Timnaʿ The valley of Timnaʿ sits about 20 miles north of the Gulf of Aqaba. The location stands out for its copper mining operations for at least 5,000 years. Only Spain’s southern region of Rio Tinto can claim such a long history of mining metals. High cliffs (1,600–2,300 feet high) surround the valley on three …
Tel Arad Arad sits on the southern border of Old Testament Judah along the ancient caravan route to Edom. When Israel first came to Arad, the Canaanites together with the Amalekites withstood their assault and drove the Israelites as far as neighboring Hormah (Numbers 14:44–45; Deuteronomy 1:44). Later, when the Israelites returned to this Canaanite …
After one week of research on the ground in Jordan, we turned our attention to Israel for the next two weeks. On our first day, six of us drove a rented van south to the Negev and the Gulf of Aqaba. We went with two purposes in mind: (1) to visit the site of ancient …
This final post reporting on my research trip to Jordan includes two sites we visited on our first day. I’ve done so in order to tie together some of the significance aspects of our visit to Gerasa and our later examination of sites in Israel. Elijah’s Hill / Tell Elias In order to identify sites …
Aroer and the Arnon Gorge Most references in the Old Testament to Aroer occur with reference to a fortress on the edge of the Arnon Gorge known also as Wadi Mujib. Such a location fits “crest of a mountain” as the possible meaning of the name Aroer — another possible meaning would be “juniper,” a …
Medeba Scripture refers to Medeba in lists of cities seized by the Israelites (Numbers 21:30; Joshua 13:9, 16). Joab, during David’s reign, fought the Amorites and Ammonites at Medeba (1 Chronicles 19:6–15). About 150 years later, King Mesha of Moab (see 2 Kings 3:4) erected a stela (the Moabite Stela) mentioning how Omri had taken …
For the first week of December 2019 my travels take me to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with a group connected with Shepherds Theological Seminary and The West Institute. As we visit various sites of significance for biblical studies, I will post a few pictures and a brief description. Many biblical sites exist in Jordan, …
What do you do when you come to the book of 1 Chronicles in your Bible reading? Skip?–Jump over genealogies without reading. Skim?–Read the inserted headings, but not the text. Scavenge?–Read only the narrative inserts, like the one about Jabez. Squirm?–Read with distinct discomfort. Scowl?–Complain, but plow on through the reading. Skew?–Just declare in your …
Biblical Genealogies: Begetting a Devotional Reading Read More »
Starting in Job 33, Elihu, the youngest of Job’s friends, addresses Job, Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad regarding their erroneous views about God’s character and Job’s problems. As he makes his case, Elihu expresses himself with words and phrases, concepts and imagery that appear to echo the early chapters of Genesis. If the Book of Job was …
