Jabez’s Prayer

Jabez was likely a descendant of Koz. Jewish tradition identifies him with Othniel, the son of Kenaz (Talmud, Temurah 16a:14), suggesting that his mastery of the Law attracted “families of scribes” (1 Chronicles 2:55) to dwell in his city (Midrash Tanchuma, Yitro, Siman 4:1). Jabez’s prayer is found within a genealogical record: “Jabez was more […]

Rehoboam’s Arrogance

Rehoboam was the last monarch before the division of the unified kingdom into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. His father was the wise King Solomon, and his grandfather was King David. His mother was Naamah the Ammonite. King Rehoboam had 18 wives, 60 concubines, 28 sons, and 60 daughters […]

King Cyrus of Persia

[2 Chronicles 36:22-23] “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: ‘Thus […]

Zechariah Son of Jehoiada

After the death of Jehoiada the priest, King Joash listened to the misguided advice of Judah’s leaders and reinstated idol worship. He disregarded the LORD’s warnings delivered through the prophets and strayed from the right path. He refused to repent, ignoring the stern warnings of Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son. Instead, he ordered Zechariah to be stoned […]

Jehoiada the Priest

Jehoiada (Hebrew: יהוידע‎) is a figure in the Hebrew Bible, serving as High Priest during the reigns of Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Joash. Ahaziah’s sister, Princess Jehosheba, married Jehoiada, making him the king’s brother-in-law (2 Chronicles 22:11). Shortly after Ahaziah’s death in Megiddo, Athaliah seized the opportunity to usurp the throne by slaughtering the royal descendants […]

Athaliah

Athaliah (Hebrew: עֲתַלְיָה‎; died 835 BC) was queen consort and later queen dowager of the Kingdom of Judah, before becoming its seventh monarch for a period of six years. Her name, Athaliah, means “afflicted by the Lord.” She was the granddaughter of Omri, and her father was King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, […]

King Jehoram of Judah

After King Jehoshaphat of Judah died, his firstborn son, Jehoram, became king. This King Jehoram of Judah shared the same name as King Jehoram, son of Ahab, from the Northern Kingdom of Israel, but they were not the same person. King Jehoram of Israel was later killed by Jehu. King Jehoram of Judah, who reigned […]

Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt

[2 Chronicles 12:9] “So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything. He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made.” Shishak is the first Egyptian king mentioned by name […]

The Temple Service System

After David established Solomon as king, he gathered all the leaders of Israel, along with the priests and Levites. The Levites who were thirty years old and above were counted, and their total number of males was thirty-eight thousand. This was the total count of the Levites. David only counted the Levites with the purpose […]

Ancient Israelite Family Compounds

Ancient Israelite family compounds were called “Father’s House” (Bet Ab). A Bet Ab consisted of several houses belonging to the same family and a communal space, with each house inhabited by a single family. Each family had its own land, but all families were subject to the same patriarch. The Bet Ab was the foundational […]