The mysterious character of Melchizedek shows up only once in the book of Genesis. There he meets and blesses Abraham after the patriarch defeats Lot’s captors and liberates his nephew, the rest of the town, and their possessions. Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of the plunder. Yet this seemingly straightforward story also intrigues. First, Melchizedek […]
The story of Sarah is scattered among the narrative in Genesis 11 through 23. Not only was she the first wife of Abraham, she was also his half-sister. Before we get too weirded out by this, recall that at this time, marrying your half-sister wasn’t prohibited. Sarah, whose name means princess, was a looker, and […]
There are two men in the Bible named Nahor, and they are related. Of Terah’s three sons, Haran dies early in life, Abram goes to Canaan, and Nahor stays home. We’ll circle back to him in a bit. Terah sets out for Canaan with his nephew Lot (Haran’s son), Abram, and Abram’s wife Sarai. Yet […]
Parents Shouldn’t Play Favorites with Their Children Rebekah married Isaac and had twin boys: Esau and Jacob. Her story is found in Genesis 24 through 28. The family tree of Rebekah is confusing. She is the daughter-in-law of Abraham and Sarah, as well as their great niece (the daughter of their nephew, Bethuel. Remember Abraham […]
Strive to Support and Encourage Your Spouse We don’t know the name of Job’s wife. She’s a minor character in the Bible’s account of his life, so we could view her name as unimportant. Through no fault of Job, Satan attacks him, wiping away his wealth and killing all his children. Next, Satan afflicts Job’s […]
This Isn’t Another Cinderella Story I’ve always liked the story of Esther. She was a peasant girl who won a national beauty pageant and became queen. In my imagination, I’ve given this tale a Cinderella-like grandness, with Esther and the king, falling in love and living happily ever after. Alas, the story doesn’t mention love […]
Nimrod is the son of Cush, the son of Ham. Since Cush and Canaan are brothers, this means Nimrod is Canaan’s nephew. The biblical text tells us little about Nimrod. What we do know is he’s a “mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:8–9). Though this is curious wording, we can understand “before the Lord” […]
Orpah Begins a Journey but Returns Home Orpah is the widowed daughter-in-law of Naomi and sister-in-law to Ruth. When Naomi decides to return to Judah, her daughters-in-law start out with her, but Naomi releases them. She encourages them to return to their mothers and find new husbands. Though Ruth stubbornly refuses, Orpah does the smart […]
Canaan is the son of Ham and the grandson of Noah. The story of Canaan is perplexing. When Noah’s son Ham finds his father drunk, he acts disrespectfully. His two brothers act appropriately. When Noah discovers what his sons did when he was inebriated, he explicitly blames Ham’s son Canaan. This is despite Canaan not […]
Peninnah is an unfamiliar Bible character. Hare you ever heard of her? She’s a co-wife with Hannah (the mother of Samuel). Their husband is Elkanah. Having two wives is never a good idea. Conflict ensues. In a tale reminiscent of Jacob and his two wives, Rebecca and Leah, we have the story of Elkanah and […]