Amazing Trip Through the Bible – Page 9 – Amazing Bible Timeline with World History

Posted on September 10, 2014October 4, 2017 by Amy — Leave a comment

Rachel, Biblical Figure

Rachel was most well-known as the favorite wife of Jacob. She can be found on the Bible Timeline Poster around 1704 B.C. Rachel is also the younger sister of Leah, Jacob’s first wife, and Jacob’s first cousin. Her father is Laban, the brother of Rebekah. Rebekah is Jacob’s mother. Rachel is also the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, Jacob’s two youngest sons.

Rachel Met Jacob In Chapter 29 of Genesis, Rachel met Jacob while watering her father’s sheep for she was a shepherdess. After Jacob introduced himself and revealed his relationship with Rachel’s family, Rachel reported his arrival to her father. Rachel was reportedly very beautiful (Genesis 29:17). While Jacob was staying with Laban, he fell in love with Rachel, according to Genesis 29:18. Because of this intense love, Jacob agreed to work for seven years for Laban in return for Rachel’s hand in marriage.

Jacob discovered the morning after the wedding night that he had been deceived. He had been married to and spent the night with Leah rather than Rachel (Genesis 29: 25). Laban’s excuse was that his people’s tradition is to marry the oldest off first. Jacob was assured that he could have Rachel as his wife as well after his marriage week to Leah was completed for another seven years of labor. Jacob agreed and was then married to Rachel a week later. Rachel’s Barrenness Rachel remained barren while:

Rachel’s sister Leah produced four sons for Jacob
Rachel’s jealousy of her sister’s ability to produce children for Jacob caused her to give her servant Bilhah to Jacob to have children for her. Bilhah bore two sons to Jacob.
The conflict between Leah and Rachel caused Leah to give her servant Zilpah to Jacob to have two more sons when she realized that she was no longer having children herself.
Leah had two more sons and a daughter.

Rachel’s Final Days Finally, after many years Rachel bore Jacob two sons, Joseph, was mentioned in Genesis 30:22-24. Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son (Genesis 37:3). Though Rachel bore Jacob a second son, Benjamin, she also died during his birth.

You can read in Genesis, chapter 31, that after Joseph’s birth, Jacob took his family and left the area of Haran for his homeland of Canaan without announcing his departure to Laban expecting trouble from Laban. Upon leaving, Rachel stole her father’s false gods and hid them under her mattress. Laban soon caught up with them and demanded his gods. Jacob, not knowing that Rachel had them, permitted her father to search. Jacob pronounced a curse of death upon anyone that had them. Laban did not find them as Rachel was exempted from the search as she claimed to be unable to rise from her mattress because of her period.

However, it was not long after this occurrence that Jacob’s curse came true when Rachel died during the birth of Benjamin as revealed in Genesis 35:18. Genesis 35:19-20 tells us that Rachel died and was buried on the way to Bethlehem. Jacob set a pillar over her tomb that is still said to mark Rachel’s grave.

Elsewhere in the World

During this time on the Bible World History Chart the following events at various locations around the world are recorded:

Middle Kingdom of Egypt reestablished prosperity and stability. This brought about art, literature and building projects reappearing on the Egyptian scene. Military and political security, agricultural and mineral wealth, and religion all flourished during this period.
Hittites take over the area now covered by Turkey. The Hittites were considered members of the Bronze Age, but forerunners of the Iron Age.
Bronze to Iron Age – During this period making items of bronze seemed to be migrating into the Iron Age. The manufacture of artifacts from iron was noted. Iron became a very valuable commodity and was used to produce goods.
In Greece – In Greece, the Middle Helladic Period was in full swing. During this time, settlements drew closer together and gravitated toward hilltops. During this period rectilinear pottery was being influenced into curvilinear by the Minoans.
China – The first Chinese dynasty known as the Xia migrated into the Shang Dynasty around the 18^th century.

References:
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Rachel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Kingdom_of_Egypt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Age
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helladic_period
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xia_dynasty
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Rachel#mediaviewer/File:Gottlieb-Rachela.jpg

Posted on September 9, 2014October 4, 2017 by Amy — Leave a comment

Manasseh, son of Joseph

Manasseh was the oldest son of Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel), his younger brother being Ephraim. His name means to make Forgetfulness. He was born in about 1700 B.C. or a little later where he is listed on the Bible Timeline Chart.

Manasseh,son_of_Jacob — Tribes of Israel

His mother was Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, an Egyptian priest of the sun god. The Pharaoh had given her to Joseph as his wife. From Manasseh, the Jewish tribe of Manasseh was descended. In 1 Chronicles 7:14, Manasseh had a son Machir, by his Aramean concubine and he was the grandfather of Gilead. Both Matthew and Luke include his uncle Judah in the lists of Jesus’ ancestors.( Matthew 1 v 3 and Luke 3 verse 33.) Genesis 41 v 50-52 tells how he was born in Egypt before the arrival of his Canaanite family.

In Gen 37:5 the Bible tells how Joseph had a dream in which he and his brothers were binding sheaves and how all their sheaves bowed down to his. It was dreams such as these that caused the enmity between Joseph and his siblings. The obvious s interpretation would have been that Joseph and his offspring would be the inheritors of God’s earlier promise to Jacob.

Genesis 48 v 5 has the story of how Jacob adopted the two brothers so that Joseph’s sons would be able to share in the inheritance due to all his sons. Although he is the older Jacob set him as second to his brother Ephraim.( Genesis 48 v 14 -21.)

World History together with Biblical history

At about this time, the north of Europe was entering the Bronze Age.
In the Middle East meanwhile Assyria was climbing to a place as an important world power.
In some parts of the world, more and more nomads were becoming instead full-time agriculturalists. The Minoans on the other hand traded throughout the Mediterranean in a highly organized, often in tin. Which was then combined with the copper which gave Cyprus its name, into the main metal of the time – bronze, used by the Greeks for armor, swords and spears, though India was already using smelting and using iron and in Central America the Mayans were settled.. The language the Minoans used was written down in what is referred to as Linear A, which has not yet been deciphered, but it is thought it may represent an early type of Phoenician.
There was already an established Semitic alphabet, but most stories were still being transmitted orally. Laws though were written down the code of Hammurabi.
In Egypt, the Hykos invaders had arrived and taken over.
In 1720, the Euphrates had changed its course considerably, which led to the demise of some ancient cities

References:
http://www.ancient.eu/Bronze_Age/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manasseh_of_Judah
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/39555/Assyria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoan_civilization
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyksos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_alphabet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphrates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe_of_Manasseh#mediaviewer/File:1695_Eretz_Israel_map_in_Amsterdam_Haggada_by_Abraham_Bar-Jacob.jpg

Posted on September 8, 2014October 16, 2018 by Amy — 1 Comment

Ephraim, Biblical Figure

Ephraim was the second son of Joseph, so together with his brother older Manasseh could be considered to be the house or dynasty of Joseph. He was born in Egypt in about 1700 B.C. according to the Biblical Timeline or a little later, but before his uncles arrived from Canaan to stay (Genesis 48 v 5). His mother was Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of the sun god, whom Pharoah gave to Joseph as his wife according to Genesis 41 – 50-52. This means that the tribe of Ephraim was not one of those to be blamed for selling Joseph, but also means that they were not pure blooded Israelites. His Uncle Judah is cited by Matthew as an ancestor of Jesus ( Matthew 1 v 3 and Luke 3 v 33)

The name means double fruitfulness, perhaps because he was a second child of this particular pair. In Genesis 48 v 14-21 the Bible records that though Ephraim was the second son of Jacob set him as being above his brother Manasseh, despite the intervention of his father, Joseph. His descendants include Joshua, one of the conquerors of Canaan, according to I Chronicles 7 v 20-27. When the Israelites first arrived back in Canaan they were just a loose confederacy of tribal groups, but later they decided to elect a king – Saul being the first. After Saul’s death, all the tribes except Judah remained loyal to Saul’s memory. And his son Ishbosheth, but when the latter also died Ephraim’s tribe joined with the others to accept David, then king of Judah, as their leader too.

Despite being all closely related it seems that the various tribes had distinct accents so when Jephthah and his men fought the Ephraimites they identified them by their pronunciation of the word ‘shibboleth’.

I King 11 v 26 records Jeroboam, an Ephraimite, as being the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. In about 723 B.C.E., the whole of the population of northern Israel was deported to Assyria and from that time onwards Ephraim is considered to be one of the lost tribes.

At the time Ephraim lived the neighbors of the Israelites, the Phoenicians, worshipped Baal, Moloch and Arestate. It was the Bronze Age in much of the world, and Assyria was becoming the largest world power. In Babylon, Samsu-ditana reigned as the last king of First Babylonian Dynasty, whereas Egypt was much more established. Greek city-states were beginning to emerge, and a new Minoan palace is built. The Tang Shang emperors ruled in China.

Meanwhile, the very last of the mammoths was being hunted to extinction; people had discovered such crafts as baking leavened bread and making beer and even how to make rubber balls. By 1600 BC in Babylon one of the oldest surviving astronomical documents had been created. It records the appearance of Venus, known as Nindaranna) in the night sky.

Also at about this time, according to Irish legend, Érimón, a Milesian from Spain, conquered Ireland and became one of its first high kings. It is after one of his wive’s, Tea, that the famous hill of Tara got its name.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephraim
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_of_Tara

Posted on September 8, 2014October 4, 2017 by Amy — 1 Comment

Gad and Asher

Gad and Asher were the two sons of Zilpah and Jacob. They can be found on the Bible Timeline between 1754-1704 B.C. Zilpah was the maidservant of Leah, Jacob’s first wife. When Leah ceased to bear children, at least temporarily, she gave her maidservant Zilpah to Jacob to have children for her.

This was part of an ongoing competition between Leah and her sister Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. As Rachel was Jacob’s first choice of the two sisters (Genesis 29:18), Rachel and Leah were continually vying for Jacob’s affection. Bearing children was the way that wives won the favor of their husband in those times.

Though these two are considered minor characters in the Bible, each eventually became a leader of one of the tribes of Israel.

Gad

Gad, according to the Hebrew translation, means luck or fortune. Leah named him this because she considered it such good fortune that though she had stopped producing children, her maidservant had been able to bare one for her. Gad’s mother Zilpah acted as a surrogate for Leah (Genesis 30:11). Gad was Jacob’s seventh son and the founder of the tribe of Gad. According to Genesis 46:16, Gad had the following sons: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Iri, Arodi, and Areli.

When Jacob, also known as Israel, was near the end of his life he pronounced a blessing over each of his sons. The words that he spoke over Gad were, “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.” (Genesis 49:19)

Asher

Asher was Jacob’s eighth son, whose name is believed to mean happiness. The first appearance of Asher in the Bible is found in Genesis 30:13 when Leah was very pleased to have had her maidservant bare yet another son for her to her husband, Jacob. “Then Leah said, ‘How happy I am! The women will call me happy.’ According to Genesis 46:17 Asher was the father of four sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. It also mentions that these boys had a sister Serah.

When Israel was pronouncing his final blessing over his sons, his blessing over Asher went like this: “Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.” (Genesis 49:20)

Gad and Asher along with their brothers traveled to Egypt during a severe famine to find food and were eventually reunited with their long lost brother Joseph. The brothers had played an important role in causing Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son, to be separated from the rest of the family. The result of this journey was that Jacob and all of the tribes of Israel eventually settled in Egypt as can be seen in detail in chapter 47 of the Book of Genesis.

Elsewhere in the World

During this period of the Bible World History time, the following events at various locations around the world are recorded:

Middle Kingdom of Egypt reestablished prosperity and stability. This brought about art, literature, and building projects reappearing on the Egyptian scene. Military and political security, agricultural and mineral wealth, and religion all flourished during this time period.
Hittites take over the area now covered by Turkey. The Hittites were considered members of the Bronze Age, but forerunners of the Iron Age.
Bronze to Iron Age – During this time period making items of bronze seemed to be migrating into the Iron Age. The manufacture of artifacts from iron was noted. Iron became a very valuable commodity and was used to produce goods.
In Greece – In Greece, the Middle Helladic Period was in full swing. During this time, settlements drew closer together and gravitated toward hilltops. During this time period, rectilinear pottery was being influenced into curvilinear by the Minoans.
China – The first Chinese dynasty known as the Xia migrated into the Shang dynasty around the 18^th century.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gad_(son_of_Jacob) http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mking/hd_mking.htm http://www.ancient.eu/Bronze_Age/ http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-ancient-history/helladic-civilization.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gad_(son_of_Jacob)#mediaviewer/File:Vladimirskaya_church_iconostasis_-_Gad_(16th_c.,_Yaroslavl).jpg

Posted on September 7, 2014October 4, 2017 by Amy — 5 Comments

Bilhah and Zilpah, women in the Bible

Zilpah, whose name is believed to mean “drooping”, was given to Leah as a handmaiden by Laban, Leah’s father, when Leah was given to Jacob as a bride. Zilpah is first introduced in the Bible in Genesis 29:24. She is on the Biblical Timeline Poster between 1754-1704 BC.

Bilhah, whose name is believed to mean “bashful or faltering”, was given to Rachel as her handmaiden by Laban, Rachel’s father, when Rachel was given to Jacob as a bride. Bilhah was first introduced in the Bible in Genesis 29:29.

Bilhah_and_Ziplah — Jacob had four wives

Who is Zilpah?

After Leah had already bore Jacob four sons and then stopped having babies, she presented Zilpah to Jacob to act as a type of surrogate mother and have more children for Jacob. This was done as part of an ongoing rivalry between Leah and her sister Rachel, Jacob’s second and favorite wife. Zilpah bore two sons to Jacob, which would have been Gad and Asher. These were Jacob’s sons number seven and eight respectively. The account of Zilpah’s role as Leah’s surrogate mother can be found in Genesis 30:9-13.

While Zilpah is a considered a minor Bible character, she was a vessel used to usher in two of the tribes of Israel. You can read about Jacob, also known as Israel, blessing Gad and Asher as tribes of Israel in Genesis 49:19-20.

Who is Bilhah?
When Rachel was barren for many years and became overwhelmed with jealousy of her sister Leah, Jacob’s first wife that had already bore four sons, she gave her servant Bilhah to Jacob to become her surrogate mother. As such, Bilhah gave birth to Dan and Naphtali as detailed in Genesis 30:1-8.

Bilhah was later briefly mentioned in Genesis 35:22 when Jacob’s firstborn son Rueben reportedly slept with her after Rachel had died. This act caused Reuben to lose his birthright inheritance as pointed out in Genesis 49:3-4.

Bilhah is also considered a minor Bible character but was also used to bring two of the twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel onto the earth. The blessings of Dan and Naphtali as tribes of Israel can be found in Genesis 49:16-17, and 21.

Some Bible scholars believe that Zilpah was younger than Bilhah and was given as the maidservant of Leah to contribute to the deception that surrounded the two brides. Jacob had worked for seven years as part of an agreement to earn Rachel’s hand in marriage from her father, Laban. However, Laban gave Leah as the veiled bride to Jacob instead. Jacob did not become aware of the substitution until after the marriage acts had been committed. Laban excused his actions as part of his people’s tradition to always marry the oldest daughter first. This caused Jacob to commit to another seven years of labor to pay for Rachel’s hand in marriage though he took her as his wife only a week after he took Leah.

Elsewhere in the World
During this time on the Bible Timeline with World History, the following events at various locations around the world are recorded:

The Middle Kingdom of Egypt reestablished prosperity and stability. This brought about art, literature, and building projects reappearing on the Egyptian scene. Military and political security, agricultural and mineral wealth, and religion all flourished during this period.
Hittites take over the area now covered by Turkey. The Hittites were considered members of the Bronze Age, but forerunners of the Iron Age.
Bronze to Iron Age – During this period making items of bronze seemed to be migrating into the Iron Age. The manufacture of artifacts from iron was noted. Iron became a very valuable commodity and was used to produce goods.
In Greece – In Greece, the Middle Helladic Period was in full swing. During this time, settlements drew closer together and gravitated toward hilltops. During this period, rectilinear pottery was being influenced into curvilinear by the Minoans.
China – The first Chinese dynasty known as the Xia migrated into the Shang Dynasty around the 18^th century.

References:
http://www.ancient.eu/Bronze_Age/
http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/bilhah-bible
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zilpah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Age
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helladic_period
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Georgian_brides_in_church.jpg

Posted on September 5, 2014October 4, 2017 by Amy — 1 Comment

Leah, Biblical Figure

Leah was the oldest daughter of Laban, Rebekah’s brother. She was also the sister of Rachel and the wife of Jacob. The name Leah means weary. Leah was not noted for her beauty as her sister Rachel was, but for her weak, or delicate, eyes. She can be found in the Bible Timeline between 1754-1704 BC.

Rebekah’s son Jacob was sent to Laban to escape the wrath of his brother Esau whom he had deceived. While staying with and working for Laban, Jacob fell in love with Rachel, who was the younger sister of Leah. When Laban asked what payment Jacob would like for the work he was performing for Laban, Jacob requested to take Rachel as his wife in exchange for seven years of labor. Laban agreed. The majority of the details are recorded about Leah’s life events can be found in the 29^th and 30^thchapters of the Book of Genesis.

Leah Married Jacob through Deception

However, when the seven years of labor were finished, and Jacob claimed his payment, there was an unexpected twist of events. After he had spent his wedding night with his new bride, he awoke in the morning to discover that his bride was Leah and not Rachel. Having been deceived, Jacob was upset and questioned Laban about the identity of his bride. Jacob was informed that the custom of Laban’s people is to marry off the oldest daughter first. Therefore, Laban graciously agreed to give Jacob Rachel’s hand in marriage after his marriage week with Leah in exchange for another seven years of labor. Jacob agreed.

While Leah’s was Jacob’s first wife, she was not loved by her husband as her sister Rachel was. Because the Lord God seen that Leah was not loved, he graciously opened Leah’s womb. Leah bore Jacob his first four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Later she bore Jacob two more sons Issachar and Zebulun. Leah also later gave birth to a daughter named Dinah. With each child, Leah hoped to win the affections of her husband.

Because Leah was able to bear children and her sister Rachel was not, Rachel became very jealous of Leah because a childless woman was looked upon with despite in those days. The Lord did, however, eventually allow Rachel to bare two sons to Jacob.

The End of Leah’s Life

Leah, along with Jacob, Rachel, their maidservants and their livestock, left her native land of Haran and went to settle in Canaan. Leah lived there until she died and was buried in the cave in the field of Machpelah as mentioned in Genesis 49:29 – 31.

Though Leah was not a highly visible character in the Bible, she gave birth to six sons who would later become half of the tribes of Israel. This included the line of Judah, from which was born Jesus Christ. Therefore, this seemingly insignificant Bible character was used to begin ushering in the ultimate salvation of the world.

Though the beginning of her family relationships appeared to entail deception, jealousy, rejection and family strife. The Lord God used these obviously imperfect beginnings as the catalyst to foster what most consider the single most important event in Biblical history. Through the descendants of Leah, the Lord Jesus Christ was born into this world many generations later.

What Was Happening in the Rest of the World?

During the period that Leah was alive, the rest of the world had continued to function. In China, Emperor YU ruled. The Intermediate Kingdoms existed in Egypt. Ramman lead in Assyria and the Hittites took over the area now covered by Turkey. This was also the time of Hammurabi, who was considered to be responsible for establishing the greatness of Babylon. Babylon was considered the world’s first metropolis.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Leah#mediaviewer/File:Dante%27s_Vision_of_Rachel_and_Leah.jpg

Posted on September 4, 2014October 16, 2018 by Amy — 6 Comments

Levi son of Jacob

The name Levi means ‘attached’ or ‘joined’. The Bible records him as the third son of Jacob coming after Reuben and Simeon. According to Jewish tradition, he was given this name because Leah wanted Jacob to be attached to her. Levi was born while his father was still working for Laban, his father-in-law as part of their 20-year agreement. According to the Biblical Timeline Poster, his dates are 1749 BC to 1612 BC.

The family was living at the time in Paddan Aram, but later Levi left with his family and with the blessing of his grandfather Laban, father of Rachel. He was one of 13 children, 12 boys and one daughter. Levi was one of those who plotted against Joseph and sold him into slavery and in Genesis 46 there is recorded how Levi and his family moved to Goshen in Egypt at the time of famine. His first born brother Reuben lost his rights as the eldest, and so the duty of priesthood passed on to Levi and his descendants. The family travelled as nomads through Mahanaim, Peniel, Succoth, and finally arrived in Shechem where, together with his older brother Simeon, deceived the local people. One of them had raped Levi’s sister Dinah, but still wanted to marry her.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Figures_Simeon_Levi_Slay_Sichemites.jpg — Levi takes revenge for his sister

The brothers claimed that they would become people with the Shecamites if they allowed themselves to be circumcised. Three days after the circumcision ceremonies, when the men concerned would have been at their most vulnerable, Simeon and Levi murdered them all. Genesis 34 v 31,32 records how, when Jacob was angry with this, Levi replied that they had treated his sister like a prostitute, and this could not be allowed.

Levi became the ancestor of the Jewish tribe of Levi, the Levites, the members of which were concerned with religious duties alongside the priests. Through the descendants of his son Kohath, the various levels of religious service were allocated. In the Jewish Apocryphal text the Levi Document; Levi is ordained to the priesthood by angelic beings. In another apocryphal document, The Book of Jubilees, Jacob, on his deathbed, passes on to Levi special secrets known to the ancients.

When the group reached Canaan, the country was divided among the twelve tribes, but the Levites received cities rather than land according to Joshua 13 v 33 ‘Because the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance.’ The other tribes paid them tithes of their own crops and herds. Included in this tribe are Moses, Aaron and Miriam through Levi’s grandson Amram. In the book of Numbers, (chapter 18) the Levites are given responsibility for serving the priests. All priests are Levites as Aaron was, but not all Levites were priests. Before the Exodus the eldest son of each family would play the priestly role, but after the Exodus priests were only made from the descendants of Aaron. The duties of the Levites included singing during Temple services, carrying out any construction and maintenance needed for the Temple. They also served as guards around the tabernacle and Levites also worked as both teachers and judges. The prophet Ezra reported that the Levites were in charge of building work on the Second Temple. They also would both translate and explain the Torah when it was read in public.

Both Jeremiah and Malachi speak of a special covenant God had with the Levites.

Bible and World History
At the time of Levi Thebes in Egypt was the world’s largest city and the fabulous Lion Gate of Hattushash, in what is now Turkey, was constructed. Nearer to Levi, the Canaanite city of Ugarit was at its greatest size.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddan_Aram
http://www.turkey03.8m.net/catalog.html
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Levi_LACMA_M.88.91.296b.jpg

Posted on September 4, 2014October 4, 2017 by Amy — Leave a comment

Reuben and Simeon

Reuben and Simeon were the first two sons of Jacob and Leah, Jacob’s first wife. They can be found on the Biblical Timeline Chart around 1704 B.C. Though Jacob’s favorite wife was Rachel, her sister Leah was the one that bore him half of his sons. The conceptions and births of Reuben and Simeon were detailed in the Book of Genesis, chapter 29, verses 31-33.

Reuben

Reuben, as the firstborn son, was supposed to be the leader of the brothers and carry the most responsibility. After Rachel had died, Reuben went in and slept with Jacob’s concubine Bilhah as noted in Genesis 35:22. Because of Reuben’s sexual sin in this event, he forever lost his firstborn inheritance as pointed out by Jacob’s final blessing on his deathbed in Genesis 49:3-4. Well after this, when the brothers were out tending the sheep, and the group turned on the younger brother Joseph out of jealousy, Reuben tried to rescue him. His attempt was unsuccessful, and Joseph was sold off as a slave. Jacob’s final blessing over Reuben was, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.” (Genesis 49:3-4)

Simeon

Simeon, the second born of Jacob’s sons, was named by Leah because “the Lord has seen my misery” according to verse 32 of Chapter 29 of the Book of Genesis. When Dinah, Simeon’s sister, was violated by a Hivite, Simeon and his brother Levi took it into their own hands and went against their father’s decision to live at peace with these people and attacked the unsuspecting city. This act resulted in Simeon and Levi losing the leadership of the city. When Jacob prophesied over his sons on his deathbed, this is what he spoke of Simeon, “Simeon and Levi are brothers – their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:5-7)

Reuben and Simeon went with their brothers to Egypt during a severe famine in search of food. There they were reunited with their long lost brother Joseph that the brothers had caused to be separated from the rest of the family. The journey resulted in Jacob and all of the tribes of Israel settling in Egypt as can be seen in detail in chapter 47 of the Book of Genesis.

Elsewhere in the World

During this time, the following events at various locations around the world are recorded:

Middle Kingdom of Egypt reestablished prosperity and stability. This brought about art, literature and building projects reappearing on the Egyptian scene. Military and political security, agricultural and mineral wealth, and religion all flourished during this period.
Hittites take over the area now covered by Turkey. The Hittites were considered members of the Bronze Age, but forerunners of the Iron Age.
Bronze to Iron Age – During this period making items of bronze seemed to be migrating into the Iron Age. The manufacture of artifacts from iron was noted. Iron became a very valuable commodity and was used to produce goods.
In Greece – In Greece, the Middle Helladic Period was in full swing. During this time, settlements drew closer together and gravitated toward hilltops. During this period, rectilinear pottery was being influenced into curvilinear by the Minoans.
China – The first Chinese dynasty known as the Xia migrated into the Shang Dynasty around the 18^th century.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_(Bible)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Kingdom_of_Egypt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helladic_period
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Joseph_sold_by_his_brothers#mediaviewer/File:Konstantin_Flavitsky_001.jpg

Posted on September 3, 2014October 4, 2017 by Amy — 2 Comments

Lot of the Bible

The name Lot in Hebrew means Hidden or Covered. The word was used to refer to a veil. Perhaps Lot was born in a caul i.e. his face was hidden at birth?

Lot and his family Leaving Sodom and Gomorrah

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is believed to have taken place in about 1890 B.C. according to the Biblical Timeline at which time Lot was already a married man with grown daughters. Bishop Ussher in the 17th century dated Abraham’s call as taking place in 1921 BC. Lot was the son of Abraham’s brother Haran who had died while the family still lived in Ur according to Genesis 11 v 27,28. It was a family of close and complicated relationships as Abraham was married to his own half-sister. And his brother Nahor became Lot’s father –in –law when he married Milcah who may also have been the sister of Sarah. If she is identified with Iscah as in Jewish Talmudic stories (Genesis 11 v 29).Lot’s story is related in Genesis 11-14 and in chapter 19 he is also mentioned. Abraham was close to Lot, and he would have been his heir had Abraham not eventually had children. However, it cannot have been easy still not being in charge in middle life, because he was still under the patriarchy of Abraham.

Lot_of_the_bible_and_Abraham — Lot and Abraham departing

They split up finally when the two reached Canaan as both had very large herds. Lot chose to travel on to the well-watered plains to the southwest – also where there were to be found the two notorious cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Jewish Midrash records rather more about Lot than is set down in the scriptures, claiming that Abraham had rescued him from a fire for instance.

In Genesis 19:8 there is rather a negative story about Lot when he offer’s his daughter’s to the mob rather than break the law of hospitality. 2^nd Peter v 4-10 describes Lot as a righteous man disturbed by all the evil among which he lived.

Famously of course Lot and his family fled from the destruction that God poured out upon the cities of the plain and his wife stopped to look back and was turned into a pillar of salt. There is a rock formation on the shores of the Dead Sea known as ‘Lot’s wife’.

Lot_of_the_Bible_and_his_daughters — Lot and his Daughters

Genesis 19 tells the strange story of how Lot’s daughter’s, supposedly believing that they were the only people to escape the destruction. Deliberately got their father drunk so that they could have sex with him without his knowledge and so carry on the human race. The older girl’s daughter became the ancestor of the Moabite, and that of the younger one the Ammonites, both peoples who lived in proximity to the Israelites.

Bible and World History Together

In Egypt at this time the pyramids were being built. Was Lot a witness? China was in the stone age and North American hunters chased after large game animals. In Japan, the time covered is referred to as the Jamon period, which refers to the way in which ceramics of the time would have cord markings on them. In Sumaria, the cuneiform writing was being used for trade purposes and weights and measures were becoming fixed.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caul
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lot_(biblical_person)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussher_chronology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midrash
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lot’s_wife
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacob_Jordaens_-_The_Flight_of_Lot_and_His_Family_from_Sodom_(after_Rubens)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Phillip_Medhurst_Picture_Torah_80._Abraham_and_Lot_separating._Genesis_cap_13_v_17._Borcht.jpg

Posted on June 10, 2014October 4, 2017 by Amy — 1 Comment

Visigoths

Known as the western part of the Germanic tribe called the Goths, the Visigoths remained mainly on the west part of the Black Sea during the 3rd century AD. It is located on the Bible Timeline Chart between 400 and 500 AD. Because they frequently settled in the west, these people were referred to as the Western Goths while the Ostrogoths were the Eastern Goths. This distinction was made by Cassiodorus, a Roman writer who provided further information about these two Gothic tribes.

‘Capital from the Visigothic church of San Pedro de la Nave.’

Historical Background

Upon the invasions of the Huns, the Visigoths sought for help to Emperor Valens, who was then the ruler of Rome. These people needed a place where they could settle and remain safe from the Hunnic invasions. Fortunately, Valens permitted them to stay in an area situated near the Danube much to the contentment of the Visigoths.

However, things took a turn for the worst for this tribe as provincial Roman governors began to mistreat their people. This resulted to open rebellion led by the Visigoths to defend themselves from the cruel treatment of these officials. The Visigoths sacked and looted various Roman towns, and they became more and more powerful after successfully getting what they wanted.

Valens took action by setting out for a battle against the Visigoths. The Gothic Wars, which took place in 376 to 382 AD, resulted in many wins by the Roman Empire. However, the Battle of Adrianople held in 378 AD served as the decisive victory for the Visigoths. It also signaled the Roman Empire’s slow decline and even the emperor was killed in this tough battle.

The Glory of the Visigoths

Theodosius I assumed the throne to take the place of Valens, and he ruled the Western Roman Empire. His main purpose was to prevent the Visigoths from further causing trouble and chaos to the Romans’ territories. In 382 AD, a peace treaty was created to end the battle between the Romans and Visigoths. The treaty was signed by the leaders of both parties – Athanaric and Theodosius.

Meanwhile, Theodosius decided to strengthen this peace treaty by establishing regional Visigoth governors. He also tried to unite the Romans and the Visigoths through the Christian religion. At that time, the Visigoths believed in Arianism while the Roman Empire followed the Nicene Creed that was instituted by the Emperor Constantine the Great. Although he did not attain this goal of encouraging more Visigoths to practice the Nicene Creed, the peaceful relations between the two lasted until Theodosius died in 395 AD.

With the death of Theodosius, the Visigoths who were assigned to various political roles started to reject the Roman rule. They chose Alaric I as their new king. Alaric I wanted to establish unity between the Romans and Visigoths, which he partly accomplished. However, he was much more competent as a warrior than as an administrator. So, he failed to promote long-term peace between the Visigoths and the Romans until it led to the conquest of Rome in 410 AD. Slowly, Rome lost its control over the Visigoths, and with greater challenges from its powerful opponents, the empire soon reached its decline.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visigoths
http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/westeurope/Visigoths.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wisi_San_Pedro_de_la_Nave_e_chapiteau_a.jpg