Who was Beelzebub?
Beelzebub is the Greek form of the name Baal-zebub, a pagan Philistine god worshiped in the ancient Philistine city of Ekron during the Old Testament times. It is a term signifying “the lord of flies” (2 Kings 1:2). Archaeological excavations at ancient Philistine sites have uncovered golden images of flies. After the time of the…
Who are Semites?
Semites are a group of Near Eastern and African peoples descended from Shem. Called the father of the Semites, Shem was a son of Noah. He and seven other members of his family entered the ark, escaped the flood, and lived to repopulate the earth. Through Shem passed the line of descent to the Messiah,…
Who was Jesse in the Bible?
Jesse in the Bible is father of David and thus an important part of the lineage of Christ, the Son of David (Matthew 22:42). We don’t know much about Jesse as a person; most of the Bible’s references to Jesse come in the context of his relation to his famous son David. In order to…
Why was the worship of Baal and Asherah a constant struggle for the Israelites?
Throughout the Old Testament, we read accounts of idol worship among the Israelites, especially the worship of Baal and Asherah, or sometimes Baal and Ashtoreth. The paganism that surrounded God’s people crept in, gained a foothold, and led to much misery. It was a constant struggle to stay true to the Lord their God. God…
Who was Perez in the Bible?
Perez was one of the sons of Judah through an illicit affair with his daughter-in-law, Tamar. Perez’s twin brother was Zerah. In the biblical genealogies, Perez is listed as an ancestor of King David and of Jesus Christ. The name Perez in Hebrew means “breach” or “he who bursts forth,” and it refers to how…
What is Hellenism, and how did it influence the early church?
Hellenism is the term used to describe the influence of Greek culture on the peoples the Greek and Roman Empires conquered or interacted with. Upon the Jews’ return from exile in Babylon, they endeavored to protect their national identity by following the law closely. This led to the rise of the hyper-conservative Pharisees and their…
Who was Vashti in the Bible?
Vashti in the Bible was the wife of King Xerxes (or Ahasuerus in many translations). King Xerxes and Queen Vashti of Persia figure in the story of Esther, a beautiful Jewish girl living in Ahasuerus’ kingdom, and her cousin, Mordecai, who had raised her after the death of her parents. Both Esther and Mordecai were…
Did Moses have children?
According to 1 Chronicles 23:14–15, Moses had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, who were counted as part of Levi, the priestly tribe dedicated to the responsibilities of worship in the tabernacle. In Exodus 2, Moses fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian whom he had seen beating a Hebrew slave. Moses went to live in…
What is the significance of the Babylonian Empire in biblical history?
Babylon rose from a Mesopotamian city on the Euphrates River to become a powerful city-state and later the capital city and namesake of one of the greatest empires in history. The city was located on the eastern side of the Fertile Crescent about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad. Babylon’s history intersected the biblical timeline…
Who were the Perizzites in the Bible?
The Perizzites were one of several groups of people occupying the land of Canaan as early as the time of Abraham: “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—the land of the Kenites,…