Questions tagged [history]
Events in the Bible, the wider cultural background of those events, and the biblical text itself, all have a historical dimension.
328
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2answers
78 views
Manuscripts and Minuscules
I came across the concept of minuscules quite recently. Wikipedia says that they are manuscripts written with small font sizes. How do they matter more or less than any other Christian manuscript? Is ...
3
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5answers
364 views
Does “turn the other cheek” refer to a court tradition, not general violence?
We often hear "turn the other cheek". However, recently I've heard that being slapped in the context of Matt. 5:39-42 is referring to a court setting, not general violence. I'm no advocate ...
4
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2answers
678 views
Was Benjamin born before or after Joseph was sold into slavery?
Genesis 35:16-18 NIV
16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty ...
3
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2answers
141 views
Did Isaac die before Joseph was sold to the Midianites?
Genesis 35:27-29 NIV
27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 29 Then he ...
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3answers
428 views
Was the Gospel preached to all nations prior to A.D. 70?
Matthew 24:9-14 (ESV):
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one ...
2
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1answer
65 views
What, if any, is the biblical basis to interpret prophecy to refer to historical and not just future events?
A possible example of prophecy referring to past events can be Joel's four waves of locusts, unless Joel lived even before the deportation of Israel, which is not entirely consistent with the rest of ...
1
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1answer
37 views
Why are passages in the Book of Joshua repeated in the Book of Judges (Jos. 15:15-19, Jdgs. 1:11-15)?
In these two parallel sets of passages, why is the Book of Judges merely restating that which was stated in Joshua 15?
Joshua 15:15-19, NASB: Then he went up from there against the inhabitants of ...
13
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7answers
1k views
How did Jewish people living under Roman rule understand the role of a Paraclete?
John 14:16 (DRB):
And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete,
that he may abide with you for ever.
John 14:26 (DRB):
But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will ...
3
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3answers
98 views
Is there any interpretative room for considering the prophetic predictions of 2 Peter 3:3-13 as already fulfilled?
2 Peter 3:3-13 (ESV):
3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? ...
2
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2answers
300 views
In what language did Peter most likely preach his sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-41)? [closed]
We all know that the apostles and disciples miraculously spoke different tongues at Pentecost, that the foreigners around who were native speakers of those languages could understand:
5 Now there ...
2
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1answer
30 views
The Land of Israel Joshua 21:43-45
I was reading Joshua 21:43-45
Joshua 21:43(A)Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. 44 (B)And the ...
3
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2answers
88 views
Was stoning legal under Roman law?
From John 8:
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group
4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of ...
4
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1answer
62 views
Is there any evidence to support the “different calendar theory” often invoked to resolve chronological discrepancies in the gospels?
Is there any evidence that there was a confusion of calendars in the first century, such that dates reported within the NT might vary as to the "actual" date of an event, and some authors (...
2
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2answers
111 views
How did the Jewish exorcists of Acts 19:13 cast out demons before they undertook to invoke the name of Jesus?
Acts 19:13 informs us about the existence of iterant Jewish exorcists who, inspired by Paul, decided to undertake the practice of invoking Jesus' name to cast out demons, probably because they wanted ...
3
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1answer
80 views
Can history shed any light on the “secret arts” of the Egyptian magicians who turned their staffs into serpents?
Exodus 7:11-12 (ESV):
11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they ...
2
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3answers
142 views
Is there any interpretative room for considering the prophetic predictions of Matthew 24:29-31 as already fulfilled?
Matthew 24:29-31 (YLT):
29 `And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the ...
3
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3answers
347 views
Why does Matthew 26:17 seem to ignore/contradict the instructions and schedule of Leviticus 23:5-7?
In Leviticus 23, Passover completely precedes the Feast of Unleavened Bread, with the first day being a day of convocation:
[Lev 23:5-8 NLT] (5) "The LORD's Passover begins at sundown on the ...
2
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2answers
66 views
Was Barabbas released from prison temporarily?
It is generally understood that when Barabbas was released from prison, he was not required to return after the Passover festival. Why believe this was the case? Perhaps a more modest temporary ...
5
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1answer
139 views
Why were Pilate and Herod Antipas upset with each other?
In Luke 23 we are told that over the course of Jesus' trial, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod [Antipas], and after questioning & mocking Jesus, Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.
Then we are given this ...
4
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2answers
69 views
What is the meaning of “ten thousands” in Daniel 11:12
Daniel 11:12 KJV
And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.
Most commentators connect ...
4
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1answer
298 views
Who was Pharaoh in Joseph's time?
In Genesis 40:2
Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.
Who was the Pharaoh?
Note: similar question was asked about the Pharaoh of Ezekiel's time and an ...
4
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2answers
189 views
Which Caesar did Paul demand to appear before?
Acts 27:24a
and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar.'
The title "Caesar" was given to a number of Roman rulers. To which Caesar does the text refer?
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0answers
27 views
Wars of the Jews Book 5 1:5-6 and Luke 14:25-33- are the parallels significant
I posted this question before, but as I noticed, the question looked very vague, so I will try to explain it better now.
The question is about the parallels between the texts mentioned in the title. ...
0
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1answer
248 views
What do we know about tower of Peniel in Judges 8?
The text is:
He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town. - Judges 8:17
2
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2answers
466 views
Who is the King of Babylon referenced in Isaiah 14:4 and 14:17?
[Isa 14:4, 17 NLT] (4) you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say, "The mighty man has been destroyed. Yes, your insolence is ended. ... (17) Is this the one who destroyed the world and ...
0
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1answer
94 views
Is Herod in Luke 3:19 the same as Herod in Matthew 2:1? [duplicate]
In Luke 3:19
But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother
Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done
And in Matthew 2:1
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem ...
2
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4answers
167 views
Did Judah go to Babylon for captivity because of the error of Hezekiah or for the sins of Manasseh?
As I study the various accounts of the captivity of Judah, I have begun to encounter some difficulties over the remote cause of Judah's captivity in Babylon. Quite a number of commentators hold the ...
1
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1answer
79 views
How did Elijah know the woman of Zarepthath was a widow?
In 1 Kings 17:9-10 Elijah is commanded by God to go to Zarephath where God had commanded a widow to provide for him. When Elijah got there he saw a woman gathering sticks outside the city gates. How ...
7
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2answers
140 views
What evidence is there that boiling a kid in its mother's milk (Exodus 23:19) was a pagan practice?
In Exodus 23:19 (KJV), Jehovah tells the Israelites, "Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk." Searching online for a possible meaning, many suggestions are given, the most ...
3
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2answers
3k views
Were male shrine prostitutes homosexuals?
1 Kings 14:24 (NIV)
There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
Did these ...
6
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2answers
125 views
Who is Jesus in Matthew 11:29?
In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (ESV)
One interpretation I've heard is that Jesus is ...
1
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2answers
175 views
Are the Sea peoples referenced anywhere in the bible?
To better understand this question. And why i feel this is a good, rational question, i will spend a little time below, copying and pasting everything i can find regarding the Sea peoples.
When one ...
3
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1answer
42 views
Why did the Elders tell King Ahab not to agree to Ben-Haddad, King of Syria second command?
1 Kings 20:4
And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.”
1 Kings 20:7-8
7 So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, ...
3
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2answers
169 views
Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
People attribute the quote from the Book of Enoch 2:1. My question is how can this book be preserved over the great flood of Noah, span through the period of the Law of Moses, and to the period of the ...
2
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2answers
66 views
Was this a common practice for parents to leave their children in the temple as Hannah did when she dedicated Samuel by bringing him to the temple?
I Samuel 1:27,28 27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:
28 Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the ...
0
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1answer
196 views
What is the significance that Jacob offered to work for Laban ,seven years for Rachel ?: Genesis 29:18
Genesis 29:18 (NASB)
18 "Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you seven years
for your younger daughter Rachel.”
And why not fewer years?
4
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3answers
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Isaiah14:12 truth of translation
Was Isaiah 14:12 not even about the devil, but just a king , when referencing the Torah but that early church council supplemented the devil for the king in the Christian bible based on motives of ...
1
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2answers
79 views
Were the “scribes” also clearly partisan as were the Pharisees and Sadducees?
IE: If we knew that someone was a "scribe" would we automatically know their religious bent as we do with Pharisees and Sadducees?:
[Act 23:8 NLT] (8) for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection ...
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5answers
246 views
When did the Levites say to their father and mother “I have not seen him” as mentioned in Deuteronomy 33:9?
When did the Levites say to their father and mother "I have not seen him" as mentioned in Deuteronomy 33:9 ?
And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom ...
-1
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1answer
48 views
Who tore down the walls of Jerusalem in Nehemiah?
This is the verse in question:
"And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken ...
0
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1answer
716 views
In Esther 2:8-18, what would Ahashuerus' “harem” been like during the time of Esther's confinement?
I'm trying to understand the nature of the Harem's during the time period of the Persian and Median empire.
I'm Not trying to be uncouth/brash/offensive but was said Harem like some kind of sex ring?
...
1
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3answers
370 views
Wise Men from the East…but not Sheba and Tarshish?
So the two main Old Testament prophecies surrounding the wise men seem to be Psalm 72:10-11 and Isaiah 60:6:
Both of these passages state the kings will come from Sheba, and Psalms mentions Tarshish ...
4
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1answer
148 views
Were the trumpets in the NT actually shofars?
This is from the Jewish Encyclopedia article on "trumpets":
In Shab. 36a (comp. Suk. 34a) it is noted that since the destruction of the Temple the names for the shofar and the trumpet had been ...
0
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0answers
27 views
Does Exodus 34:12-17 suggest that erecting sacred structures to idols and eating their meals created a kind of political alliance?
[Exo 34:11-17 NLT] (11) But listen carefully to everything I command you today. Then I will go ahead of you and drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. (12) "...
1
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3answers
464 views
What was Jesus asking and answering the teachers at the temple?
I have often thought about the exchange that passed between Jesus and the doctors at the temple in Jerusalem. It looks like Jesus was asking questions that were so perspicacious as to astonish the ...
1
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3answers
122 views
Are Jesus' words in Matthew 23:37 regarding Jerusalem killing prophets historic or predictive?
Are Jesus' words in Matthew 23:37 regarding Jerusalem killing prophets about past murders (which are not documented in history prior to the first century) or to the persecution that he and his ...
7
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2answers
4k views
Why was Goliath's sword kept in the tabernacle at Nob?
Then David asked Ahimelech, “Is there not a spear or sword on hand
here? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me,
because the king’s business was urgent.”
9The priest ...
2
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1answer
155 views
In the culture of Corinth in Paul's time, what does being “engaged” mean?
1 Corinthians 7:36-38, NIV: "36 If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, ...
6
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3answers
281 views
Which king of Tyre is mentioned in Ezekiel 28?
This is the chapter in question.
The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of
Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘In the pride of your heart
you say, “...
0
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1answer
66 views
In Galatians 2:11 what is meant by “I opposed him to his face”?
[Gal 2:11 NASB] (11) But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
[Gal 2:11 MGNT] (11) ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν Κηφᾶς εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῷ ἀντέστην ὅτι ...
