Biblical History

Was Balaam a prophet? The Sifrei on Devarim 34:10 says that Balaam was as great a prophet as Moses. The Talmud (Berachos 7a) says that he was able to tell when G-d was angry, but fortunately G-d wasn’t angry during…

Why did Nabal (1 Sam. Ch. 25) deserve to die? Nabal spoke insultingly to David’s representatives; see 25:10-11. Since David had been anointed by Samuel as Saul’s successor (see Ch.16), he was a king, so Nabal deserved the death penalty…

Did Hosea marry a prostitute (1:2-3)? Many of the commentators say that the marriage of Hosea and Gomer didn’t literally take place, but Rashi takes it literally, and also says that Gomer’s children were possibly illegitimate. Hosea thus had grounds…

What city was the prophet Nachum from? The Targum translates “Ha-Elkoshi” as “Mi-Beis Koshi”, and Ibn Ezra and RaDaK aren’t sure whether “Elkoshi” refers to Nachum’s city or to one of his ancestors. If it was his city, not much…

When was Gedaliah killed? According to the Seder Olam (Ch.26), Gedaliah was killed on the 3rd of Tishrei, 52 days after the Temple was destroyed. According to RaDaK, Gedaliah ws killed on Rosh Ha-Shanah, and the fast is deferred until…

What is the meaning of the “1290 days” in Daniel 12:11? The Jewish commentators differ widely about Daniel 12:11. Some say “days” means “years” (the word “yamim” sometimes means “a year” in the Bible), others take it literally (as 1290…

How long did the Second Temple stand? According to the Jewish tradition, it stood for 420 years (Talmud Yoma 9a). This count of years is based on the computation in the Seder Olam, according to which the Persian period, from…

What is the meaning of “his days will be 120 years” in Gen. 6:3? The primary Jewish commentators explain that verse as saying that G-d would not indefinitely postpone judging the human race for their wickedness (see verses 5-7); but…