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Philistines stole Israel’s most sacred object, the Ark of the Covenant, which held the Ten Commandments. Then sent it on tour as a war trophy. “A plague of tumors” broke out everywhere it went. Philistines sent it back to the Jews, with an offering: …

The sons of Israel’s high priest, Eli, “slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting,” (1 Samuel 2:22, NIV). The men, Hophni and Phineas, also pilfered top-grade meat they were supposed to sacrifice to God. They died in a …

A roll of quarters, a bag of wine, and five bushels of barley is pretty much what Hosea had to pay to get back his wife who had run away and perhaps sold herself into prostitution. It was six ounces (170 grams) of silver, not quite the weight of an …

In one fleeting sentence, Paul says people are “being baptized for those who are dead,” (1 Corinthians 15:29 NLT). No one today seems to know why. One guess: relatives getting baptized for a family member who converted but never got the chance to …

Some scholars say Jonah’s fish tale was a fish tale, not fact. Unlike most prophecies, there’s just one prophecy in Jonah—and it doesn’t come true. Also the style of writing with its jarring conclusion, which leaves the readers scratching their head, …

From one law—don’t work on the Sabbath—Jewish scholars created hundreds of laws to define work, so people would know what not to do on the “Sabbath day of complete rest,” (Exodus 32:15 NLT). No cooking, great for the ladies (cold meals planned ahead, …

Jewish law allowed God’s people to eat most birds, including chicken, turkey, and duck. But no scavenger birds or birds of prey: falcon, eagle, or hawk. They weren’t kosher. See Leviticus 11. Understanding Jesus, p. 172.

After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, “the high priests plotted to kill Lazarus because so many of the Jews were going over and believing in Jesus on account of him.” (John 12:10-11 The Message). Strange and Mysterious Stuff from the Bible, p. …

Jewish law allowed God’s people to eat kosher fish with scales and fins: salmon, bass, tuna. But not fish without scales and fins: catfish, sturgeon, dolphin. And no tasty shellfish: lobster, shrimp crab, oyster, clam. See Leviticus 11. Understanding …

The unforgivable sin. Bible experts don’t agree on what it is. But most agree on this much: If you’re worried that you’ve committed it and there’s no way you can get forgiven, you didn’t commit it. “If we confess our sins to God, he can always be …

There were three groups of Jews in Jesus’ time, a bit like three denominations: Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. Christian parallels: Pharisees/seminary Bible profs; Sadducees/pastors; Essenes/monks. Understanding Jesus, p. 214.