Baal and Asherah

In the Canaanite religion, Baal was the god of rain and crops. The annual rainy season was seen as Baal’s victory over the great waters and the sea, bringing rain. The dry season was believed to be a time when Baal was killed by Mot, the god of death and drought. When Baal’s consort, Asherah […]

Clean and Unclean Foods

According to the Hebrew Bible, before the Noahic flood, animals were already divided into clean and unclean categories. Unclean animals were not to be used for sacrifices. Detailed instructions about which animals were clean and acceptable for food are found in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. God designated only a few types of animals as […]

The Philistines

The Philistines (Hebrew: פלשתים, plishtim) were an ancient people who lived on the southern coast of Canaan. Their territory was located in what is now the Gaza Strip and the area to its north, and it was later referred to in documents as “Philistia.” However, the Philistines were not indigenous to the land of Canaan. […]

The Book of Deuteronomy: Background and Introduction

Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the entire Bible and the fifth book of the Pentateuch. It is one of the four Old Testament books most frequently quoted in the New Testament (the others are Genesis, Psalms, and Isaiah). After wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, the children of Israel were once again at […]

The 42 Stations in the Wilderness

In Numbers 33, Moses, at the Lord’s command, recorded the stages of their journey. Over the forty years from their departure from Egypt to the plains of Moab, the Israelites camped at many places, but God only instructed Moses to record some of them. Some stops, like Taberah, were omitted, while others, like the “Red […]

Balaam’s Scheme

In Numbers chapters 22-25, we find the greatest crisis the Israelites faced on the plains of Moab. They had been on a winning streak, having defeated several enemies, and their morale was high. King Balak of Moab was terrified, so he hired a sorcerer from Aram named Balaam to curse Israel in the name of […]

Balaam’s Prophecy of Jesus in Numbers

Numbers chapter 21 records that when the Israelites arrived on the plains of Moab, they had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan along the way, boosting their morale. They camped on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River, looking down at the river and gazing at the Promised […]

Balaam and the Talking Donkey

Balaam is one of the main characters recorded in chapters 22 to 24 of the Old Testament Book of Numbers. He was not an Israelite but a foreign sorcerer and prophet. Balak, the king of Moab, believed that whoever Balaam blessed would be blessed, and whoever he cursed would be cursed. Therefore, he hired Balaam […]

The Bronze Serpent of Jesus in the Book of Numbers

In Numbers chapter 21, the Israelites set out from Mount Hor along the road to the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom (Numbers 21:4). They entered the Arabah Valley, a deep, terrible gorge known as the Valley of Scorpions and Snakes. It was a place of drought, darkness, and swarming with snakes and […]

The Rebellion of Korah and Others

The Book of Numbers records that some people openly defied God’s will. The most brazen of these was Korah, a Levite from the Kohathite clan. Korah’s faction, along with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab from the tribe of Reuben, rebelled. Unwilling to simply follow the guidance of the Aaronic priesthood, Korah questioned Aaron’s […]