Bible History
Bible History
Choose a Category

Manners & Customs

Jerusalem's Water Supply

THE SOURCE OF JERUSALEM'S WATER Pools of water in and around the city. Throughout most of its history, the Holy City has depended largely upon private cisterns which its inhabitants have maintained to catch rain water. The city itself has had through the years no living fountain or spring within its walls. [Manners And Customs of Bible Lands]...

Read More

Temple Area Water

Even today water from this source is brought up to the surface at a point between the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque el-Aksa, by an animal skin bucket attached to a rope and running over a wheel. Water carriers using goatskin "bottles" come here to get their water and carry it to many parts of the old city of Jerusalem. During six months of the ye...

Read More

Children of the East

Practice in Old Testament days. In the book of Judges, bands of desert people called "the Children of the East," were a constant menace to the Israelites. When these pastoral encampments neared the borders of agriculture, a raid would be planned against the harvest of Israel, or any of their flocks, herds, or other valuable goods. Scripture says of...

Read More

Sea Travel in Israel's History

But what about the Hebrews? Were they seamen? The patriarch Jacob made this prediction concerning the tribe of Zebulun: "He shall be for an haven of ships" (Genesis 49:13). But the Israel seacoast was not occupied at all times by the Hebrew people. Other nations became navigators, and for the most part the Jews probably contented themselves with o...

Read More

Jerusalem's Water Supply

THE SOURCE OF JERUSALEM'S WATER Pools of water in and around the city. Throughout most of its history, the Holy City has depended largely upon private cisterns which its inhabitants have maintained to catch rain water. The city itself has had through the years no living fountain or spring within its walls. [Manners And Customs of Bible Lands]...

Read More

Tent Dwelling Robbers

The tent-dwelling robbers were known in the days of Job, for he says of them: "The tabernacle of robbers prosper" (Job 12:6). The prophet Obadiah tells of robbers stealing by night. "If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night. . . would they not have stolen till they had enough?" (Obadiah 5). These robbers of ancient times are in many ways simila...

Read More

Ship Oars and Sails

How ships were propelled. Two methods were used. Ships of war, although furnished with sails were propelled mainly by means of oars. Merchant vessels depended for the most part on sails, but many of the navigators resorted to oars when it became necessary. Thus the men who piloted Jonah's ship, which was a merchant ship, "rowed hard to bring it to ...

Read More

The Well of the Oath

Famous wells and fountains of Scripture. Wells were dug by the early patriarchs in various places in the land of Canaan. The town of Beersheba was named after an event that happened at the time Isaac's servants dug a well there. The name means "The Well of the Oath," commemorating the covenant made between Isaac and Abimelech, which followed soon a...

Read More

Modern Jerusalem Water Supply

Water for modern Jerusalem. The portion of Israel now included in the new nation of Israel has undergone a marvelous transformation in regard to the supply of water for irrigation purposes as well as for household use. Primitive customs are fast disappearing and modern customs are taking their place in the Jewish sections of the land. The Jewish p...

Read More

Fear of Storms

TRAVELING BY SEA IN ANCIENT TIMES The attitude of the ancients toward the sea. Ancient people had a great fear of the ocean and truly there was a reason for this dread, since the mariners had no chart of the seas or compass to guide them. Travel by ship was usually inconvenient, and windstorms often necessitated great delay in arrival at the desir...

Read More

61 Bible Translations

Popular Articles

Explore the Bible Like Never Before!

Bible History Online

Bible Study Tools

Top Tags