Biblical History

Why did Naomi tell Ruth to lie down at Boaz’s feet? Naomi knew that Boaz was in line to marry Ruth; some relative was supposed to do this because her husband had died childless. Advising Ruth to lie down at…

What ten men are called “Men of G-d”? The Midrash (Seder Olam Ch.2; Sifrei, end of Deut.) says that ten men were called “ish ha-Elokim” (“man of G-d”): Moses, Elkanah, Shemuel, David, Shemaiah, Edo, Elijah, Elisha, Micah, and Amotz.

Who were the leaders of the Jewish people in Biblical times? The descendants of Judah became temporal leaders, and were sometimes also spiritual leaders. The priesthood stayed in Aaron’s famiy, but prophecy and the teaching of Torah spread from Moses…

Why were so many of the prophets unpopular? The people didn’t want to hear the painful truths that the prophets were telling them.

If David was born in Bethlehem (see 1 Sam. Ch. 16), why is Jerusalem called the City of David? When David conquered Jerusalem, he called it the City of David; see 2 Sam. 5:6-10.

Did David found Jerusalem? The city definitely existed before David; it was occupied by the Jebusites, who were not conquered in the time of Joshua (Joshua 15:63) until they were defeated by David. It existed even in Abraham’s time, when…

Who was Itai? He was a Gittite (from Gath — now called Gaza) who was loyal to David at the time of Absalom’s rebellion; see 2 Samuel 15:19ff.

What are Judah and Israel? Jacob was given the name Israel after he wrestled with the angel (Gen.32:24-28), and Judah was one of Jacob’s sons. But when Solomon’s kingdom was split into two parts after he died (1 Kings 12:17-25),…

Who was the “man of G-d” mentioned in 1 Kings Ch. 13? The Midrash Sifrei on Deut.33:1 says that the “man of G-d” was the prophet Edo; see 2 Chron. 12:15, 13:22. He may be the same person as the…