Events in the Bible, the wider cultural background of those events, and the biblical text itself, all have a historical dimension.
2
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1answer
77 views
How should Luke 2:2 be translated?
Luke 2:2 in the King James Version says,
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
However, the original Greek text says,
αὕτη ἡ ἀπογραφὴ πρώτη ἐγένετο ἡγεμονεύοντος ...
2
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0answers
27 views
A nose ring, earring, or other in Genesis 24:22?
Abraham's servant is on a mission to find Isaac a wife, and he is blessed in that work. Upon Rebekah's fulfilling of the sign conditions of the servant's prayer to YHWH (Gen 24:12-20), the servant ...
1
vote
2answers
117 views
In Genesis 26:18, historical reasons why Philistines might have filled Abraham's wells of water?
In Genesis chapter 26, there are a number of points noted about wells of water. Using the NKJV, particular points paint an odd picture. First, Genesis 26:15, 17-18 (NKJV, bold added):
15 Now the ...
3
votes
1answer
32 views
To the fall of which towers does Isaiah 30:25 refer?
To what does "the towers fall" refer in this passage?
KJV Isa 30:25 And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon
every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great
...
2
votes
2answers
52 views
Galatians 2:9: What is the Christian meaning behind the expression “the right hand of fellowship”?
“James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and ...
0
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0answers
24 views
“I will diminish them” Ezekiel 29:15. How was Egypt diminished by God after the Chaldean period?
Genesis 10:13-14 NKJV
Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, and
Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim)
According to this passage, the ancient Egyptians ...
1
vote
1answer
109 views
In Numbers 33:34-39 what is the correct route taken by the Israelites to the promised land?
Numbers 33:34-39 (KJV)
34 And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah. 35 And they departed from Ebronah, and encamped at Eziongaber. 36 And they removed from Eziongaber, and ...
1
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1answer
68 views
In John 4:18 is Jesus accusing the woman at the well of fornication or of adultery?
John 4:18 reports Jesus saying οὐκ ἔστιν σου ἀνήρ. Does the οὐκ govern σου or ἀνήρ? If the former, does it mean he’s a man but he’s not yours; and if the latter, does it imply he’s not a man, since ...
1
vote
1answer
45 views
In Titus 3:13 was Zenas the lawyer a Christian?
Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that
nothing be wanting unto them. - Titus 3:13
Based on the passage above, is it evident whether Zenas the lawyer was a part of the ...
1
vote
3answers
171 views
To whom was the letter 1 John written?
I understand that 1 John was directed to Christians who were hit by the rise of Gnosticism. I also understand that the letter was believed to have been written in Ephesus.
Is there any research to ...
1
vote
1answer
86 views
Has the lengthened day of Joshua 10 been modeled in a simulation to show how this could have occurred?
My question is, has anyone done or knows of anyone who have done an astronomical simulation of how this could have happen? Alternatively does anyone knows or have access to any simulation facilities ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
In Jeremiah 49:39 has Elam been merged into Iran?
Elam was destroyed and its people scattered. Are they now regathered in Iran?
Jer 49:34 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet
against Elam in the beginning of the reign of ...
3
votes
1answer
122 views
Did Jesus recover the lost tribes of Israel?
According to Encylopaedia Brittanica all of the tribes of Israel except Benjamin, Judah and Levi have been "lost to history", assimilated into other peoples and no longer have a Jewish identity:
......
0
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0answers
27 views
Amos 4:11 description of some natural disaster?
In Amos 4:11
I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were
like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned
to me," declares the LORD.
It seems ...
1
vote
3answers
134 views
How can we trust the Gospels if nobody was there to witness? [closed]
I am reading the Gospels and sometimes I wonder how can some stories have been recorded and then written down. The case is when Jesus is basically by himself and nobody there to witness or when he is ...
1
vote
2answers
71 views
What is the purpose of a Nazarite vow described in Numbers 6?
A special vow called the vow of a Nazarite is mentioned in Numbers 6:2 and the conditions of the vow are spelled out as the chapter follows. Verse 8 says, "Throughout the period of their dedication, ...
1
vote
2answers
55 views
What does “polluted” (ἀλισγημάτων) mean in Acts 15:20?
In Acts 15:19-20, James renders his judgment on the matter of the Gentiles that Peter has brought before the Jerusalem council:
It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult ...
1
vote
1answer
49 views
In 1 Corinthians 10:11 to the end of what “ages” does Paul refer?
NIV 1 Cor 10:11 These things happened to them as examples and were
written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages
has come.
My own thought is that he is referring to the ...
1
vote
1answer
82 views
Acts 12:19 Who are Herod's prison guards with Peter?
In Acts 12:19, Herod gives order to kill prison guards:
Act 12:19 And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers (φύλαξ), and commanded that they should be put to ...
2
votes
0answers
148 views
Did not King Solomon defile the altar by killing Joab while he was still holding onto its horns in 1 Kings?
In a similar incident Solomon had spared the life of his brother Adonijah.
1 Kings 1:50-53 (NKJV)
50 Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took hold of the horns of the ...
1
vote
1answer
44 views
2 Kings 23:26 Is the reference to Manasseh to the king of Judah or a people?
If it is the king referred to, why him specifically? He wasn't the only king who sacrificed his sons to Molech. Ahaz is reported in 2 Kings 16:3 to also have "passed his son thru the fire". ...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
Why does the Greek translation read in Acts (Luke-Acts) that Jesus was killed by “hanging him on a tree?”
The question is NOT supposed to discredit or undermine the significance of Jesus’ crucifixion, but rather to understand the reasons for primitive and/or differentiated terminology that we see in Acts ...
1
vote
1answer
36 views
Is there any difference between the chains in Acts 26:29 and 28:20?
In Acts 26:29, Paul, pleading his case before Agrippa says: "Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains....
1
vote
2answers
60 views
Why was Ham the only one among Noah's three sons who had a land named after him. Psalm 105:23
Psalm 105:23 (NKJV)
Israel also came into Egypt, And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
Psalm 106:22 (NKJV)
Wondrous works in the land of
Ham, Awesome things by the Red Sea.
Noah had three ...
1
vote
1answer
187 views
What are the sayings of Hozai (the Seers) according to 2-Ch 33:19
2 Chronicles 33:19
Also his prayer and how God received his entreaty, and all his sin
and trespass, and the sites where he built high places and set up
wooden images and carved images, before ...
2
votes
2answers
270 views
What were the four standards around which the tribes of Israel were camped (Numbers 2:1-34)?
H1714
Original: דּגל
Transliteration: degel
BDB Definition:
1) banner, standard
Numbers 2:17 (NKJV)
"And the tabernacle of meeting shall move out with the camp of the
...
0
votes
1answer
175 views
What were the grievances Jeroboam brought against king Solomon?
The Bible in 1 kings 11:27 says (NIV):
Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had
built the terracesa (Millo) and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city
of ...
0
votes
1answer
96 views
As a King within Canaan, did Melchizedek's priesthood serve any group of Canaanites in those times? Gen 14:18?
For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men....
He can have compassion on those who are
ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to
weakness.(Hebrews 5:1)
...
5
votes
1answer
269 views
How did Egyptians practice divination using silver cups?
I've been wondering how silver cups could have been used to practice divination. It was practiced in Egypt according to the following passage.
Gen 44:5
Isn’t this the cup my master drinks ...
1
vote
2answers
148 views
Who were the “thieves and robbers”?
When speaking of himself as the Good Shepherd, Jesus said: "All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them." (John 10:8, RSV) Historically, who were these "thieves ...
3
votes
0answers
64 views
Luke 15:8-10, Silver Coin Semedi Headdress in 1st Century Palestine?
In Luke 15, verses 8-10, the Bible tells a story about a woman who loses a silver coin or drachma:
“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep ...
1
vote
1answer
105 views
How did they make a covenant with death?
How did the rulers make a covenant with death?
Isaiah 28:14-15 (ESV) reads:
Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem! Because you have said, 'We have ...
2
votes
1answer
62 views
Why Put is defined as a Persian Tribe
In Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, Put (#6316) is describe as
Of foreign origin; Put, a son of Ham, also the name of his descendants or their region, and of a Persian tribe
Put is described as a son ...
9
votes
2answers
171 views
In the story of Tamar and Judah,. Gen 38:14-16, how did a prostitute's veil differ from a common veil?
Is there a difference in historical records of a prostitute's veil and a common veil worn by women of that time? How did Judah know that Tamar was prostituting herself?
5
votes
1answer
90 views
What are the “regulations of Omri”
In Micah 6:16 (NET), the text states
You implement the regulations of Omri, and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; you follow their policies.
What policies, practices and regulations is this ...
2
votes
1answer
71 views
In Genesis 24, camel reference
In Genesis 24, a servant of Abraham is sent with ten camels to find a wife for his son Isaac, yet archaeologically camels are said not to have existed in Egypt.
What is the original Hebrew word ...
9
votes
3answers
183 views
Ancient custom to change vassal king's name
I noticed two places in the book of Kings where a king changes the name of his vassal king. One is found in 2 Kings 23:34 where Pharaoh Necho changed the name of his vassal king to Jehoiakim. The ...
2
votes
5answers
412 views
Does 2 Kings 24:6 suggest that King Jehoiakim died peacefully?
In 2 kings 24:6 it is recorded that king Jehoiakim died with his ancestors וישכב יהויקים עם אבותיו. This clearly implies that he died a natural peaceful death in his own land. However, in 2 ...
2
votes
1answer
143 views
Does Leviticus say that leprosy can be cured with two birds?
Leviticus 14:3-7 states:
The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease, the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some ...
9
votes
5answers
406 views
In Numbers 15:37-39 do the “tzitzith”, (ציצית) fringes, extend from “the four corners”, or “the hem” of their garments?
In Numbers 15:37-39 the Israelites are commanded make tzitzith (fringes, strings, tassles) on their garments
The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them:
‘Throughout the ...
2
votes
2answers
66 views
Were charges required by Roman law?
In Matthew 27:37, the charges against Jesus are fastened to the cross above his head:
Above his head they placed the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. NIV
In ...
5
votes
3answers
608 views
What was the Roman practice for disposing of dead bodies?
During the Easter service this passage was read:
After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the ...
4
votes
0answers
88 views
Why did no New Testament books mention AD70? [closed]
My full question is; which of the New Testament books were written after AD70? Assuming there are several, why did none of them mention the 'earth-shattering' events of AD70? The destruction of the ...
12
votes
6answers
610 views
John 1:1 - How would Λόγος (Logos) be understood in Hellenistic philosophy?
In John 1:1 (NIV, KJV, ESV, NASB, RSV, ASV, NRSV), the text is often translated as something close to
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
"the Word" as ...
1
vote
1answer
271 views
In John, how many years did it take to build Herod's Temple?
Closely Related:
- In Luke, Was Jesus Dedicated in the Second Temple, or Third?
How many years did it take to build Herod's Temple?
The Temple in the gospels is stated to have taken 46 years :
...
2
votes
0answers
66 views
What expectations surrounded “the prophet” of John 1:21? [duplicate]
In John 1:19-22, John the Baptist is questioned about his identity. The priests and Levites ask him in verse 21 if he was the Prophet. They ask this after he denies being the Messiah and Elijah. So ...
1
vote
3answers
2k views
When did Paul visit the Corinthians for the second time?
(KJV) 2 Corinthians 13:1
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
I believe Paul's first visit to Corinth was in (Acts 18:...
7
votes
3answers
802 views
What Was Pilate's Fear Based On?
In John 19 it states:
6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis ...
3
votes
1answer
279 views
Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs
In Mark 5:13 the number of pigs grazing on the hillside in the "region of the Gerasenes" is cited as 2000:
3He gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and went
into the pigs, and ...
1
vote
3answers
435 views
Where did the information come from for Moses to write Genesis since he was born generations beyond 'Adam'?
Genesis is included in the Torah, which is the first five books of the Bible. Joshua 8:31 says that Moses wrote the Torah:
And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he [Joshua] wrote on ...
