While the history of Israel during the period from ca. 1200 to 586 B.C.E. has been in the forefront of biblical research, little attention has been given to questions of daily life. Where did the Israelites live? What did people do for a living? What did they eat and what affected their health? How did the family function? These and similar questions form the basis for this book. The book introduces different aspects of daily life. It describes the natural setting and the people who occupied the land. It deals with the economy, both rural and urban, emphasizing the main sources of livelihood such as agriculture, herding, and trade. These topics are discussed in relation to the family in particular and the social structure in general. Other topics include urban society, the bureaucracy and the military. Beyond material culture, the book delves into daily and seasonal cultural, social and religious activities, art, music, and the place of writing in Israelite society. Drawing on textual and archaeological evidence, and written with nontechnical language, the book will be especially helpful for undergraduates, seminarians, pastors, rabbis, and other interested nonspecialist readers as well as graduate students and faculty in Hebrew Bible.

Daily Life in Biblical Times is the English language edtion of the Hebrew title Hatanach Haya Be-emet published in Israel in 2009 by Yediot Acharonot. Why does the Bible support marriage to multiple wives? Why does only one son inherit his father's property? Is it possible that the journey's hardships and the severe shortage of food prevented Sarah from conceiving? In The Bible Really Happened, Dr. Liora Ravid follows in the footsteps of the biblical heroes, examining their stories based on the social and legal reality of their time. The book reconstructs the historical journey of Abraham and his family from Ur of the Chaldees to the land of Canaan - from a land that worshipped multiple idols to the land of the One God, the birthplace of David, the judges, the prophets, and Jesus. Ravid questions why the Bible begins with stories of the forefathers and foremothers, describing them as simple shepherds. Why were they so important? Ravid demonstrates that according to the pedigree in Genesis, the forefathers and foremothers originated from one noble family, the family that gave rise to King David, ancestor of the Messiah, and according to the New Testament, to Jesus as well. Readers of the English Bible are often unaware of the special writing style of the original Hebrew, which uses rich wordplay and double entendre to add multiple layers of color and depth to the text. Especially for the non-Hebrew reader, the author opens a window on this hidden world within the words.

Each chapter in this book on everyday life in Bible times contains a wealth of references to passages in the Bible. Simple sketches and illustrations help depict commonly used equipment, materials, structures, and raw goods.

This volume describes the lifecycle events and daily life activities experienced by girls and women in ancient Israel examining recent biblical scholarship and other textual evidence from the ancient Near East and Egypt including archaeological, iconographic and ethnographic data. From this Ebeling creates a detailed, accessible description of the lives of women living in the central highland villages of Iron Age I (ca. 1200-1000 BCE) Israel. The book opens with an introduction that provides a brief historical survey of Iron Age (ca. 1200-586 BCE) Israel, a discussion of the problems involved in using the Hebrew Bible as a source, a rationale for the project and a brief narrative of one woman's life in ancient Israel to put the events described in the book into context. It continues with seven thematic chapters that chronicle her life, focusing on the specific events, customs, crafts, technologies and other activities in which an Israelite female would have participated on a daily basis.

This unique reference article, excerpted from the larger work (Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity), provides background cultural and technical information on the world of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament from 2000 BC to approximately AD 600. Written and edited by a world-class historian and a highly respected biblical scholar, each article addresses cultural, technical, and/or sociological issues of interest to the study of the Scriptures. Contains a high level of scholarship.Information and concepts are explained in detail and are accompanied by bibliographic material for further exploration.Useful for scholars, pastors, teachers, and students—for biblical study, exegesis, or sermon preparation.Possible areas covered include details of domestic life, technology, culture, laws, or religious practices.Each article ranges from 5 to 20 pages in length. For the complete contents of Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity, see ISBN 9781619708617 (4-volume set) or ISBN 9781619701458 (complete in one volume).

Vivid illustrations, maps, and photographs of the Holy Land and the most significant archaeological finds of the past half-century combine to bring alive the times of Jesus.