Category Archives: Old Testament

Cyrus Cylinder loaned to Iran

Posted on September 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Cyrus Cylinder came from ancient Persia. Now the British Museum, where it has been housed for many years, is loaning the artifact to the museum in Tehran, Iran.

Todd Bolen calls attention the the agreement, the historical significance of the Cyrus Cylinder, and the biblical reference (Ezra 1:1-4) to one of the events mentioned in the Cylinder.

The the account at the Bible Places Blog here, and be sure to follow the link to his list of the British Museum: Top 10, yeah 15.

If you plan to visit London, and you are interested in Bible study, be sure to download my short list of “Some Biblically Related Artifacts in the British Museum” here.

The Cyrus Cylinder in the British Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The Cyrus Cylinder in the British Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

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Ties between Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean, and Egypt

Posted on September 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

Folks who study the Bible have understood that the people of the ancient near east traveled through Canaan as they made their way from Mesopotamia to Egypt, and back.

Several discoveries illustrating the contact between these ancient lands have recently been made. We commented on discoveries at Tell el-Da’ba in Egypt showing contacts between Babylon and Egypt here.

Word has come of a Syrian-German expedition “working in the Katana Kingdom ruins at Tel el-Mesherfeh archaeological site in Homs.”

Prof. Peter Pfalzner said the archeological finds in the site during the past two days indicate that Katana Kingdom enjoyed influence and important international and trade ties.

He added the finds reveal the existence of cultural relations between Katana Kingdom and the Pharaohs and Mesopotamia, in addition to trade relations with Mediterranean countries

The news report, which may be read here, continues,

Pfalzner underlined the importance of Katana kingdom during the Middle Bronze Age in the 2nd Millennium BC, adding that the royal palace in it was one of the greatest in Syria. He also noted that the archeological sites in Syria are filled with treasures waiting to be uncovered.

The Middle Bronze Age (about 2100 to 1550 B.C.) is the period of the biblical Patriarchs. Assume for a moment that Abraham and his family came from Ur in southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), rather than from northern Mesopotamia (Genesis 11:28 — 12:5). The map from Bible Atlas shows some of the places we will mention below.

Map showing Hamath and Kedesh. BibleAtlas.org.

Map showing Hamath and Kedesh. Courtesy of BibleAtlas.org.

The route taken by Abraham from Haran to Shechem in Canaan would most likely take him through the Syrian towns we know as Aleppo, Ebla, Hama and Homs. Homs would be at approximately the point referred to in the Bible as the entrance of Hamath (= modern Hama; 1 Kings 8:65). Several of these references indicate that Israel’s territory extended that far north during certain historical periods (2 Kings 14:25; Amos 6:14).

A few miles south of Homs are two significant sites illustrating the movement of ancient kingdoms. Tell Nebi Mend is the site of the battle of Kadesh where Rameses II and the Hittites fought. Another site nearby is Riblah where Nebuchadnezzar made his headquarters when he destroyed Jerusalem.

Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon. (2 Kings 25:6-7 ESV)

Here is a photo I made of Tell Nebi Bend. The Orontes River is to our back in this photo, and the valley of the battle of Kadesh is on the opposite side of the tell. There were a few houses of a modern village on the tell, but most of them were empty.

Kadesh - Tell Nebi Mend in Syria. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Tell Nebi Mend (=Kadesh) in Syria. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The Bible informs us that 4 kings of the east engaged the 5 kings of the region of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 14).

And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). (Genesis 14:3 ESV)

The new information we are learning shows that such movement was not all that uncommon.

HT: Joseph Lauer

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Posted in Archaeology, Bible Places, Bible Study, Egypt, Old Testament

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The olive shoots

Posted on September 7, 2010 | 1 comment

The Bible is filled with illustrations from the agricultural practices and daily life activities of ancient Israel. We frequently pass over these images because we no longer understand the practices.

Here is an interesting one. In describing the happy home, one of the Psalms of Ascent says this,

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. (Psalms 128:3 ESV)

I must have photographed a dozen different examples of what the writer is alluding to. Perhaps this one will help you to enjoy it a little better.

Olive shoots coming from an olive tree. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Olive shoots coming from an olive tree. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

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Posted in Bible Lands, Bible Study, Culture, Israel, Old Testament, Photography

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What happens after the olives are harvested?

Posted on September 6, 2010 | 1 comment

Oded Borowski says the grape vines and the olive trees were the main fruit trees cultivated by Israelite farmers.

The main product of the vine was wine; olives were grown for oil. Both of these products were produced in special installations (winepress and olive press, respectively) as part of the harvesting season. The end products were stored in jars for local use, for barter, and for tax payments. The latter is well attested by the Samaria ostraca, which record the quantities of oil and wine received at the collection center in Samaria. Biblical and extrabiblical references indicate that there were different types and grades of wine and oil. (Daily Life in Biblical Times, 29)

The fresh olives are placed on one stone and crushed by rolling another stone over them. The olive is really between a rock and a hard place. The large top stone (the crushing stone) is turned by a person or an animal causing the stone to roll over the olives that have been placed on a hewn stone installation. The photo below was made at the Nazareth Village.

Olive crusher at Nazareth Village. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Olive crusher at Nazareth Village. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The olive crusher is most often seen outside near the olives. Here is a stone at Gezer. The view is toward the coastal plain.

Olive crusher at Gezer with view toward Coastal Plain. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Olive crusher at Gezer with view toward Coastal Plain. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Once the olives are crushed the pulp is put into bags or baskets with holes in the side. Heavy weights are placed on the bags to squeeze out the oil. This photo shows a simple oil press set up at Hazor.

Simple Olive Press at Hazor. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Simple Olive Press at Hazor. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The archaeological excavations at Tel Mikne/Ekron revealed that the city was a large industrial oil production center. Only a few of these vats are visible at the site today. The tell is partially cultivated and the rest is overgrown. The small museum at the nearby kibbutz is closed and all of the artifacts have been moved to Ashdod. I was told that they are not on display at this time.

Crushing basin with a pressing vat on either side. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Crushing basin with a pressing vat on either side. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Based on the excavations, artist Balage has drawn the olive oil production center at Tel Mikne/Ekron.

Olive oil production at Ekron. Art by Balage, Archaeology Illustrated.

Olive oil production at Ekron. Art by Balage, Archaeology Illustrated.

Once the oil is retrieved it is stored in large ceramic jars. When Gedaliah became governor of Judah after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem he told the residents to “gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and store them in your vessels” (Jeremiah 40:9-10).

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Posted in Archaeology, Bible Study, Culture, Israel, Old Testament

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Iron Age Hadad temple found in Jordan

Posted on September 2, 2010 | Leave a comment

Major news sources are reporting the discovery of a 3,000-year-old Iron Age temple from Khirbet ‘Ataroz near the town of Madaba (close to Mount Nebo and about 20 miles SW of Amman). The head of the Jordanian Antiquities Department said the find dates to the 8th century B.C. (a little shy of the 3,000 years mentioned by the news sources). Here are a few comments from the AP article.

He said the complex boasts a main room that measures 388 square feet (36 square meters), as well as two antechambers and an open courtyard.

The sanctuary and its artifacts — hewn from limestone and basalt or molded from clay and bronze — show the complex religious rituals of Jordan’s ancient biblical Moabite kingdom, according to al-Saad.”

Today we have the material evidence, the archaeological proof of the level of advancement of technology and civilization at that period of time,” he said.

The Moabites, whose kingdom ran along present-day Jordan’s mountainous eastern shore of the Dead Sea, were closely related to the Israelites, although the two were in frequent conflict. The Babylonians eventually conquered the Moabites in 582 B.C.

Archaeologists also unearthed some 300 pots, figurines of deities and sacred vessels used for worship at the site. Al-Saad said it was rare to discover so many Iron Age items in one place.

The article continues,

Among the items on display Wednesday, there was a four-legged animal god Hadad, as well as delicate circular clay vessels used in holy rites. Al-Saad said the objects indicate the Moabites worshipped many deities and had a highly organized ritual use of temples.

The AP report, with small photos of some of the artifacts, may be read here. The typical news reports fail to give adequate information about the discovery. In these cases, we wait for scholarly information.

Below I have a quotation from the revised ISBE giving a brief explanation about Hadad.

An alternative name for Baal, the head of the Canaanite pantheon, whose worship was expressed in fertility rites. The storm-god Hadad is mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions, and called on the monolith of Shalmaneser “the god of Aleppo.” In the Assyrian inscriptions he is identified with the air-god Rimmon. The union of the two names in Zec. 12:11 suggests this identity. (Hovey and Harrison, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Eerdmans, 1988; 2002). 2:590-591.)

Several thing should be noted by the Bible student.

  • Hadad is the Baal of the Old Testament.
  • Hadad is called the “god of Aleppo.”
  • Hadad is identified with Baal from discoveries at Ras Shamra (Ugarit).
  • The Israelites were warned not to “inquire about” the gods of the nations of Canaan, saying “How did these nations serve their gods?–that I also may do the same” (Deuteronomy 12:30). If you are reading this post you probably know what happened.

A few years ago I visited the archaeological museum in Aleppo. The entrance is decorated with replicas of the god Hadad (think Baal) standing on a bull

Hadad on a Bull. Aleppo Syria Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Hadad on a Bull. Aleppo Syria Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

HT: Joseph Lauer

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Posted in Archaeology, Bible Study, Culture, Jordan, Old Testament

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Olive harvesting

Posted on September 1, 2010 | 1 comment

The Mosaic law gave instructions about certain daily agricultural activities such as the gathering of grapes and the harvesting of olives.

When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. (Deuteronomy 24:20 ESV)

Notice the reference to beating the olive trees here and in Isaiah 17:6. I have seen this in Italy, but have not been in Israel at the time of harvesting. Thanks to the generous use policy of Todd Bolen’s Pictorial Library of Bible Lands I am able to use this photo he made in the Shephelah. I encourage you to buy the entire set for use in your church or school classes.

Olive harvesting in the Shephelah. Photo courtesy: BiblePlaces.com.

Olive harvesting in the Shephelah. Photo courtesy BiblePlaces.com.

King and Stager describe the olive tree, the necessary climate, and the length of time necessary for trees to produce olives.

The hardy, long-lived olive tree is an evergreen growing five to eight meters high and with a trunk up to one meter wide. Found mainly in the highlands and in the foothills between the coastal plain and the central mountain range, the olive tree thrives in the rocky, shallow soil of the hillsides during the Mediterranean’s hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. It requires an average annual temperature of fifteen degrees centigrade (fifty-nine degrees fahrenheit). Because olives can be grown on mountain slopes with very little soil, the tree does not compete with cereals for fertile, arable soil. The olive tree grows in the Levant but not in Egypt or Mesopotamia, because a certain chill, needed to cause the olives to mature, cannot be achieved in the warmer climes. It takes years for olive trees to mature to full, producing trees, and then they bear fruit only every other year. It is commonly said that one plants an olive yard not for one’s self but for one’s grandchildren. Trees begin to flower only after five or six years. (Life in Biblical Israel, 95-96)

William Albright translated the first line of the Gezer Calendar (925 B.C.) this way,

His two months are (olive) harvest

The time of harvest may vary depending on the type of olive and the particular place. In Israel and the Palestinian West Bank we think of October and November as the two months of harvest.

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The Olive – first among the trees

Posted on August 30, 2010 | 1 comment

The promised land, which the Israelites were about to enter, is described as a land of trees and crops.

a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. (Deuteronomy 8:8-9 ESV)

Note that the land is a “land of olive oil.” In addition to using the olive for food, and in cooking, several other uses are mentioned in the Bible.

  • Oil for anointing the body – Deuteronomy 28:40.
  • Oil for anointing sheep – Psalm 23:5.
  • Medication – Isaiah 1:6; Mark 6:13.
  • Anointing priests, et al. – Exodus 29:7; Psalm 133.
  • Oiling the shields of war – Isaiah 21:5.

When an unworthy man by the name of Abimelech promoted himself to be the king of his people, Jotham went up on Mount Gerizim and spoke to the leaders of Shechem. The full story is in Judges 9. In Jotham’s parable (or fable) the trees of the forest called on various trees to rule over them. The trees first called on the olive tree to reign over them (v. 8). Look at the words of the olive tree as he excused himself.

But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’ (Judges 9:9 ESV)

After that, the fig and the vine likewise excused themselves. Finally, the worthless bramble accepted their offer boasting of what he could do for them.

The photo below is a rather typical scene in the central mountain range of Palestine/Israel. Rather than the vast acres of olives trees in a row, like I have seen in Spain, these are scattered. A few other trees are mixed among the olives.

Scattered olive grove on a hill below Mar Elias Monastery. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Scattered olive grove on a hill below Mar Elias Monastery. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Mar Elias Monastery is located on the east side of the main road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. One religious tradition from the Byzantine period has it that Mary rested at this place on her way to Bethlehem. Another has it that Mary stopped here for water on the flight to Egypt and water flowed from a rock. See The Holy Land by Murphy-O’Connor for more info.

The next photo is of terraced olive groves in the central mountain range south of Shiloh.

Terraced olive groves south of Shiloah. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Terraced olive groves south of Shiloh. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Presentation quality photos are available by clicking on the images above.

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Posted in Bible Lands, Bible Places, Culture, Israel, New Testament, Old Testament

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The Olive Tree

Posted on August 26, 2010 | 3 comments

What is the first tree mentioned by name in the Bible? After a visit to the art museum one might say, “the apple.” But there is nothing about the apple in Genesis. I don’t mean the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” either.

The first is the fig. Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness by sewing together fig leaves.

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths (Genesis 3:7 ESV)

I really want to write about the second tree named in Scripture. It is the 0live. After the flood, Noah sent out a dove to see if the water had receded.

And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. (Genesis 8:11 ESV)

The land of Canaan, promised by the LORD to Abraham and his descendants, was to be a land that included figs and olives.

a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey (Deuteronomy 8:8 ESV)

Olive trees flourish in the mountainous terrain of the land of Canaan/Israel/Palestine (this is not a political discussion). Here are some photos of olive trees. The first is one of the older trees in the traditional Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. In fact, it appears that two trees grew together.

An older Olive trees in the traditional Garden of Gethsemane. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

An older Olive trees in the traditional Garden of Gethsemane. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Here are a few trees at Sepphoris in Galilee.

Olive Trees at Sepphoris in Galilee. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Olive Trees at Sepphoris in Galilee. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

And this photo is a close up of a branch and some of the leaves. The photo was made at Neot Kedumim in the Shephelah of Israel.

Olive Branches at in the Shephelah of Israel. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Olive Branches at in the Shephelah of Israel. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Later we will follow up with more about the uses of the olive.

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Posted in Bible Lands, Bible Places, Bible Study, Israel, Old Testament, Photography

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The Watchtower

Posted on August 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

Recently we wrote about the Valley of Beracah here. The biblical account says Judah came out to the watchtower or observation post to see the overnight progress of the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Edom.

When Judah came to the watchtower [lookout, NAU; observation post, NET] of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. (2 Chronicles 20:24 ESV)

Watchtower at Nazareth Village. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Watchtower at Nazareth Village. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The prophet Isaiah speaks of a watchtower built in the midst of a vineyard.

Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. (Isaiah 5:1-3 ESV)

Our photo was made at Nazareth Village, a must stop on your next visit to Israel. (I note that the web site is temporarily offline.) Click on the photo for an image large enough to use in presentations.

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Posted in Bible Places, Bible Study, Culture, Israel, Old Testament

Araunah’s threshing floor

Posted on August 18, 2010 | 4 comments

After David’s sin in the the matter of taking a census of the people of Israel, and his acknowledgment of the sin, he was told by Gad to build an altar (2 Samuel 24:1-10). The instructions are specific.

And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David went up at Gad’s word, as the LORD commanded. (2 Samuel 24:18-19 ESV)

Araunah was gracious in his offer to allow David to take any of his property needed — the oxen, the threshing sledge, and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. He said, “All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.”

David’s reply is one of those memorable statements of Scripture.

But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. (2 Samuel 24:24 ESV)

Artist Balage Balogh has provided us a beautiful illustration of the threshing floor of Araunah on what we later know to be Mount Moriah. See more of his work at Archaeology Illustrated.

Araunah's Threshing Floor. Art by Balage, Archaeology Illustrated.

Araunah's Threshing Floor. Illustrated by Balage.

It is generally understood that this is the place where Abraham came to offer Isaac, in the mount of the LORD three days from Beersheba  (Genesis 22:4, 14). It is where Solomon began to build the temple in 966 B.C.

Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (2 Chronicles 3:1 ESV)

The temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., but rebuilt under the leadership of Joshua and Zerubbabel after the return from Babylonian exile (520-516 B.C.). Herod the Great basically built a new temple during his reign.

The Romans destroyed Jerusalem, including the temple, in A.D. 70. Centuries later, between 687 and 691, the Qubbet es Sakhra, (Dome of the Rock) was built on the orders of the Ommayad caliph, Abd el Malik. The building has been restored numerous times, but “the monument has preserved its original majestic proportions and harmonious design” (The Middle East, Hachette, 1966).

Dome of the Rock. Original site of Solomon's Temple. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Dome of the Rock. Original site of Solomon's Temple. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The association of this site with both Abraham and David ties together two of the great texts of the Old Testament (Genesis 12; 2 Samuel 7) and makes it especially significant for those who believe the Bible.

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Posted in Bible Places, Bible Study, Israel, Old Testament

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