Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
Jacob’s son Judah leaves his family and travels to Adullam. There he marries a Canaanite woman, a descendant of Canaan, which as a group Noah cursed. They have three sons. The oldest is Er, followed by Onan, and then Shelah. Judah finds a wife for his firstborn son, Er. Her name is Tamar (1). All […]
Joseph and Pregnant Mary Travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem Luke 2:1–5 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David. (Luke 2:4) As our journey toward Jesus’s birth unfolds, another complication arises. Caesar Augustus decrees that a census will take place for the entire Roman […]
Though They Didn’t Believe in Him at First, They Later Did John writes that even Jesus’s own brothers did not believe in him. We can assume this applies to his sisters too. How shocking to learn that Jesus’s siblings didn’t believe in him or who he really was. They grew up living with the Son […]
Rebekah agrees to leave her family to travel to a distant land to marry her cousin Isaac. Her family sends her off, along with her nurse. This suggests Rebekah may be quite young at the time and still in need of adult care. It’s interesting to note that although Rebekah decides to leave her family […]
Elizabeth’s Unborn Child Leaps for Joy at the Sound of Mary’s Voice Luke 1:39–45 “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:45) Not only will Mary have a baby, but her much older relative Elizabeth will have one too. Mary sets off to visit Elizabeth. This […]
The Two Wives of Esau Judith and Basemath only show up in one passage in the Bible. They are co-wives of Esau. First Esau marries Judith. She’s the daughter of a Hittite man named Beeri. Then Esau marries Basemath. She’s the daughter of another Hittite man, Elon. These marriages are a source of grief to […]
The Angel Gabriel Has Some Shocking News for Young Mary Luke 1:26–30 “Greetings, you who are highly favored!” (Luke 1:28) Back to Luke’s narrative, our story switches from foretelling the birth of John the Baptist to foretelling the birth of Jesus. Just as the angel Gabriel gave exciting news to Zechariah and Elizabeth, the angel […]
Apphia the Unknown In the second verse of the letter to Philemon, Paul mentions two obscure people, Apphia and Archippus. Some people speculate that because they are listed together they are marriage partners or ministry partners. While we don’t know for sure, what is clear is that Apphia is listed first. It would have been counter-cultural […]
When Paul writes to the church in the city of Colossi, he says he always gives God thanks when he prays for them. He doesn’t just give God thanks for them occasionally but always. This is because of their faith in Jesus and their love for all God’s people—not some of them or the ones […]
The Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1–13 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) Let’s start at the beginning. Jesus’s story doesn’t open with his birth. It doesn’t begin at the announcement of his conception. And it doesn’t […]