots for Purification

weather

Oracles in Heaven

women

Family Worship of the Queen of Heaven

Ask at Home, Not at Church

Women Leaders in the Philippian Church

ziggurats

Babel and Its Tower

Where the Gods Live: Sacred Mountains

zodiac

Oracles in Heaven

Glossary

ACCAD

A city in Mesopotamia that Sargon the Great (c. 2350 B.C.) made the capital of his empire; also spelled Agade. Sargon’s dynasty controlled Mesopotamia for two centuries, until Accad fell, to be succeeded by Ur.

ACCADIAN

The language of Accad, a Semitic language that continued in use and influence long after the fall of Accad in about 2100 B.C. It used the Sumerian writing system.

ACHAEMENID

The dynasty ruling the Persian Empire founded by Cyrus the Great when he conquered Babylon, 559 B.C. Darius, Xerxes, and Ahasuerus belong to this dynasty. It was finally overthrown by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C.

ACHAIA

The Roman province corresponding to modern Greece, south of Macedonia.

ADAD

Along with Shamash, an Assyrian deity in charge of omens. See SHAMASH.

ADAD-NIRARI I

Ruler of Assyria 1308–1274 B.C.

ADAD-NIRARI III

Ruler of Assyria 810–783 B.C.

ADAPA

Character in an Accadian myth who must remain outside heaven.

ADAR

The 12th month of the Babylonian calendar. Adar begins in March of the modern calendar.

ADONIS

Originally a Phoenician god of vegetation and fertility worshiped at Byblos (near modern Beirut, Lebanon) and introduced to the Greeks probably via Cyprus. Adonis spends part of the year with Aphrodite and another part in Hades.

ADRAMMELECH

The name of a son of Sennacherib; also, a deity worshiped by Syrians in Samaria after the Assyrian conquest of 722 B.C.

AEGEAN

The Aegean Sea is 150 miles wide, lying between Greece and Asia Minor (modern Turkey); Macedonia and Thrace are to its north and Crete to the south. There are many islands in the Aegean.

AGADE

See ACCAD.

AGORA

The Greek word for marketplace.

AGRIPPA I, II

See HEROD AGRIPPA I, II.

AHASUERUS

Or Xerxes I, the son of Darius I the Great and the ruler of Persia 486–465 B.C. Xerxes’s navy was defeated by Athens at the battle of Salamis, 479 B.C.

AHURA MAZDA

The Persian God, proclaimed by Zoroaster, and represented by a solar disk with wings. As the force of light he fights against darkness. The king of Persia was his representative.

AKHENATEN

See AMENHOTEP IV.

ALALAKH

A city located on the Orontes river 20 miles east of Antioch, in northern Syria. Alalakh was conquered by the Hittites about 1370 B.C., and abandoned after the invasion of the Sea Peoples in 1194 B.C.

ALTAR

A platform or table for religious offerings, typically animal sacrifices.

AMALEKITES

Nomadic people who lived south of Israel and toward Egypt; descendants of Esau. They were traditional enemies of Israel.

AMARNA

A city on the Nile, 200 miles south of Cairo; founded by Amenhotep IV (1352–1336 B.C.). In 1887 several hundred clay tablets were discovered there, consisting of correspondence between Egypt and other countries.

AMASIS

See HOPHRA.

AMENEMHET I

Ruler of Egypt 1963–1934 B.C., first pharaoh of the twelfth dynasty; this dynasty promoted irrigation and mining, and was in power for more than two hundred years.

AMENHOTEP III

Ruler of Egypt 1390–1352 B.C. Amenhotep’s reign was peaceful and prosperous. His diplomatic correspondence is extensively recorded in the Amarna letters.

AMENHOTEP IV

Also called Akhenaten; ruler of Egypt 1352–1336 B.C. His wife was Nefertiti. Akhenaten instituted exclusive worship of the sun god Aten, but his reforms did not survive him. He built a new capital at Amarna.

AMMONITES

A people reportedly descended from Lot. The Ammonites lived east of the Jordan and were traditional enemies of Israel.

AMON

The god of the Egyptian city of Thebes, and the primary god of the Egyptians. Akhenaten tried to replace Amon with Aten, the sun god, but his reforms were reversed by his son Tutankhamun.

AMORITES

Ancient inhabitants of northern Mesopotamia and the area to the west as far as Syria and Palestine. They were at Ugarit by 1900 B.C. and at Byblos by 1800 B.C. Hammurabi of Babylon (1792–1750 B.C.) was an Amorite; many texts relating to the Amorites were discovered at Mari.

AN

The chief deity of Uruk and head of the Sumerian pantheon.

ANAMMELECH

A deity who, like Adrammelech, was worshiped in Samaria after the Assyrian conquest of 722 B.C. See ADRAM-MELECH.

ANATH

A goddess of war worshiped in Palestine, also regarded as the sister or spouse of the storm god Baal.

ANATOLIA

Asia Minor; the large peninsula separating the eastern Mediterranean from the Black Sea; this is today eastern Turkey.

ANNALS

History written year by year; a continuous account of current events.

ANTIOCH

An important city of the ancient world, located in northern Syria near the Mediterranean coast. Antioch was comparable in size to Rome and Alexandria. Pisidian Antioch is another city, much smaller, 300 miles to the west in Anatolia.

ANTIOCHUS IV EPIPHANES

Ruler of Syria 175–164 B.C., one of the Seleucid kings. He desecrated the Jerusalem temple and made Judaism unlawful, precipitating the Maccabean revolt. See JUDAS MACCABEUS.

APOCALYPTIC

Writings about what has been revealed concerning the end of the age, with its associated upheavals and changes, and the divine interventions.

APOCRYPHA

Several books often included in Bibles along with the 27 books of the Old Testament; also called Deuterocanonicals.

APSU

One of the two original gods in the Babylonian creation story; Apsu and Tiamat were gods of fresh and salt water.

AQUEDUCT

A pipe or channel for water supply, especially those built by the Romans going cross-country on arches.

ARABIA

The world’s largest peninsula, between Africa, Mesopotamia, and Persia. The southwest boundary is the Red Sea, and beyond it lie Egypt and Sudan.

ARACHNE

A young woman in Greek mythology who challenges the goddess Athena to a contest of weaving. The goddess drives Arachne to suicide, and then transforms her into a spider that must weave forever.

ARAD

An archaeological site in Judah, about halfway between Masada and Beersheba. There are remains of an ancient city dating from 3000–2700 B.C., and additional remains of a fortified city and a temple dating from 1200 B.C.

ARAM

The Hebrew word aram, often translated Syria, refers to the ancient nation north and east of Israel, in the same area as the modern country of Syria. The capital was Damascus.

ARAMAIC

A Semitic language similar to Hebrew. Aramaic was the common international commercial speech of the ancient Near East throughout the Persian period (559–331 B.C.). It was still the primary language of Palestine in the time of Jesus.

ARARAT

A country made famous by Noah’s ark (Gen. 8:4), which came to rest in its mountains. Ararat included parts of modern Iran, Iraq, and southern Russia.

ARCHANGEL

A higher order of heavenly being; the Bible names Gabriel and Michael as archangels, and Raphael is named in the Book of Tobit, in the Apocrypha.

AREOPAGUS

The traditional law court of Athens, which originally met on a small hill below the Acropolis. The name means “hill of Ares,” Ares being Mars, the god of war.

ARK OF THE COVENANT

A wood and gold chest specially built to hold the two tablets of the law given to Moses. It was kept in the inner part of the tabernacle and was also carried into battle.

ARPAD

A province and capital city near Hamath in northern Syria. Arpad was conquered by the Assyrians in 740 B.C. and again in 720 B.C.

ARTAXERXES I

Also called Artaxerxes Longimanus; ruler of Persia 465–424 B.C.

ARTEMIS

See DIANA.

ARYANS

Related groups of nomadic peoples that moved into northwestern India in 1500 B.C. They spread across Mesopotamia, including Media and Persia. Ultimately they migrated to Europe, and are also called Indo-Europeans. See MEDIA; PERSIA.

ASHDOD

One of the five main cities of the Philistines, remembered for its part in capturing the ark of the covenant (1 Sam. 5:1–7).

ASHERAH

Goddess of ancient Palestine; at Ugarit the wife of El and mother of Baal. The name asherah is also used for the sacred poles or trees that marked the sites where the goddess was worshiped.

ASHIMA

A god worshiped by Syrians living in Samaria. The name may refer to Asherah, the Canaanite goddess. See ASHERAH.

ASHKELON

One of the five main cities of the Philistines.

ASHTORETH

A fertility goddess worshiped in ancient Palestine. She was called Ishtar in Babylon and Astarte in Ugarit. The plural form of Ashtoreth is Ashtaroth.

ASHUR-DAN III

Ruler of Assyria who destroyed the city of Haran in 763 B.C.

ASHUR-UBALLIT

Ruler of Assyria 1363–1328 B.C. During his reign Nineveh was incorporated into the Assyrian Empire. See NINEVEH.

ASHURNASIRPAL II

Ruler of Assyria 883–859 B.C.; father of Shalmaneser III. He conducted successful military campaigns in the west, exacting tribute from the Phoenicians. His capital was at Calah. See CALAH.

ASHURBANIPAL

The last powerful king of Assyria, c. 668–627 B.C. He conquered Memphis and Thebes. The large library that he established at Nineveh was discovered in 1853.

ASIA MINOR

Anatolia. See ANATOLIA.

ASSHUR

The first capital of Assyria, located 56 miles south of ancient Nineveh. Asshur is also the name of the main god of Assyria, and as such appears in many Assyrian names.

ASSYRIA

Ancient empire in Mesopotamia, north of Babylonia. The main cities were Asshur, Calah, and Nineveh. Notable kings were Shalmaneser I, Tiglath-Pileser I, and Ashurbanipal. The empire ended with the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C.

ASSYRIAN KING LIST

An ancient list of the kings of Assyria with the lengths of their reigns, covering about 1,000 years.

ASSYRIAN REVIVAL

The period of Assyrian power under the reigns of Tiglath-Pileser III, Shalmaneser V, Sargon II, and Sennacherib, spanning 744 to 681 B.C.

ASTARTE

See ASHTORETH.

ASTROLOGY

The study of the sun, moon, stars, and planets in order to discern their supposed influence on human affairs.

ASTYAGES

Ruler of the Median Empire 585–550 B.C.; grandfather of Cyrus the Great.

ATEN

The ancient Egyptian name for the solar disk, which Amenhotep IV (1352–1336 B.C.) attempted to establish as the supreme god in Egypt. His reforms were reversed by his son Tutankhamun.

ATHENA

The Greek goddess, said to have sprung fully armed from the head of Zeus. Athena commonly appears as a warrior but is also known for her skill in crafts, or intelligence. She is associated with the city of Athens, and the Parthenon was her main temple.

ATHTAR

A Ugaritic god who tried unsuccessfully to usurp the throne of Baal.

ATON

See ATEN.

ATRAHASIS

Hero from a myth that is similar to the Gilgamesh Epic.

AVEN

An important ancient city of Egypt in the northern Nile delta.

AZEKAH

A fortified city 17 miles southwest of Jerusalem and 12 miles northeast of Lachish.

BAAL

The main god of the Canaanites, a storm and fertility god; prominent in Ugaritic myths. “Baal” means “lord” or “owner.” Baal was given particular names, associated with different locations or types of worship.

BABEL

Hebrew for “Babylon.” The tower of Babel was possibly a ziggurat.

BABYLON

Literally “gate of god,” an ancient city on the Euphrates River, about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad. It reached its greatest height under Nebuchadnezzar II, and was conquered by the forces of Alexander the Great in 330 B.C.

BABYLONIA

Ancient empire in Mesopotamia, south of Assyria; the capital was Babylon. Notable kings were Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar I, and Nebuchadnezzar II. Babylon was often under the power of Assyria; in 559 B.C. it was conquered by Persia.

BABYLONIAN CHRONICLES

Records kept by the ancient Babylonians that give a brief report of yearly events, preserved on clay tablets of different shapes and sizes.

BASALT

A very fine-grained black rock, often used by the Egyptians for architecture and sculpture.

BDELLIUM

A tree from east of Persia, whose gum becomes clear and waxy, so that it looks like pearl.

BEDOUIN

Arab nomadic tribes that have a distinctive culture.

BEL MARDUK

See MARDUK.

BELSHAZZAR

Son of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon. Belshazzar ruled as coregent alongside Nabonidus (ruled 556–539 B.C.) for three years or more.

BEN-HADAD

The name of two and possibly three kings of Syria. The name is similar to a title, and it is not always clear which Ben-Hadad is meant. See HAZAEL.

BENJAMIN

The youngest son of Jacob, and the tribe descending from him. The name means “son of the right hand” or “son of the south.” Also, a tribe mentioned in the Mari tablets (c. 1800 B.C.).

BETH SHEMESH

The name of three cities in ancient Israel: one in upper Galilee in the area of Naphtali (Josh. 19:38); one in lower Galilee in Issachar (19:22); and a third, the most important, in Judah (Josh. 15:10).

BITHYNIA

Roman province, organized by Pompey in 63 B.C.; it occupied the northwest coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), north of Galatia and Asia.

BLESSING

The communication of good intentions, normally from a superior to an inferior. Blessing was regarded as a purposeful and effective act, not merely a social form.

BONDSERVANT

Another word for “slave.”

BRONZE AGE

The archaeological period during which bronze was the most important metal in use. Bronze is a hard, strong alloy of copper and tin. It was displaced by iron, especially for weapons, after about 1200 B.C.

BYBLOS

One of the world’s oldest cities, near Beirut, Lebanon. It was already inhabited in 5000 B.C., and in the 2nd millennium B.C. was a Phoenician seaport.

BYZANTINE

The time and culture associated with Byzantium (Constantinople, modern Istanbul), from about A.D. 400 to 1450.

CALAH

The capital of Assyria, also called Nimrud, on the east bank of the Tigris River south of Nineveh. The city was rebuilt by Shalmaneser I (1273–1244 B.C.), then abandoned until being restored by Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 B.C.).

CALAMUS

Or “sweet flag,” a plant with two rows of flat, swordlike leaves 3 to 6 feet long. It produces a perfume and a kind of medicine.

CANAAN

The area east of the Mediterranean occupied by Israel after leaving Egypt under Moses.

CARCHEMISH

A Hittite city on the northern Euphrates, 100 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea. At Carchemish in 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar II defeated the Egyptians and forced them out of Palestine.

CARTHAGE

A Phoenician colony and seaport on the north African coast, founded about 800 B.C. The Romans fought several wars with Carthage and destroyed it in 146 B.C. In 29 B.C. it was rebuilt by Augustus.

CASSIA

A tree with a fragrance resembling cinnamon. The buds are a substitute for cloves, and the small leaves have medicinal value.

CHALDEANS

A people from southern Mesopotamia, adjacent to the Persian Gulf. The term Chaldean is sometimes a synonym for Babylonian.

CHEBAR

A river or large canal near Babylon (Ezek. 1:1). See EUPHRATES; BABYLON.

CHEMOSH

The national god of Moab. Evidently Chemosh was worshiped with human sacrifice (2 Kin. 3:26, 27).

CHERUBIM

Superior spiritual beings close to God; the Hebrew word cherubim is the plural of cherub. Translated “living creatures” in Ezekiel and Revelation.

CHRONICLER

The conventional name for the author of 1 and 2 Chronicles, understood to have a particular point of view.

CISTERN

A large container for storing water, usually dug or built underground. In ancient Palestine there were both public and private cisterns.

CONCUBINE

An additional wife or mistress whose legal status is lower than that of a normal wife.

CONSUL

The highest office in the Roman republic; there were always two consuls, newly elected each year. The consulship continued in the Roman Empire, but no longer as the highest office.

CORINTH

Prosperous port city in Greece, on the isthmus (3.7 miles wide) separating the mainland from the Peloponnesus.

COVENANT

A solemn agreement or promise between two or more parties. A covenant was established with a document or ceremony that expressed and underlined the terms of agreement. For example, the sacrifice of animals could illustrate the consequences of breaking a covenant.

CUBIT

A linear measure of about 18 inches, corresponding to the distance from elbow to fingertips.

CULT

Religious service or acts of worship; a particular religion.

CUNEIFORM

An ancient method of writing, using marks pressed into clay with a triangular pen or stylus. If the clay was baked or burned afterward, it became a permanent record.

CUSH

See ETHIOPIA.

CUTH

A Sumerian and Babylonian city located about 20 miles northeast of Babylon.

CYAXERES

Ruler of Media 625–585 B.C.; he extended Median power throughout Assyria and as far west as Anatolia (Asia Minor).

CYNICISM

A popular Greek philosophy, whose teachers and disciples advertised their independence by refusing to work and by flaunting social standards.

CYRUS CYLINDER

A clay cylinder with a cuneiform inscription in which Cyrus the Great tells how he conquered and administered Babylon. The cylinder is 10 inches long and was discovered in about 1880.

CYRUS II

Cyrus the Great, who reigned 559–530 B.C. He founded the Persian Achaemenid empire, which came to an end when it was conquered by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C.

DAGON

Or “Dagan”, a god of agriculture or fertility, the chief god of the Philistines, but also known in Ugarit, Mari, and Sumer.

DAMASCUS

Ancient and modern capital of Syria. The name sometimes refers to Syria as a whole.

DARIUS I

Ruler of the Medo-Persian Empire 522–486 B.C. “Darius” was the name or throne name of at least three Persian rulers, Darius I being the most prominent.

DAY STAR

The morning star (Venus) referred to in Is. 14:5; the Hebrew is literally “shining one.” This was translated “Lucifer” in Latin, meaning literally “light carrier.”

DEACON

An official worker in the early church, distinguished from teachers and preachers.

DEBIR

Another name for Kirjath Sepher, an ancient city near Hebron. It was captured by Joshua’s army, recaptured by the Canaanites, and finally taken again by Caleb (Josh. 15:13–17).

DELTA REGION

The Nile delta is the semicircular, fertile region formed by branches of the Nile flowing into the Mediterranean Sea. It is about 165 miles east to west.

DENARIUS

The main unit of Roman currency in New Testament times. It was a silver coin weighing about 4 grams, and was one day’s wage for common workers.

DIANA

A Roman goddess of the moon, women, and the wilderness; the same as the Greek goddess Artemis. Her main shrine was at Aricia, near Rome.

DIASPORA

A term referring to Jews outside Israel, taken from a Greek word meaning “scattered.”

DIODORUS

A Greek historian from Sicily, Diodorus Siculus wrote over a period of 30 years a history of the world in 40 books, of which 15 have survived.

DIVINERS

Persons considered to have supernatural powers of understanding or predicting events.

DOMITIAN

Emperor of Rome A.D. 81 to 96. There is some evidence that Christians were persecuted during his reign.

DOR

A stronghold on the northern Palestinian coast occupied by Israel in the time of David. It was for a time the capital of an Assyrian province.

DYNASTY

A succession of rulers from a particular family. Thus, the “12th dynasty” of Egypt would refer to the twelfth of the series of families and their descendants who ruled Egypt.

EBLA

Ancient city in northern Syria, 50 miles east of Ugarit and the Mediterranean and about 35 miles southwest of Aleppo; an important trading center. The city archives have yielded many thousands of clay tablets, mostly economic records. The language is Semitic.

ECSTATIC

A person who experiences a trance, vision, or reverie.

EDOM

The country southeast of the Dead Sea and south of Moab, often at war with Israel, sometimes called “Seir.” The original inhabitants were the Horites.

EGYPTIAN EXECRATION TEXTS

Curses written on broken pieces of pottery dating from about 1800 B.C. These texts name cities and kings of the time, including Jerusalem, and as such are important historical evidence.

EKRON

The most northern of the five leading cities of Philistia. It was not captured by the Jews until after the death of Joshua.

EL

The chief god in the Canaanite pantheon or council of gods. El is also a general word for deity, especially the supreme deity, and is used of God in the Bible.

ELAMITES

A people from what is today Iran. Their origins appear to go back to Elam, son of Shem (Gen. 10:22), although some maintain they were Caucasian and not Semitic. After the Assyrians conquered Samaria, they sent Elamites there.

ELEPHANTINE

A Jewish colony that was settled in southern Egypt 550 B.C. or before, and was supposed to defend the southern border of Egypt. Many papyrus documents from this colony have been discovered and published.

ELLIL

The warrior god who is angered by the survival of the few humans in the Babylonian flood story.

EMMER

A variety of wheat.

ENLIL

Sumerian god of the city of Nippur, the most important religious center of Sumer. See SUMER.

ENMERKAR

A Sumerian king and character in a 3rd-millennium epic.

ENUMA ELISH

A Babylonian poem relating the story of the creation of the physical world. The poem was composed about the time of Nebuchadnezzar I (1133–1116 B.C.) to honor Marduk as king of the gods.

EPHRAIMITES

The Hebrew tribe descended from Ephraim, the second son born to Joseph in Egypt.

EPICUREANS

Followers of the philosophy of Epicurus (341–270 B.C.), who held that the highest goal was rational happiness, or tranquillity, in this life.

ERECH

See URUK.

ERESHKIGAL

A female deity in ancient Babylonian myth, the queen of the dead and the wife of Nergal, king of the dead.

ESARHADDON

Ruler of Assyria 680–669 B.C., maintaining its dominance over Babylon. He was also active in building.

ESHNUNNA

One of the cities in Mesopotamia overpowered by Amorites about 2000 B.C.

ESSENES

A Jewish religious group of New Testament times that pursued asceticism, separation, and purity. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of literature hidden by Essenes before A.D. 70.

ETANA

Character in a Sumerian myth who tries but fails to enter heaven.

ETHIOPIA

Conventional translation of the Hebrew word Cush, referring to the remote region of southern Egypt and beyond; it is not the same as modern Ethiopia.

EUNUCH

A male person who has been neutered. Ancient kings and the Roman emperors often employed eunuchs at court.

EUPHRATES

An important river that flows from Armenia to the southwest, then turns southeast, and finally empties into the Persian Gulf. The Euphrates passes close to the Tigris River. Mesopotamia is the area bounded by these two rivers.

EUSEBIUS

Bishop of Caesarea and the first important church historian; died A.D. 339.

EVIL-MERODACH

Ruler of Babylon 562–560 B.C., the third king of the Babylonian Chaldean dynasty and the son of Nebuchadnezzar II. See MARDUK.

EXILES

Usual designation of the Jewish captives taken to Babylon following the Babylonian conquest of Judah. Such deportations occurred in 597 and 586 B.C. In 538 B.C. Cyrus the Great permitted the exiles to return to Jerusalem.

EXODUS

The name of the second book of the Old Testament, from the Greek for “going out.” Also, the miraculous departure of Israel from Egypt.

FRANKINCENSE

The resin of trees from north India and Arabia producing a hard, fragrant yellow gum.

GAD

Like Meni, a god of fortune or luck worshiped in Judah after the Babylonian exile. See MENI.

GALATIA

A region in middle Anatolia (modern Turkey). The name refers specifically to the Roman province Galatia, or else to an undefined area north of it, where Galatian people lived.

GALBANUM

A gum extracted from an herb that grows in Palestine. The hardened gum gives a strong but pleasant scent when burned.

GALLIO

Brother of the Roman writer Seneca. Gallio was proconsul in Greece and heard Paul’s case, A.D. 51 (Acts 18:12).

GAMES

The ancient Greeks held organized athletic contests at four main locations; these were the Isthmian, Nemean, Olympian, and Pythian games. There was also a contest at Athens (the Panathenaia), as well as other lesser ones.

GATEKEEPERS

Officials at the Jerusalem temple who controlled offerings and pay for the priests, and were a security force to guarantee a smooth transition of power when a ruler died.

GATH

One of the five main cities of the Philistines; its inhabitants were called “Gittites.”

GAZA

The most important of the five main cities of the Philistines, on the Mediterranean coast 50 miles from Jerusalem. Gaza was the capital of Canaan for several centuries (1550–1150 B.C.).

GEDALIAH

Appointed governor of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar II and assassinated after 2 months in office.

GENTILE

Any person who is not a Jew.

GESHEM THE ARAB

One of the three opponents of Nehemiah’s program to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

GIHON SPRING

The main source of water for Jerusalem in Old Testament times. In 701 B.C. Hezekiah built the Siloam tunnel to bring its waters into the city.

GILEADITES

Israelites who lived on the east side of the Jordan River. There was also an Israelite tribe called Gilead.

GILGAL

The first camp established by Joshua after crossing the Jordan. Gilgal became a town close to the northern border of Judah.

GILGAMESH EPIC

A Sumerian poem 3,000 lines long describing the legendary deeds of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. This popular epic dates from as early as 2000 B.C. and contains a flood story.

GUDEA

Ruler of the Sumerians about 2000 B.C. He was guided by a dream to build a temple to the god Ningirsu at Lagash, north of Ur.

GULF OF AQABA

The northeastern extension of the Red Sea, between the Sinai Peninsula and Arabia. Ezion Geber is at the north end of the gulf.

HABIRU

Or “Hapiru”; bandits, migrants, or refugees noticed all over the Middle East from about 2000 to 1000 B.C. It has been suggested that the Hebrews were Habiru.

HADAD

Another name for Baal.

HALLEL

A Hebrew word meaning “praise,” referring to Psalms 113–118.

HAMATH

A Syrian city on the Orontes River about 125 miles north of Damascus. Hamath became the capital of a small Hittite kingdom, but was finally subjugated by Assyria.

HAMMURABI

Ammorite king of Babylon (1792–1750 B.C.), who made Babylon a great city. His law code inscribed on a column of hard stone (diorite) was discovered in 1901 and is now in the Louvre.

HARAN

A city in northwestern Mesopotamia, 60 miles east of Carchemish; located on important trade routes; home of Laban (Gen. 27:43).

HASMONEAN

A name given to the Jewish dynasty founded by Judas Maccabeus in 167 B.C. See JUDAS MACCABEUS.

HAZAEL

Ruled Aram (also called Syria) about 842–800 B.C. Hazael made northern Israel a vassal of Aram. Southern Israel (Judah) also paid tribute to Aram during Hazael’s reign.

HAZOR

An ancient city about 9 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. Hazor was destroyed by the Hebrews in the 13th century B.C. (Josh. 11:10, 11) and was rebuilt during Solomon’s reign.

HELLENISTIC

Influenced by the international Greek culture that developed outside Greece itself following the conquests of Alexander the Great.

HELLENISTS

In the New Testament, those Jews who spoke Greek rather than Aramaic or Hebrew.

HENOTHEISM

Worshiping one god as supreme, but without denying the existence of others.

HEROD AGRIPPA I

That is, Iulius Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great. In A.D. 37 he succeeded as tetrarch to the areas ruled by Philip, and in 39 to those of Herod Antipas. He died suddenly in Caesarea in 44 (Acts 12).

HEROD AGRIPPA II

That is, Iulius Agrippa II, son of Iulius Agrippa I. He ruled part of Lebanon, and then Galilee and Judea, A.D. 50–66. He helped the Romans during the revolt of A.D. 66–70 and received additional territory. His sister was Bernice (Acts 25:13).

HEROD ANTIPAS

Son of Herod the Great; became tetrarch of Galilee in 4 B.C. (see Luke 3:1; 9:7–9; 23:6–12). Herod Antipas was deposed and exiled by the emperor Gaius Caligula in A.D. 39.

HEROD THE GREAT

Ruler of Judea, 37 to 4 B.C.; famous for his building programs and for his outrage at Jesus’ birth (Matt. 2).

HERODOTUS

The first Greek historian (484–425 B.C.), often called “the father of history.” He traveled throughout the Near East and wrote a history of the world.

HIGH PLACES

Places where the gods of early Palestine were worshiped, usually having altars and sacred poles.

HILLEL

The founder of one of two schools (or “houses”) of Pharisaic tradition; active at the end of the 1st century B.C. The tradition of Hillel was less strict than that of Shammai.

HIRAM

King of Tyre during the reigns of David and Solomon. Hiram sent materials and artisans to help build David’s house and Solomon’s temple and palace.

HITTITES

An Indo-European people who controlled Anatolia (today eastern Turkey) by 1800 B.C. Their capital was at Hattusa (Boghazköy). Later their power extended south into Syria.

HOPHRA

Ruler of Egypt 589–570 B.C. He resisted Babylonian power in Palestine. In 570 B.C. his general Amasis overthrew him, and he died in battle in 567 B.C.

HORITES

The original inhabitants of Edom.

HORUS

Egyptian god of the sky, light, and goodness. Horus was the son of Isis, the goddess of nature, and of Osiris, the god of the underworld.

HOUSEHOLD GODS

Called “teraphim,” after the Hebrew word; small idols belonging to a particular household.

HURRIANS

A people from northeastern Mesopotamia who lived in many parts of the Near East, becoming powerful and influential in the late 2nd millennium B.C. Thousands of cuneiform texts illustrating Hurrian family laws were found at Nuzi, a city in what is now northern Iraq. See NUZI.

HYKSOS

A people of mixed Semitic and Asiatic origin who ruled Egypt for more than a century (1648–1540 B.C.).

INANNA

The Sumerian goddess of love, whose yearly reunion with the god Dumuzi was thought to bring renewed fertility to the earth.

INDUS RIVER

A river 1,700 miles long, originating in western Tibet from a meeting of glacial streams. It flows northwest and then turns south through Pakistan, and at last empties into the Arabian Sea.

IRENAEUS

Bishop of Lyons (France); Christian writer and theologian; lived about A.D. 130–202.

ISHTAR

The Mesopotamian goddess of love and war, worshiped throughout the Old Testament period.

ISIN

A city between the Tigris and the Euphrates, 70 miles southeast of Babylon. It was a Sumerian power for over 225 years, until defeated by Hammurabi in about 1781 B.C.

ISIS

The most popular Egyptian goddess, worshiped also at Rome. Isis was the goddess of life, the wife of Osiris, and the mother of Horus.

IVAH

A city in Syria.

JABBOK RIVER

A river 60 miles long that empties into the Jordan from the east. The Ammonites lived along this river.

JEBUSITES

The original inhabitants of Jerusalem.

JERICHO

An ancient city 5 miles west of the Jordan and 7 miles north of the Dead Sea; 840 feet below sea level. Jericho is called “the city of palm trees” in Deut. 34:3.

JEROBOAM

First king of northern Israel c. 930–909 B.C., formed by the division of Israel into ten northern tribes (Israel) and two southern (Judah). Jeroboam promoted idolatry and corrupted the priesthood. See REHOBOAM.

JEROBOAM II

King of northern Israel, 793–753 B.C.

JEROME

Christian monk, scholar, and writer who died about A.D. 420. Jerome knew Hebrew as well as Greek. His standard translation of the Bible into Latin is called the Vulgate.

JERUSALEM

The biblical city, 33 miles east of the Mediterranean and 2,500 feet above sea level. Jerusalem is first mentioned by name in Egyptian texts of the 19th century B.C.

JESUS CHRIST

These words come from the Greek rendering of two Hebrew words, the first being a personal name (Joshua) meaning “God saves,” and the second a word meaning “anointed one” or “Messiah.”

JEZREEL VALLEY

The east-west valley separating Samaria and Galilee, providing a way from the Mediterranean coast to the Jordan River. During biblical times many battles were fought in this valley.

JOSEPHUS

Jewish historian who lived c. A.D. 37–100. Captured during the Jewish revolt against Rome, Josephus gained the favor of the Roman general Vespasian and was spared. He wrote an official history of the war, including the fall of Jerusalem, which he witnessed.

JUDAHITES

People of Judah.

JUDAS MACCABEUS

Leader of the Jewish revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes, beginning in 169 B.C. In 164 B.C. Judas rededicated the Jerusalem temple. He founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which remained in power until 63 B.C.

JUSTIN MARTYR

A Christian writer who was martyred at Rome about A.D. 165. His writings are a defense of Christianity against paganism.

JUVENAL

Roman writer of Latin satire; died about A.D. 130.

KARNAK

A city on the Nile near ancient Thebes, 300 miles south of Memphis. Karnak is famous for its remains of temples, which occupied a square mile, built by Thutmose III, Ramesses II, and others.

KENITES

The name “Kenite” is derived from a Hebrew word denoting smiths or metalworkers. The Kenites were a people found in southern Palestine from earliest times.

KETHIB

Literally meaning “written,” used to indicate a designated word or phrase as it stands in the traditional Hebrew Bible. See QERE.

KINGU

A subsidiary god in Babylonian myth.

KIR HARASETH

A Moabite city, also called “Kir of Moab,” located just east of the Dead Sea.

LACHISH

An ancient city in Judah, 30 miles southwest of Jerusalem and west of Hebron. Lachish was destroyed by Joshua in the 13th century B.C., by Sennacherib in 701 B.C. (2 Kin. 18:13–15), and by the Babylonians in 587 B.C. Lachish is a very important archaeological site, especially for pottery and ostraca (pieces of pottery used for writing on).

LACHISH LETTERS

Letters found at Lachish, near Jerusalem, dating from the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Jerusalem, 586 B.C. The letters are written on fragments of pottery (ostraca) and document the coming fall of Lachish.

LAMENT FOR UR

A Sumerian poem written in response to the fall of Ur in 2004 B.C.

LAURIUM

A location southeast of Athens where the ancient Greeks had mines for silver.

LEGEND OF AQHAT

A Ugaritic legend from the 2nd millennium B.C. A certain Daniel is the main character. Daniel’s son Aqhat is killed by the goddess Anath; Aqhat’s sister determines to take revenge, and then the story breaks off.

LEVIRATE MARRIAGE

A law in Israel (Deut. 25:5) providing that when a man died leaving a wife but not a son, the man’s brother or nearest male relative must marry the widow and bear a son in the dead relative’s name. This would keep the man’s inheritance within his family. Levir is the Latin word for “brother-in-law.”

LEVITES

The descendants of Levi, the third son of the patriarch Jacob. The Levites were appointed to be priests and to care for the temple.

LIBYA

In ancient times, the northern part of Africa west of Egypt.

LILITH

A Mesopotamian demon believed to attack babies and mothers in childbirth. The name is derived from a Sumerian word meaning “wind.”

LOGOS

The Greek word usually translated “word” or “idea,” used philosophically with related meanings.

LOTHAN

A mythical sea monster identified in Ugaritic texts with the sea god Yam, who is defeated in battle by Baal.

LYCUS RIVER

A river in Anatolia (Asia Minor) that joins the Maeander river near Colosse.

LYDIA

A district in western Anatolia Asia Minor whose main city was Sardis.

MACCABEES

The early rulers of the Hasmonean dynasty that began in 167 B.C. with Judas Maccabeus. See JUDAS MACCABEUS.

MAGIC

The attempt to govern events and human experience through supernatural means, commonly associated with the occult.

MAGUS

A magician or astrologer (from a Greek word).

MARDUK

The chief god of Babylon, who appears as the chief deity in the Babylonian epic, the Enuma Elish. Also spelled Merodach.

MARI

An ancient city on the Euphrates River, halfway between Babylon and the Mediterranean Sea; occupied as early as 3000 B.C. Thousands of clay tablets were discovered at Mari, mostly administrative archives, dating from the decades just before the conquest of Mari by Hammurabi in about 1760 B.C.

MASORETIC TEXT

The text of the Bible as preserved by Jewish scholars from ancient times to the middle ages.

MEDIA

An Indo-European nation occupying what is now northwestern Iran. The Medes became part of the Persian Empire through the efforts of Cyrus the Great, who defeated them in battle in 550 B.C.

MEGIDDO

An ancient city near Mt. Carmel. Megiddo is in the Jezreel Valley, that connects the coast with the interior; it is also on the main road from Egypt to Damascus. As a result, Megiddo has been the site of important battles in both ancient and modern times.

MENI

Like Gad, a god of fortune or luck worshiped in Judah after the Babylonian exile. Possibly related to the goddess Mani worshiped by the Arabs before the coming of Islam.

MERENPTAH

(or Merneptah) Ruler of Egypt after the death of Ramesses II. His armies fought in Palestine, and he mentioned Israel on a famous stone monument (a stele) commemorating his victories.

MERODACH

Alternate spelling of Marduk. See MARDUK.

MERODACH-BALADAN II

Ruler of Babylonia 721–710 B.C. and 703–702 B.C. An outstanding king who resisted the Assyrians. He was defeated in 710, and again in 702 after a brief return to power.

MESOPOTAMIA

The region between and next to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, two rivers that flow from Armenia southeast to the Persian Gulf. Assyria, Babylonia, and Sumer were in Mesopotamia.

MIDDLE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE

The period of Assyrian history beginning with the reign of Shalmaneser I (1273–1244 B.C.). He enlarged Assyria’s borders and successfully resisted invasions by the Babylonians and other powers in the region. See SHALMANESER I.

MILLSTONES

Large stones used in pairs to grind grain into flour. An upper stone is rubbed back and forth or rotated against a lower stone, milling the grain in between.

MITANNI

A Hurrian state in northern Mesopotamia, including more than a single city. Mitanni was the leading power in the region from about 1500 to 1350 B.C., fostering wide travel, trade, and diplomacy. See HITTITES.

MIZPAH

A place not certainly identified but probably about 10 miles north of Jerusalem.

MOAB

Moab was located on the plateau southeast of the Dead Sea. The Moabites descended from Lot and were traditional enemies of Israel.

MOABITE STONE

An inscribed basalt slab 28 by 44 inches in size, now in the Louvre, Paris. It was made about 850 B.C. to record a Moabite victory over Israel.

MOLECH

(or Milcom) A god probably first worshiped by the Phoenicians. The name as given in the Old Testament combines the Hebrew words melech and bosheth, meaning “king” and “shame.” Molech was worshiped by sacrificing children in fire. See PHOENICIA.

MONOLATRY

Worshiping one god only.

MOT

The god of death in Ugaritic mythology, a monster who swallows the living. Mot is in conflict with Baal and is defeated by him.

MYRRH

A small plant found in Palestine whose gum gives off a pleasant perfume.

NABATEA

An Arab kingdom whose capital was at Petra, south of the Dead Sea, and whose influence extended far into the surrounding territory. The Nabateans flourished during the period between the Old and New Testaments. See EDOM; NEGEV.

NABONIDUS

Last king of Babylonia (556–539 B.C.). During part of his reign he was in Tema, Arabia, while his son Belshazzar ruled for him in Babylon.

NABOPOLASSAR

Ruler of Babylonia and Assyria 626–605 B.C.; father of Nebuchadnezzar II.

NAG HAMMADI

A location in Egypt where a collection of Gnostic books written on papyrus was discovered in 1947.

NANNA

The Sumerian moon god in the 2nd millennium B.C. See LAMENT FOR UR.

NARD

Also called spikenard; an East Indian plant producing a pleasant fragrance.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR I

Ruler of Babylonia 1133–1116 B.C. He conquered the Elamites and returned a statue of Marduk to Babylonia, proclaiming Marduk to be the creator and ruler of all things. See ELAMITES; ENUMA ELISH.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR II

Ruler of Babylonia 605–562 B.C.; built the hanging gardens of Babylon. He defeated Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish in 605 B.C., and destroyed Jerusalem in 589 B.C.

NECHO II

Ruler of Egypt 610–595 B.C. He occupied parts of Palestine but was pushed back by Nebuchadnezzar II after the battle of Carchemish, 605 B.C.

NECROMANCY

The practice of magic through supposed contact with the dead.

NEGEV

The desert region of southern Judah. The Hebrew word is sometimes translated simply “the South.”

NEHUSHTAN

The name given to the bronze serpent set up by Moses in the desert (2 Kin. 18:4).

NEO-ASSYRIAN EMPIRE

The period of Assyrian rule dating from Ashur-dan II (934–912 B.C.) to the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C. The period includes Shalmaneser III, who set up the Black Obelisk that mentions King Jehu of Israel submitting to Assyria.

NERGAL SHAREZER

A Babylonian official present at the siege of Jerusalem in 588–586 B.C.

NERO

Born A.D. 37; became emperor of Rome in A.D. 54. After he murdered his own mother in 59, Nero became uncontrolled and cruel, if not insane. He was forced to commit suicide in 68.

NETHINIM

A class of temple servants that returned from the Babylonian exile. The Nethinim were one of five groups associated with the temple, along with priests, Levites, gatekeepers, and singers.

NIMRUD

See CALAH.

NINEVEH

One of the world’s oldest cities, on the Tigris River 300 miles northwest of Babylon and 600 miles northwest of the Persian Gulf. Nineveh became the capital of the Assyrian Empire under Sennacherib (704–681 B.C.); it fell to the Babylonians in 612 B.C.

NINHURSAG

A goddess appearing in the Babylonian flood story.

NINURTA

A deity of the Assyrian pantheon.

NO

The Hebrew name for the city of Thebes in Egypt. See THEBES.

NUZI

A city of the 2nd millennium B.C., 9 miles from modern Kirkut in Iraq. Many texts concerning family law and dating from approximately 1400 B.C. have been recovered at Nuzi.

OBELISK

A kind of monument consisting of a freestanding tapered stone column with flat sides.

OMRI

Ruled northern Israel sometime between 885 and 874 B.C. He was made king by the army but did not have the support of the nation. Samaria was his capital. See JEROBOAM.

OSIRIS

A principal god of ancient Egypt, the brother and husband of Isis, and the father of Horus.

OSTRACA

A Greek word referring to broken pieces of pottery, used in ancient times as something to write on. Many historically valuable ostraca have been unearthed in Egypt and southern Judah.

PADAN ARAM

Abraham’s home in northern Mesopotamia; also known as Aram-naharaim.

PALESTINE

The general area occupied by Israel in the Bible, on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The name is derived from the Hebrew word for “Philistia.”

PALMYRA

A city in Syria 120 miles northeast of Damascus, once wealthy and powerful, but now a ruin in an oasis.

PANTHEON

An array of gods, usually with different powers, worshiped by a group or race of people. The word comes from Greek and means “of all gods.”

PAPYRUS

A tall reed native to the Nile, and also the paper that the ancient Egyptians manufactured from it. Papyrus was sold in rolls made by gluing together single sheets.

PARABLE

A brief moral story or comparison like those used by Jesus.

PASSOVER

The festival celebrating Israel’s escape from Egypt under Moses, which was also the occasion of the original Passover.

PATRONAGE

A social system in which the rich and powerful support dependents called clients, who give them their allegiance. It was typical of the Roman world.

PEKAH

Ruled northern Israel 740–732 B.C. Pekah and the king of Syria, Rezin, made war against the southern kingdom for refusing to help them in a fight against Assyria. The Assyrians killed Rezin, and Pekah was assassinated.

PERSEPOLIS

Persia’s ancient capital. The Persian monarch decorated the ceremonial hall with sculptures and pictures depicting his claim to world sovereignty.

PERSIA

A plateau east of Mesopotamia, surrounded by mountain ranges. The Persian Empire was expanded by Cyrus the Great beginning in 550 B.C. At one time it included Anatolia, Palestine, Mesopotamia, and east to the Indus River, an extent of 2,700 miles.

PHARAOH

The title used for the rulers of ancient Egypt.

PHARISEES

A section or party of the Jews prominent during New Testament times, known for their dedication to religion, especially matters concerning ritual purity.

PHILISTINES

The people living on the Mediterranean coast west of Israel. There were five main cities in the Philistine federation: Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath.

PHILO

Jewish philosopher and scholar from Alexandria (20 B.C.–A.D. 50). Philo wrote biblical commentaries and philosophy, and is remembered for his allegorical exegesis of the Old Testament.

PHOENICIA

The Mediterranean country north of Israel, including the ports of Tyre, Sidon, and Berytus (modern Beirut). The Phoenicians engaged in shipping all over the Mediterranean; they had an important colony at Carthage, north Africa.

PISIDIAN ANTIOCH

See ANTIOCH.

PLINY

Roman writer and provincial governor; died about A.D. 112. He described the eruption of Vesuvius as an eyewitness, and his correspondence mentions the persecution of Christians.

POLEMIC

A kind of writing or speech whose purpose is to argue against opposing views.

POSTEXILIC

Events after the exile of the Jews to Babylon, that is, after 538 B.C., when refugees began to return from Babylon to Jerusalem.

POTSHERD

A broken piece of pottery. See OSTRACA.

PREEXILIC

Events before the exile of the Jews to Babylon, that is, before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

PREEXISTENCE

The existence of Jesus Christ before He was incarnated and born to Mary.

PRISM

An inscribed tablet or stone in the shape of a cylinder with flat sides.

PROCONSUL

A kind of Roman provincial governor.

PROCURATOR

A civil servant of the Roman emperor. There were many different levels of procurator.

PROSELYTE

A convert.

PSAMMETICHUS I

Ruler of Egypt 664–610 B.C., an ally of Assyria; son of Necho I and father of Necho II. Psammetichus I captured Memphis and Thebes, reuniting Egypt. His capital was at Sais, and he began what is called the Saite dynasty.

PSEUDONYMOUS

Published or circulated under another name than that of the actual author.

PTOLEMAIC DYNASTY

Ptolemy I (ruled 305–282 B.C.) was one of four generals who inherited Alexander the Great’s empire when he died. Ptolemy received Egypt, and his family formed the Ptolemaic dynasty, which controlled Egypt until defeated by the Seleucids in 200 B.C. See SELEUCID.

PUL

Another name for Assyria’s King Tiglath-Pileser III.

QERE

Meaning “to be read,” a marginal notation in the Hebrew Bible indicating a traditional alternative reading for a word or phrase in the text. See KETHIB.

QUEEN HATSHEPSUT

Ruler of Egypt 1479–1457 B.C., although her nephew Thutmose III (1479–1425) was nominally pharaoh during her rule.

QUEEN OF HEAVEN

A fertility goddess mentioned in Jeremiah (Jer. 7:18; 44:17) and possibly to be identified with Astarte.

QUMRAN

A community near the Dead Sea where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. See ESSENES.

RABBI

The conventional Hebrew title for a teacher.

RABSHAKEH

A high-ranking officer in the ancient Assyrian army, similar to a modern chief of staff.

RAMESSES II

Ruler of Egypt 1279–1213 B.C. He was active in war and as a builder. He concluded a peace treaty with the Hittites.

RAMESSES III

Ruler of Egypt 1184–1153 B.C., in the 20th Dynasty. He was the last of Egypt’s great kings and a brilliant soldier, who repelled several powerful invaders. He was also a great builder.

RAS SHAMRA

The modern location of ancient Ugarit, in Syria. See UGARIT.

RE

(or Ra)

The sun god of ancient Egypt, having a human body and the head of a hawk.

RECHABITES

A religious community founded by Jonadab (often spelled Jehonadab). Apparently the object of this group was to maintain the purity of the Hebrew religion.

RED SEA

The conventional translation of a Hebrew name, more correctly translated “Reed Sea” or “Marsh Sea.” This sea formed the boundary between Egypt and the desert to the east, while the Red Sea itself extends far to the south.

REHOBOAM

Ruler of Judah c. 930–913 B.C., after his father Solomon. Rehoboam alienated the northern tribes of Israel, splitting the kingdom into north and south. Judah and Benjamin became the southern kingdom, and the other ten tribes were the northern kingdom, with Jeroboam as their king.

RELIGION

Beliefs about the divine, and practices depending on these beliefs.

REZIN

Ruler of Damascus c. 740 B.C., and died resisting the Assyrian invasion under Tiglath-Pileser III, 732 B.C.

RITUAL

Religious actions or ceremonies performed in a way prescribed by tradition or law.

ROME

The city on the Tiber River in Italy; traditionally founded by Romulus and Remus, 753 B.C.; capital of the Roman Empire, which was founded 27 B.C. by Augustus Caesar.

SABA

The country of the Sabeans in southwestern Arabia; also called Sheba. The Sabeans had contact with Africa across the Red Sea and with Tema in northern Arabia.

SACRIFICE

A religious offering, often an animal. Animal sacrifice was a normal part of ancient religion, practiced everywhere, and subject to many different interpretations.

SADDUCEES

An aristocratic, conservative party of the Jews prominent during New Testament times. As a distinct party they did not survive the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

SAFFRON

A plant grown from a bulb, with a pleasant aroma and an extract used as a food coloring.

SAMARIA

The capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel during the period of divided monarchy after Solomon (1 Kin. 12). Samaria can also refer to the northern kingdom as a whole. See JEROBOAM; REHOBOAM.

SAMARITAN

A person from Samaria, the country north of Judea.

SAMARITAN PENTATEUCH

The text of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible as preserved from ancient times by the Samaritans.

SANBALLAT

One of the opponents of Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in the 5th century B.C. Documents from the Jewish colony at Elephantine in southern Egypt record that Sanballat was governor of Samaria.

SARGON OF ACCAD

King of Sumer, c. 2350 B.C. Because of Sargon’s conquests, Sumer is generally regarded as the first world empire.

SARGON II

King of Assyria 721–705 B.C.; he deported people from Samaria to Assyria. He also defeated an Egyptian army at the border of Egypt.

SCYTHIA

The region northeast of the Roman Empire, including what is today Poland, Hungary, and the Ukraine.

SCYTHIANS

Nomads who emigrated to the Near East from the Caucasus in the 8th century B.C. For some reason they became a stock example of uncivilized barbarians.

SEA PEOPLES

Groups of people who invaded the Middle East, destroying many cities, in the 12th century B.C.

SEIR

Another name for Edom. See EDOM.

SELEUCID

Refers to the kingdom north of Palestine, founded and called Syria in 312 B.C. by Seleucus, one of Alexander the Great’s surviving generals.

SEMINOMADS

More or less settled tribes, not living in villages or towns.

SEMIPRECIOUS STONES

Ornamental stones of many kinds used in jewelry, crafts, and architecture, but not including the “precious” stones (diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire), which are much more rare.

SEMITIC

The Semitic languages are a family of related languages that includes Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Ugaritic. The Semitic peoples are the original speakers of these languages, nominally descended from Shem.

SENNACHERIB

Ruler of Assyria 704–681 B.C.; son of Sargon II. His capital was Nineveh. He threatened Jerusalem in 691 B.C. but was suddenly turned back; he destroyed Babylon in 689 B.C. He was assassinated by his sons.

SEPHARVAIM

A place whose inhabitants the Assyrians brought to Samaria after 722 B.C.; the exact location is unknown.

SEPTUAGINT

The Greek version of the Old Testament, translated in Alexandria between 250 and 150 B.C. The name “Septuagint” and the abbreviation LXX come from the tradition that there were seventy translators.

SERAPHIM

Superior guardian angels in the presence of God.

SESOSTRIS I

Ruler of Egypt 1943–1898 B.C., including 10 years as coruler with his father Amenemhet I.

SHAHAR

Ugaritic deity, the god of dawn.

SHALIM

Ugaritic deity, the god of dusk or evening.

SHALMAN

An abbreviation of the name Shalmaneser used by several Assyrian kings.

SHALMANESER I

Ruler of Assyria 1273–1244 B.C. He was the greatest warrior of the Middle Assyrian period. He conquered the Hittites, Hurrians, and Arameans, and defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish.

SHALMANESER III

Ruler of Assyria 858–824 B.C. He tried repeatedly to conquer the regions west of Assyria, including Damascus.

SHALMANESER V

Ruler of Assyria 726–722 B.C. He continued the western conquests and the collection of tribute begun by Shalmaneser I through IV.

SHAMASH

The Mesopotamian sun god, also associated with justice. In the ancient Middle East worship of the sun was widespread.

SHAMMAI

The founder of a school of thought within the Pharisees, active at the end of the 1st century B.C. The other school is that of Hillel. See HILLEL.

SHAMSHI-ADAD I

Ruler of the city-state of Asshur 1813–1781 B.C. He extended Assyrian power as far as the Mediterranean Sea, making Assyria in effect an empire. After he died, Assyria was overrun by Hammurabi of Babylon.

SHAPSHU

A Ugaritic sun goddess.

SHECHEM

An ancient fortified city 30 miles north of Jerusalem in the hill country of Palestine. Shechem was prosperous during the 2nd millennium B.C.

SHEMESH

The sun god prominent in ancient Near-Eastern pantheons, whether as feminine or masculine (goddess or god).

SHEOL

The Hebrew word for the realm of the dead, thought of as dark and gloomy. The word is used in poetic descriptions.

SHILOH

A town in central Palestine, where Joshua put the tabernacle along with the ark of the covenant after his conquest of Canaan. Shiloh was then the center of worship until the ark was brought to Jerusalem by King David.

SHINAR

The biblical name for the region of southern Mesopotamia, also called Babylon.

SHISHAK

Ruler of Egypt c. 945–924 B.C., and founder of Egypt’s 22nd Dynasty. In the 5th year of Rehoboam, Shishak raided Judah (1 Kin. 14:25–28).

SHULAMITE

Or “Shunammite,” a person from Shunem, a town in Issachar, north of the Jezreel Valley.

SHUSHAN

Also spelled “Susa,” a town and a fortified citadel in southwestern Iran. The city was at the height of its power under the Persians in the 6th century B.C.

SIDON

The oldest Phoenician seaport, about 22 miles south of modern Beirut. Sidon is closely associated with the nearby city of Tyre.

SIEGE WALL

A wall built by an army to prevent movement of the enemy. Another kind of siege wall was a ramp leading from ground level to the top of a city wall to give the attackers a way up.

SIHOR

(or Shihor) The Nile River or one of its eastern branches.

SIN

A moon god worshiped in Syria, Palestine, and Mesopotamia from the 3rd millennium B.C. through at least the Hellenistic period (332–37 B.C.).

SINAI PENINSULA

The triangle-shaped desert between Israel and Egypt. The north boundary is the Mediterranean Sea, and the south is the two northern extensions of the Red Sea, one ending at Suez and one at Ezion Geber. See GULF OF AQABA.

SKEPTICS

Followers of the philosophy that nothing can be known for certain.

SO

Identified as the king of Egypt in 2 Kin. 17:4; possibly Osorkon IV (730–715 B.C.); or an Egyptian general; or a geo-graphical name.

SODOM

One of the “cities of the plain” (Gen. 13:12). Any possible remains of the city are now thought to be submerged in the Dead Sea.

STELE

A column or pillar of stone with inscriptions.

STOICS

Followers of the philosophical school founded by Zeno, who came to Athens 313 B.C. Stoicism emphasized ethics, responsibility, and rational behavior.

STRABO

Greek historian, probably a Roman citizen; lived about 64 B.C. to A.D. 21 and wrote about geography and politics.

SUCCOTH-BENOTH

A deity worshiped by Babylonians resettled in Samaria after the Assyrian conquest of Samaria in 722 B.C. This god was a consort of Marduk. See MARDUK.

SUMER

Ancient nation in southern Mesopotamia, dating from about 3000 to 2000 B.C.; sometimes referred to as Shinar. A considerable amount of Sumerian literature survives; the language continued to be used for long after the political end of Sumer.

SUZERAIN

A person or state exercising rule over other less powerful persons or states, called vassals.

SYNAGOGUE

A Greek term meaning “congregation,” normally referring to the regular meetings and meeting places of the Jews.

SYRIA

An important Roman province, whose boundaries fluctuated but typically included what is today Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. In the Old Testament Syria is a translation of the Hebrew word aram. See ARAM.

SYRIAC

Syriac is a Semitic language and a branch of Aramaic. The Syriac versions are early translations of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, made between about the 2nd and 6th centuries A.D.

SYRO-PHOENICIAN

From the area including Syria and Phoenicia, or the eastern Mediterranean coast and interior.

TABERNACLE

A tent or shelter. In the Bible the term refers to the movable structure housing the ark, and to the temporary shelters used for the Feast of Tabernacles.

TALMUD

The written record of Jewish traditions concerning the Bible, law, ethics, and many other subjects, essentially completed by A.D. 500.

TAMARISK

A small tree common in the Middle East.

TAMMUZ

A deity in Sumerian myth, the husband and brother of Ishtar. His yearly return from the underworld was said to restore the earth’s fertility.

TARGUM

Ancient Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible.

TARTAN

Commander or commander in chief in the Assyrian army (2 Kin. 18:17; Is. 20:1).

TELL

A mound (tell in Arabic) covering the remains of an ancient city. Successive populations built their buildings on the ruins of what went before them, resulting in a hill with the earliest buildings at the lowest levels. Such tells are often the sites of modern towns.

TEMA

An oasis in northern Arabia; the name derives from the Hebrew word meaning “south country.”

TETRARCH

A name used by the Romans for a local king ruling with their help.

THEBES

A city 400 miles south of Cairo; second largest city of ancient Egypt. Flourished during the 16th to 11th centuries B.C. In Hebrew called No Amon (Nah. 3:8).

THEODICY

An argument that defends God’s justice, especially one that explains why there is evil in nature and society.

THEOPHANY

An appearance of God, for example, at the burning bush or on Mount Sinai.

THUTMOSE I

Ruler of Egypt 1504–1492 B.C. He expanded Egypt to the south, and in the East his armies reached the Euphrates. He was the first ruler to be buried in what became the Valley of the Kings.

THUTMOSE III

Ruler of Egypt 1479–1425 B.C. He succeeded Hatshepsut to the throne, and then in a series of campaigns conquered Palestine and Syria as far as Carchemish and the Euphrates. His rule made Egypt powerful and prosperous.

TIAMAT

Ruler of the chaotic waters who is defeated by Marduk, in the Gilgamesh Epic.

TIGLATH-PILESER I

Ruler of Assyria 1114–1076 B.C. He wanted to establish a world empire, but his reign was followed by several centuries of national weakness.

TIGLATH-PILESER III

Ruler of Assyria 744–727 B.C., a successful commander whose conquests reached as far as Egypt.

TIGRIS

A river flowing from the region of Lake Van in Armenia southeast to the Persian Gulf. Mesopotamia is the area between the Tigris and the Euphrates.

TIRHAKAH

Pharaoh of Egypt 690–664 B.C.; he was from Ethiopia (that is, Cush, or southern Egypt and Sudan).

TIRZAH

The capital of northern Israel in the early 9th century B.C.

TISHBITE

From Tishbe, a place evidently in Gilead, east of the Jordan.

TITHE

Literally, a “tenth,” a conventional assessment of taxes.

TOBIAH

One of the three opponents of Nehemiah’s rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

TOPHET

Or “Topheth”, a place in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom (2 Kin. 23:10) where the god Molech was worshiped by sacrificing children in fire. This valley is on the south side of Jerusalem and is called Gehenna in the New Testament.

TORAH

The Law, that is, the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

TRANSJORDAN

The territory across the Jordan River, that is, on the east bank.

TRIBUTE

A tax that those who are defeated are forced to pay to the victor.

TUKULTI-NINURTA I

Ruler of Assyria c. 1243–1207 B.C.; conquered Babylon.

TUTANKHAMUN

Ruler of Egypt 1336–1327 B.C. His tomb, practically intact and containing fabulous wealth, was discovered by Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter in 1922.

TYCHE

The Greek word for fortune, or fate, often personified as a goddess.

TYRE

A Phoenician port on a small island off the Mediterranean coast north of Israel. Tyre repelled all foreign invaders until 332 B.C., when Alexander the Great built a causeway to the island and conquered it.

UGARIT

An ancient seaport in north Syria, occupied from 6000 B.C. to 1180 B.C.; today called Ras Shamra. Ugarit traded widely with other ancient nations. Excavation there has yielded the oldest example of the alphabet written down in order, and other important cuneiform documents.

ULAI

A river near the fortified city of Shushan (Susa) in Persia. The Ulai may have been an artificial canal.

UNLEAVENED

Made without yeast, or leaven, like crackers and tortillas.

UR

An important Sumerian city on the Euphrates River, 150 miles southeast of Babylon; the original home of Abraham. Excavations at Ur uncovered rich royal tombs containing remains of servants buried with their king.

URARTU

A small nation north of ancient Assyria that had threatened Assyria with conquest but was ultimately conquered during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III.

URUK

Biblical “Erech” (Gen. 10:10; Ezra 4:9). Ancient city 40 miles southeast of Ur, occupied from before 3500 B.C. The earliest known ziggurat is here, as also the earliest written documents, clay tablets with Sumerian inscriptions.

USSHER, JAMES

Archbishop of Armagh (Ireland), who prepared a chronology of the Bible. He died in A.D. 1656.

UTNAPISHTIM

The survivor of the flood in the Gilgamesh Epic.

VALLEY OF HINNOM

A valley below Jerusalem where children were sacrificed by fire to Baal, Chemosh, or Molech. The valley is called Gehenna in the New Testament.

VASSAL

A person or state ruled by another, more powerful person or state, in an arrangement established by convention or treaty.

VICE-REGENT

A person who rules for and in the place of another.

VULGATE

The standard Latin translation of the Bible prepared by Jerome, who died about A.D. 420.

WILDERNESS

A term used in the Bible for the uninhabited areas of the Middle East, typically desert or near-desert.

YAHWEH

The probable pronunciation of the personal name of God, recorded in Hebrew as four consonants without vowels (YHWH). Translations usually write “LORD” instead of Yahweh.

YAREAH

A moon god of Ugarit.

ZERUBBABEL

Appointed by the Persian king to be governor of the Jews returning to Judah from Babylon. Zerubbabel began the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple around 537 or 536 B.C.

ZIGGURAT

A pyramidlike tower, built in step formation with stairways to the top. More than two dozen ziggurats are known to have existed in ancient Mesopotamia. The gods were thought to dwell at the tops of these buildings.

ZODIAC

The constellations of stars through which the sun, moon, and planets seem to pass during the year as seen from the earth. Twelve prominent constellations on this path yield the twelve signs of the zodiac.

ZOROASTRIANISM

The religion of Persia, founded by Zoroaster in the 6th century or possibly the 10th century B.C. This prophet, also called Zarathustra, taught that there were two gods, one good and one evil, fighting for universal control. In the end the good god, Ahura Mazda, would prevail.

Index of Scripture Passages

Genesis 1:1–4:26

Genesis 5:1–6:22

Genesis 7:1–11:32

Genesis 12:1–15:21

Genesis 16:1–20:18

Genesis 21:1–24:67

Genesis 25:1–36:43

Genesis 37:1–46:34

Genesis 47:1–50:26

Exodus 1:1–2:15

Exodus 2:16–6:30

Exodus 7:1–12:36

Exodus 12:37–18:27

Exodus 19:1–40:38

Leviticus 1:1–15:33

Leviticus 16:1–22:33

Leviticus 23:1–24:23

Leviticus 25:1–27:34

Numbers 1:1–8:26

Numbers 9:1–12:16

Numbers 13:1–33

Numbers 14:1–20:13

Numbers 20:14–36:13

Deuteronomy 1:1–4

Deuteronomy 1:5–4:43

Deuteronomy 4:44–28:68

Deuteronomy 29:1–33:29

Deuteronomy 34:1–12

Joshua 1:1–5:15

Joshua 6:1–14:5

Joshua 14:6–24:33

Judges 1:1–3:6

Judges 3:7–21:25

Ruth 1:1–4:12

Ruth 4:13–22

1 Samuel 1:1–6:21

1 Samuel 7:1–17

1 Samuel 8:1–22

1 Samuel 9:1–12:25

1 Samuel 13:1–16:23

1 Samuel 17:1–19:17

1 Samuel 19:18–21:15

1 Samuel 22:1–23

1 Samuel 23:1–29

1 Samuel 24:1–22

1 Samuel 25:1–44

1 Samuel 26:1–30:31

1 Samuel 31:1–13

2 Samuel 1:1–27

2 Samuel 2:1–4:12

2 Samuel 5:1–7:29

2 Samuel 8:1–12:15a

2 Samuel 12:15b–14:33

2 Samuel 15:1–37

2 Samuel 16:1–14

2 Samuel 16:15–20:26

2 Samuel 21:1–22

2 Samuel 22:1–23:39

2 Samuel 24:1–25

1 Kings 1:1–2:35

1 Kings 2:36–46

1 Kings 3:1–4:34

1 Kings 5:1–18

1 Kings 6:1–38

1 Kings 7:1–9:14

1 Kings 9:15–10:29

1 Kings 11:1–8

1 Kings 11:9–43

1 Kings 12:1–24

1 Kings 12:25–14:20

1 Kings 14:21–15:24

1 Kings 15:25–16:20

1 Kings 16:21–34

1 Kings 17:1–19:21

1 Kings 20:1–22:40

1 Kings 22:41–50

1 Kings 22:51–53

2 Kings 1:1–18

2 Kings 2:1–8:15

2 Kings 8:16–29

2 Kings 9:1–10:36

2 Kings 11:1–12:21

2 Kings 13:1–25

2 Kings 14:1–22

2 Kings 14:23–29

2 Kings 15:1–7

2 Kings 15:8–31

2 Kings 15:32–16:4

2 Kings 16:5–9

2 Kings 16:10–20

2 Kings 17:1–4

2 Kings 17:5–41

2 Kings 18:1–12

2 Kings 18:13–16

2 Kings 18:17–19:7

2 Kings 19:8–37

2 Kings 20:1–11

2 Kings 20:12–19

2 Kings 20:20, 21

2 Kings 21:1–18

2 Kings 21:19–26

2 Kings 22:1–20

2 Kings 23:1–25

2 Kings 23:26, 27

2 Kings 23:28–34

2 Kings 23:35–37

2 Kings 24:1–4

2 Kings 24:5–9

2 Kings 24:10–17

2 Kings 24:18, 19

2 Kings 24:20–25:3

2 Kings 25:4–7

2 Kings 25:8–21

2 Kings 25:22–26

2 Kings 25:27–30

1 Chronicles 1:1–9:34

1 Chronicles 9:35–44

1 Chronicles 10:1–11:47

1 Chronicles 12:1–15:29

1 Chronicles 16:1–43

1 Chronicles 17:1–27

1 Chronicles 18:1–13

1 Chronicles 18:14–20:8

1 Chronicles 21:1–30

1 Chronicles 22:1–19

1 Chronicles 23:1–26:19

1 Chronicles 26:20–29:30

2 Chronicles 1:1–2:18

2 Chronicles 3:1–4:22

2 Chronicles 5:1–7:22

2 Chronicles 8:1–9:31

2 Chronicles 10:1–11:23

2 Chronicles 12:1–13:22

2 Chronicles 14:1–16:14

2 Chronicles 17:1–19:11

2 Chronicles 20:1–37

2 Chronicles 21:1–22:9

2 Chronicles 22:10–23:21

2 Chronicles 24:1–25:28

2 Chronicles 26:1–23

2 Chronicles 27:1–28:27

2 Chronicles 29:1–31:21

2 Chronicles 32:1–23

2 Chronicles 32:24–31

2 Chronicles 32:32, 33

2 Chronicles 33:1–35:19

2 Chronicles 35:20–36:4

2 Chronicles 36:5–10

2 Chronicles 36:11, 12

2 Chronicles 36:13–16

2 Chronicles 36:17–21

2 Chronicles 36:22, 23

Ezra 1:1–2:70

Ezra 3:1–4:5

Ezra 4:6–23

Ezra 4:24–5:1

Ezra 5:2–6:22

Ezra 7:1–10:44

Nehemiah 1:11–11

Nehemiah 2:1–6:14

Nehemiah 6:15–7:73a

Nehemiah 7:73b–10:39

Nehemiah 11:1–12:30

Nehemiah 12:31–47

Nehemiah 13:1–22

Nehemiah 13:23–31

Esther 1:1–22

Esther 2:1–23

Esther 3:1–8:17

Esther 9:1–10:3

Job 1:1–2:13

Job 3:1–26

Job 4:1–5:27

Job 6:1–7:21

Job 8:1–22

Job 9:1–10:22

Job 11:1–20

Job 12:1–14:22

Job 15:1–35

Job 16:1–17:16

Job 18:1–21

Job 19:1–29

Job 20:1–29

Job 21:1–34

Job 22:1–30

Job 23:1–24:25

Job 25:1–6

Job 26:1–31:40

Job 32:1–37:24

Job 38:1–40:5

Job 40:6–41:34

Job 42:1–17

Psalm 1

Psalm 2

Psalm 3

Psalm 4

Psalm 5

Psalm 6

Psalm 7

Psalm 8

Psalm 9

Psalm 10

Psalm 11

Psalm 12

Psalm 13

Psalm 14

Psalm 15

Psalm 16

Psalm 17

Psalm 18

Psalm 19

Psalm 20

Psalm 21

Psalm 22

Psalm 23

Psalm 24

Psalm 25

Psalm 26

Psalm 27

Psalm 28

Psalm 29

Psalm 30

Psalm 31

Psalm 32

Psalm 33

Psalm 34

Psalm 35

Psalm 36

Psalm 37

Psalm 38

Psalm 39

Psalm 40

Psalm 41

Psalm 42

Psalm 43

Psalm 44

Psalm 45

Psalm 46

Psalm 47

Psalm 48

Psalm 49

Psalm 50

Psalm 51

Psalm 52

Psalm 53

Psalm 54

Psalm 55

Psalm 56

Psalm 57

Psalm 58

Psalm 59

Psalm 60

Psalm 61

Psalm 62

Psalm 63

Psalm 64

Psalm 65

Psalm 66

Psalm 67

Psalm 68

Psalm 69

Psalm 70

Psalm 71

Psalm 72

Psalm 73

Psalm 74

Psalm 75

Psalm 76

Psalm 77

Psalm 78

Psalm 79

Psalm 80

Psalm 81

Psalm 82

Psalm 83

Psalm 84

Psalm 85

Psalm 86

Psalm 87

Psalm 88

Psalm 89

Psalm 90

Psalm 91

Psalm 92

Psalm 93

Psalm 94

Psalm 95

Psalm 96

Psalm 97

Psalm 98

Psalm 99

Psalm 100

Psalm 101

Psalm 102

Psalm 103

Psalm 104

Psalm 105

Psalm 106

Psalm 107

Psalm 108

Psalm 109

Psalm 110

Psalm 111

Psalm 112

Psalm 113

Psalm 114

Psalm 115

Psalm 116

Psalm 117

Psalm 118

Psalm 119

Psalm 120

Psalm 121

Psalm 122

Psalm 123

Psalm 124

Psalm 125

Psalm 126

Psalm 127

Psalm 128

Psalm 129

Psalm 130

Psalm 131

Psalm 132

Psalm 133

Psalm 134

Psalm 135

Psalm 136

Psalm 137

Psalm 138

Psalm 139

Psalm 140

Psalm 141

Psalm 142

Psalm 143

Psalm 144

Psalm 145

Psalm 146

Psalm 147

Psalm 148

Psalm 149

Psalm 150

Proverbs 1:1–9:18

Proverbs 10:1–15:33

Proverbs 16: 1–22:16

Proverbs 22:17–24:34

Proverbs 25:1–29:27

Proverbs 30: 1–31:31

Ecclesiastes 1:1–12:14

Song of Solomon 1:1–8:14

Isaiah 1:1–5:30

Isaiah 6:1–13

Isaiah 7:1–10:4

Isaiah 10:5–12:6

Isaiah 13:1–14:23

Isaiah 14:24–32

Isaiah 15:1–16:14

Isaiah 17:1–14

Isaiah 18:1–20:6

Isaiah 21:1–17

Isaiah 22:1–14

Isaiah 22:15–25

Isaiah 23:1–18

Isaiah 24:1–27:13

Isaiah 28:1–29:24

Isaiah 30:1–32:20

Isaiah 33:1–35:10

Isaiah 36:1

Isaiah 36:2–37:7

Isaiah 37:8–38

Isaiah 38:1–22

Isaiah 39:1–8

Isaiah 40:1–45:25

Isaiah 46:1–48:22

Isaiah 49:1–51:23

Isaiah 52:1–55:13

Isaiah 56:1–59:21

Isaiah 60:1–66:24

Jeremiah 1:1–6:30

Jeremiah 7:1–8:3

Jeremiah 8:4–10:16

Jeremiah 10:17–25

Jeremiah 11:1–12:17

Jeremiah 13:1–14

Jeremiah 13:15–27

Jeremiah 14:1–15:9

Jeremiah 15:10–21

Jeremiah 16:1–17:27

Jeremiah 18:1–17

Jeremiah 18:18–20:18

Jeremiah 21:1–22:9

Jeremiah 22:10–17

Jeremiah 22:18–30

Jeremiah 23:1–8

Jeremiah 23:9–40

Jeremiah 24:1–10

Jeremiah 25:1–14

Jeremiah 25:15–38

Jeremiah 26:1–6

Jeremiah 26:7–24

Jeremiah 27:1–11

Jeremiah 27:12–28:17

Jeremiah 29:1–32

Jeremiah 30:1–33:26

Jeremiah 34:1–22

Jeremiah 35:1–19

Jeremiah 36:1–10

Jeremiah 36:11–32

Jeremiah 37:1–21

Jeremiah 38:1–28

Jeremiah 39:1–7

Jeremiah 39:8–10

Jeremiah 39:11–44:30

Jeremiah 45:1–5

Jeremiah 46:1–12

Jeremiah 46:13–28

Jeremiah 47:1–7

Jeremiah 48:1–49:39

Jeremiah 50:1–51:64

Jeremiah 52:1, 2

Jeremiah 52:3–6

Jeremiah 52:7–11

Jeremiah 52:12–27

Jeremiah 52:28–30

Jeremiah 52:31–34

Lamentations 1:1–5:22

Ezekiel 1:1–3:21

Ezekiel 3:22–7:27

Ezekiel 8:1–11:25

Ezekiel 12:1–28

Ezekiel 13:1–18:32

Ezekiel 19:1–14

Ezekiel 20:1–21:17

Ezekiel 21:18–32

Ezekiel 22:1–22

Ezekiel 22:23–31

Ezekiel 23:1–49

Ezekiel 24:1–27

Ezekiel 25:1–28:26

Ezekiel 29:1–16

Ezekiel 29:17–21

Ezekiel 30:1–19

Ezekiel 30:20–31:18

Ezekiel 32:1–32

Ezekiel 33:1–20

Ezekiel 33:21–33

Ezekiel 34:1–37:28

Ezekiel 38:1–39:29

Ezekiel 40:1–42:20

Ezekiel 43:1–48:35

Daniel 1:1–21

Daniel 2:1–4:37

Daniel 5:1–31

Daniel 6:1–28

Daniel 7:1–28

Daniel 8:1–27

Daniel 9:1–27

Daniel 10:1–12:13

Hosea 1:1–3:5

Hosea 4:1–5:7

Hosea 5:8–6:11

Hosea 7:1–14:9

Joel 1:1–3:21

Amos 1:1–6:7

Amos 6:8–7:9

Amos 7:10–9:15

Obadiah 1:1–21

Jonah 1:1–4:11

Micah 1:1–2:13

Micah 3:1–7:20

Nahum 1:1–3:19

Habakkuk 1:1–3:19

Zephaniah 1:1–3:20

Haggai 1:1–2:23

Zechariah 1:1–6:15

Zechariah 7:1–8:23

Zechariah 9:1–10:12

Zechariah 11:1–13:9

Zechariah 14:1–21

Malachi 1:1–4:6

Matthew 1:1–17

Matthew 1:18–25

Matthew 2:1–21

Matthew 2:22, 23

Matthew 3:1–12

Matthew 3:13–17

Matthew 4:1–11

Matthew 4:12–22

Matthew 4:23–25

Matthew 5:1–48

Matthew 6:1–34

Matthew 7:1–29

Matthew 8:1–4

Matthew 8:5–13

Matthew 8:14–17

Matthew 8:18–22

Matthew 8:23–34

Matthew 9:1–17

Matthew 9:18–34

Matthew 9:35–11:1

Matthew 11:2–19

Matthew 11:20–30

Matthew 12:1–14

Matthew 12:15–21

Matthew 12:22–50

Matthew 13:1–52

Matthew 13:53–58

Matthew 14:1–12

Matthew 14:13–21

Matthew 14:22–33

Matthew 14:34–36

Matthew 15:1–20

Matthew 15:21–31

Matthew 15:32–39

Matthew 16:1–12

Matthew 16:13–28

Matthew 17:1–13

Matthew 17:14–23

Matthew 17:24–18:9

Matthew 18:10–14

Matthew 18:15–35

Matthew 19:1–15

Matthew 19:16–30

Matthew 20:1–16

Matthew 20:17–28

Matthew 20:29–34

Matthew 21:1–11

Matthew 21:12–17

Matthew 21:18–22

Matthew 21:23–32

Matthew 21:33–22:14

Matthew 22:15–22

Matthew 22:23–33

Matthew 22:34–46

Matthew 23:1–39

Matthew 24:1–35

Matthew 24:36–25:46

Matthew 26:1–16

Matthew 26:17–29

Matthew 26:30–35

Matthew 26:36–56

Matthew 26:57–75

Matthew 27:1–26

Matthew 27:27–31

Matthew 27:32–56

Matthew 27:57–66

Matthew 28:1–8

Matthew 28:9–15

Matthew 28:16–20

Mark 1:1–8

Mark 1:9–11

Mark 1:12, 13

Mark 1:14–20

Mark 1:21–28

Mark 1:29–34

Mark 1:35–39

Mark 1:40–45

Mark 2:1–22

Mark 2:23–3:6

Mark 3:7–19

Mark 3:20–35

Mark 4:1–34

Mark 4:35–5:20

Mark 5:21–43

Mark 6:1–6

Mark 6:7–13

Mark 6:14–29

Mark 6:30–44

Mark 6:45–52

Mark 6:53–56

Mark 7:1–23

Mark 7:24–37

Mark 8:1–10

Mark 8:11–26

Mark 8:27–9:1

Mark 9:2–13

Mark 9:14–32

Mark 9:33–50

Mark 10:1–16

Mark 10:17–31

Mark 10:32–45

Mark 10:46–52

Mark 11:1–11

Mark 11:12–19

Mark 11:20–26

Mark 11:27–33

Mark 12:1–12

Mark 12:13–17

Mark 12:18–27

Mark 12:28–37

Mark 12:38–44

Mark 13:1–31

Mark 13:32–37

Mark 14:1–11

Mark 14:12–25

Mark 14:26–31

Mark 14:32–52

Mark 14:53–72

Mark 15:1–15

Mark 15:16–20

Mark 15:21–41

Mark 15:42–47

Mark 16:1–8

Mark 16:9–11

Mark 16:12, 13

Mark 16:14–18

Mark 16:19, 20

Luke 1:1–4

Luke 1:5–80

Luke 2:1–20

Luke 2:21–38

Luke 2:39, 40

Luke 2:41–52

Luke 3:1–18

Luke 3:19, 20

Luke 3:21, 22

Luke 3:23–38

Luke 4:1–13

Luke 4:14–30

Luke 4:31–37

Luke 4:38–41

Luke 4:42–5:11

Luke 5:12–16

Luke 5:17–39

Luke 6:1–11

Luke 6:12–19

Luke 6:20–36

Luke 6:37–49

Luke 7:1–17

Luke 7:18–35

Luke 7:36–50

Luke 8:1–18

Luke 8:19–21

Luke 8:22–39

Luke 8:40–56

Luke 9:1–6

Luke 9:7–9

Luke 9:10–17

Luke 9:18–27

Luke 9:28–36

Luke 9:37–45

Luke 9:46–50

Luke 9:51–62

Luke 10:1–24

Luke 10:25–37