Biblical History
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The Authors of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles
Who wrote the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles? According to the Talmud, the books of Samuel were written by Samuel, Gad the seer, and Nathan the prophet; the books of Kings were written by Jeremiah; the books of Chronicles…
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Sarah Giving Birth at 90
How could Sarah have had a baby at the age of 90? Abraham and Sarah themselves couldn’t believe that she could have a child in her 90’s (Gen. 17:17; 18:12-13). Her case was an exception to the natural order of…
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The Sons of G-d and the Daughters of Men
In Gen. 6:2, who were the “Sons of God” who took wives from the daughters of men? Answer: The commentators on Gen. Ch.6 differ as to whether the “sons of elohim” referred to in v.2 were (fallen) angels (e.g., Job…
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Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz
In Isaiah 8:3, why was the prophet told to call his son Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz? The prophets were sometimes told to call attention to what was going to happen. Isaiah was told to call his newborn son by a name that means…
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The Date of the Exodus
When was the Exodus? The Exodus was in the year 2448 after the Creation, around 3315 years ago.
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The Rivers of Eden
Can the four rivers that flowed out of Eden be identified? Two of the rivers are the Tigris and the Euphrates (Gen. 2:14). The sources of the Euphrates are in northeast Turkey; it flows southward into northern Syria, then turns…
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The Gates of Jerusalem
Nehemiah Ch.3 mentions about a dozen gates of the city of Jerusalem. Are the names of these gates symbolic? When the first three gates are mentioned, Rashi says "That [was] the name of the gate" or "That [was] its name".…
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The Name HaShem
What does HaShem mean? The term HaShem literally means "The Name". This term is used by Jews to refer to God. Jews use a substitute for the actual Name of God because Jewish law forbids the pronunciation of God’s Name.…
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Rabbeinu Gershom
Who was the Rabbeinu Gershom? Answer: Rabbeinu Gershom was one of the first great leaders of the Jews of France and Germany. It is believed that he was born in Metz, Lorraine (now in northeastern France). However, he lived in…