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Old Testament
The Old Testament is the first half of scriptures in the Christian Bible.
19,397 Questions
Who were the godly kings after Solomon?
After Solomon, these are the kings who "did what was right in God's eyes": Asa (1 Kings 15:11), Yehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:43), Yehoash (2 Kings 12:3), Amatziah (2 Kings 14:3), Azariah (2 Kings 15:3), Yotam (2 Kings 15:34), Hizkiah (2 Kings 18:3), and Josiah (2 Kings 22:2).
Why was the first covenant that God made with the Israelites not obeyed?
Jewish answer: this is a common misconception. Rather, it wasn't fully or sufficiently obeyed. There were supremely righteous Israelites - a lot of them - in every generation; but God expected more of them. Those that did not obey the commandments were simply too stubborn to accept what had been laid out before them.
Which tribe does caleb come from?
Caleb is often associated with the tribe of Judah. He was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan, and he showed great faith in God's promise of victory. After the Exodus, Caleb also played a key role in the conquest of the Promised Land.
What caused the kingdoms of Israel and Judah to fall?
The general spiritual reason was that God found the Jewish people to be below the spiritual level that was a requisite for having His presence among them. The prophets had warned them (Jeremiah 7:25) but were not sufficiently heeded (2 Chronicles 36:16). Once God's presence no longer felt welcome, their downfall at the hands of enemies was just a matter of time (see Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 31a, and Eichah Rabbah 1:43). Since the Kingdom of Judah was on a higher spiritual level than that of Israel, it was spared by God for a further 133 years.
In the case of Judah, a more specific spiritual reason was the sins of Menasheh, king of Judah, as stated in 2 Kings 21:11-13 and 24:3.
The political reason (the specific temporal circumstance) was the fact that King Yehoiakim, after having been obedient to Nevuchadnezzar (king of Babylonia), became insubordinate (2 Kings 24:1); and Nevuchadnezzar responded by conquering the land of Judah, destroying the First Temple and exiling the populace.
Some positive results: the false prophets, at long last, were silenced forever. They had predicted that no Destruction would take place.
Also, the lure of idolatry finally weakened, since the Destruction and Exile happened exactly as predicted by the true Prophets, who were the same ones who had spoken ceaselessly against dabbling in idolatry.
Who wrote PS 119 in the Old Testament?
The author of Psalm 119 in the Old Testament is traditionally believed to be King David. However, there is no definitive evidence of the authorship, and some scholars suggest that it may have been written by another unknown author.
Did king Solomon do anything for his people?
King Solomon is known for his wisdom, wealth, and building projects. He was instrumental in establishing trade relationships, constructing the First Temple in Jerusalem, and implementing just rule by resolving disputes fairly. His reign was generally prosperous and brought stability to his kingdom.
What was the covenant between God and David?
The terms of this covenant were that a son from David's line would possess the throne forever, and that this son would build a house for Jehovah's name. God's purpose in this covenant was to provide a kingly dynasty for the Jews; to give Jesus, as David's heir, the legal right to the throne of David, "Jehovah's throne" (1Chronicle 29:23; Luke 1:32); and to provide identification for Jesus as the Messiah. (Ezekiel 21:25-27; Matthew 1:6-16; Luke 3:23-31) This covenant included no priesthood; the Levitical priesthood served in conjunction with kings of David's line; priesthood and kingship were strictly separate under the Law. Since Jehovah acknowledges this kingship and works through it forever, the covenant has everlasting duration. (Isaiah 9:7; 2Peter 1:11)
What does psalms chapter 72 verse 7 mean?
Pestilence is a fatal epidemic disease. It spreads or makes progress invisibly or in a way we do not know (In darkness) and there is nothing we can do about it. The destruction is like a bold enemy that can be seen, but can not be resisted. If we belong to the LORD and follow after Him we will not be afraid when these things come upon us.
What is the book in which Caleb Joshua and other leaders surveyed Canaan?
The book you are referring to is the Bible, specifically the Book of Numbers in the Old Testament. Caleb, Joshua, and other leaders were sent to spy on the land of Canaan, which was promised to the Israelites by God.
Why did God tell Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house?
God told Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house to see how a potter works with clay, shaping it into a vessel. This imagery was used to illustrate God's sovereignty over His people, showing that just as a potter can reshape and mold clay, God can shape and mold His people according to His will.
Where in the Old Testament is the prophecy of Judas?
A:
John Shelby Spong points out that Judas is a variant of Judah. He says there were 12 disciples. In the Genesis account, when the twelve sons of Jacob sold Joseph into slavery, it was Judah who sought money and received 20 pieces of silver (Gen 37:26-7).
The king was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zech 11:14), which he hurled back into the temple, just as Judas did in Matthew's Gospel. The fact that there is a different version of the story of Judas Iscariot in Acts of the Apostles indicates that this was not a prophecy but came from the author of Matthewhaving a good knowledge of the Old Testament.
Bishop Spong believes Judas Iscariot is probably a literary creation that was based on fragments from the Old Testament, rather than a real person prophesied in the Old Testament.
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If we accept the Bible as a reliable record of events, yes - God did walk on earth, and was seen in human form.
One example, from the anonymous source now known as the Yahwist, is in Genesis 3:8: "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." The Yahwist represented early traditions from the kingdom of Judah, and presented God as anthropomorphic, or human-like.
What was the God of Israel teaching Israel by example concerning the Gentile?
Among strangers. Being a people separated unto God, Israel was confronted with the question of how to behave towards the stranger. The Lord who separated the Israelites from the Gentiles instructed Israel in this very matter. Deuteronomy 10:17-19 states, For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, mighty and awesome, who does not show favoritism, nor take bribes. He does justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. You shall therefore love the stranger: for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Who was the father of Cain and able?
Adam and Eve were the parents of Cain and Abel according to the Bible.
What is the major theological theme of Chronicles?
A:
The Book of Chronicles (now 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles) is largely based on the Deuteronomic History (Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Kings) but was written shortly after the Babylonian Exile to provide the Priestly view of Israelite history. There is a greater emphasis placed on the role of the northern kingdom of Israel, and less emphasis on King David. The role and importance of the priesthood is emphasised, and some fragmentary evidence of early polytheism that may be found in the Deuteronomic History is omitted from Chronicles.
What is a brief wise saying called?
A brief wise saying is called a proverb. It is a short, well-known expression that imparts wisdom or advice in a memorable way.
What test did God give to Abraham?
Jewish tradition states that Abraham kept the ways of God voluntarily. Other than circumcision (Genesis ch.17), he wasn't explicitly commanded anything, but he kept all the ways of God just the same. That is our tradition concerning the meaning of Genesis 26:5.
Did Isaiah get special treatment with King Uzziah?
Some scholars think that Isaiah held a high rank in Jerusalem possibly being the head and chief of the prophetic order, basically holding the same rank as Elisha had held in the prophetic schools in Israel. Hezekiah (Uzziah) held Isaiah in high regard.
What is the smallest tribe of the twelve tribes of israel?
Today, the only tribes with large numbers are those of Judah, Levi, Benjamin and (probably) Simeon. All the rest were exiled to points now unknown. They have some descendants among the known Jewish people today, but relatively few; and it's impossible to determine exactly who they are.
What color was Rachael's skin Jacobs wife in the Bible?
Tradition states that she and Leah, as well as Sarah and Rebecca, were light-skinned. Not as much as Scandinavians, but not far from it.
There are two prominent individuals named David in the Bible. The first is King David, known for defeating Goliath and ruling over Israel, and the second is David, the son of Jesse, who became a close friend of King Saul. Both are significant figures in the Old Testament.
What are the three steps that led to canonization of the Old Testament?
Tradition states that from the time of the First Destruction, God's presence was no longer felt as clearly as before (see Deuteronomy 31:17-18). In addition, exile is not conducive to prophecy (Mechilta, parshat Bo). At that time, the last of the Hebrew prophets realized that prophecy would soon cease; and that the dispersal of the Jewish people, plus the almost continuous tribulations from the First Destruction onwards, made it imperative to seal the canon of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). The Sages of the time, including the last living prophets, convened a special synod for a couple of decades, which was called the Men of the Great Assembly (Mishna, Avot ch.1). This group, who functioned some 2360 years ago, composed the blessings and the basic prayers of the siddur (Hebrew prayerbook) and the early portions of the Passover Haggadah, made many of the Rabbinical decrees, and (most importantly) sealed the canon of the Tanakh. It was they, for example, who set the twelve Minor Prophets as (halakhically) a single book, and who set the books of the Tanakh in their traditional order (see Talmud, Bava Batra 14b). It was the Men of the Great Assembly whom Esther had to approach when she felt that the Divinely inspired Scroll of Esther should be included in the canon (see Talmud, Megilla 7a).
Who was pharaoh when Moses sent the Plagues?
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This should be an easy question to answer, but there is no mention in the extensive Egyptian records from the late Bronze Age,of the plagues, nor of the escape of a large number of slaves or the destruction of a great army in pursuit of those slaves. Without these records, we have establish who was the pharaoh of the Exodus and therefore at the time of the plagues. We can establish the biblical date of the Exodus from Egypt, and the Book of Exodus says the pharaoh at this time was also the pharaoh at the time of the plagues.
The Bible very clearly places the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt around 1440 BCE (1 Kings 6:1), but we now know from archaeology that Egypt was at that time very much in control of Canaan and remained so until the thirteenth century, which brings us to the time of Ramesses II, or Ramses II, pharaoh from around 1290 to 1224 BCE. It is a historical impossibility for any earlier pharaoh to have been the biblical pharaoh. Moreover, it was Ramses II who built the city of Ramses (Pi-Ramesses), mentioned in the story of the Exodus, thus ruling out his predecessors. For these reasons, a more modern Jewish tradition redates the early history of Israel and places the Exodus much later.
Unlike the biblical pharaoh, who was drowned in the Red Sea, Ramses II died peacefully as an old man and was buried in a tomb in the Valley of Kings. His body was later moved to a royal cache. For Ramses II to have been the Pharaoh who let the people go, we would have to move the date of the Exodus forward by around two centuries and therefore move Solomon's reign to a historically impossible period. We would also have to have Ramses escape the Red Sea, in spite of Exodus 14:28. Assuming there really was an Exodus from Egypt, which few scholars now accept, Ramses II could not have been that pharaoh, regardless of popular tradition.
Ramses' son, Merneptah, ruled from 1213 to 1203 BCE and died peacefully as an old man, buried in the Valley of Kings. Merneptah's successor was also buried in the Valley of Kings, thus ruling out all possible pharaohs until long after the traditional date of the Exodus and even after Israelite settlers began to appear in the Canaanite hinterland.
It is not possible to identify any historical pharaoh with the biblical plagues. The history of the Hebrews must have been in some way different to that told in the Book of Exodus.
