Though an entire book was written about his prayer (The Prayer of Jabez), we actually know little about Jabez. The Bible only mentions him in two obscure verses, buried among a lengthy genealogy. We know even less about the mother of Jabez, not even her name. We do know his birth is difficult, and the […]
After Tamar (1) tricks Judah into impregnating her, she gives birth to twins. They are Perez and Zerah. The name Perez means “breaking out,” because he broke out of the womb first before his twin brother. Though we know nothing more about Perez and what he did, future generations esteem him. Several generations later, one […]
Eve (along with her husband, Adam), is a well-known biblical figure. I’m surprised she’s only mentioned by name four times in the Bible, twice in Genesis and twice in the New Testament. I’ve never understood why Eve bears the heaviest criticism for disobeying God. Adam is likewise culpable, and he could have—and should have—put a […]
Ruth is Loyal to God and to Her Mother-In-Law Ruth is a widow and foreigner who remains faithful to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She leaves her family to follow Naomi to Israel. The reason for her loyalty to her mother-in-law is a mystery, since Naomi is a bitter woman at this time. However, Ruth also expresses […]
After God kills Er for his extreme wickedness, Er’s father, Judah, passes the dead man’s widow, Tamar (1), to his second child, Onan. The intent is that Onan will produce children for his deceased brother to carry on his family line through Tamar. Judah tells Onan it’s his responsibility as Tamar’s brother-in-law to do this. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
By name, this Eliezer only appears once in the Bible. He is from Damascus and a servant of Abram. We can assume that Eliezer is Abram’s lead servant and most esteemed, because Abram is childless at the time and identifies Eliezer as the heir of his estate. If Abram dies childless, Eliezer will inherit much. […]
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 […]