Daily life in biblical times / Liora Ravid ; translated by Jessica Setbon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ravid, Liora, author.

Contributor:

Setbon, Jessica, translator.

Standardized Title:

Tanakh hayah be-emet. English

תנ"ך היה באמת. אנגלית

Language:

English

Hebrew

Subjects (All):

Bible. Old Testament.

History.

Bible. Old Testament--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Bible. Old Testament--History.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

History.

Physical Description:

viii, 467 pages : maps (some color) ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Jerusalem : Gefen Publishing House ; Springfield, NJ : Gefen Books, [2013/5773]

Summary:

How old were the foremothers when they got married? Why did the forefathers wish to have many wives? What was the status of a woman whose husband had other wives? Why did only one son inherit his father's wealth, and what happened to his brothers, who inherited nothing? Daily Life in Biblical Times answers all these questions and more. It follows in the footsteps of the biblical heroes, examining their daily lives based on the social and legal realities of their time, almost four thousand years ago. Ravid 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 prophets, and Jesus. Along the way she examines the biblical narrative from a historical viewpoint, delving into questions such as whether Sarahs infertility might have been caused by the journey's hardships and the severe shortage of food. Questioning why the Bible begins with stories of the forefathers and foremothers, describing them as simple shepherds, Ravid demonstrates that according to the pedigree in Genesis, the forefathers and foremothers all originated from one noble family that gave rise to King David, ancestor of the Messiah, and according to Christianity, 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. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I Abraham's Family and the Structure of the Family in the Bible 11

1 The Time of Abraham 13

Ur, Birthplace of Abraham 14

2 Leaving Ur 21

Land and Social Hierarchy 22

3 The Odyssey: The Journey from Ur to the Land of Canaan 31

Journey to the Land of Canaan 35

The Fertile Crescent 44

Preparing for the Journey: Camels and Historical Writing 45

Donkeys and Goats 49

Days of Walking 53

Days of Labor 55

Duration of the Journey 60

Conclusion 60

4 Family Cohesion and Life Expectancy 63

Life Expectancy 72

5 Terah and His Family: A Family Profile 75

Forbidden Sexual Relations 78

Part II The World of the Woman 91

6 Women's Position in Biblical Society 93

Fertility and Marriage Age 97

Senior Wives, Concubines, and Slaves 104

Adultery 110

7 Fertility in the Bible and the Ancient World 114

8 Sarah's Life 122

The Miracle in the Bible: Sarah Is Ninety, Abraham Is One Hundred 129

Conclusion 132

9 Sarah and Hagar 134

Hagar's Audacity 140

The Births of Ishmael and Isaac 143

Conclusion 150

10 Jacob, Leah, and Rachel (Genesis 29-31) 152

Betrothal and Marriage 155

Did Jacob Really Work Fourteen Years for Rachel? 160

The Number Seven in the Bible 165

Jacob's Position in Laban's Home 168

11 Rachel and Leah 173

Rachel's Envy 175

The Married Lives of Leah and Rachel through the Names of Their Sons 179

Conclusion 197

12 Hannah, Peninah, and Elkanah (I Samuel 1) 199

13 Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38) 205

The Law of Levirate Marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) 208

The Story of Judah and Tamar 212

The Sins of Er, Onan, and Judah 218

The Beauty of the Biblical Writing Style 223

14 The Book of Ruth 227

Redemption and Levirate Marriage 243

The Beauty of the Biblical Writing Style 249

Part III The Dynastic Concept 255

15 Passing the Dynastic Torch 257

Procession of the Forefathers 259

Biblical Lifespans 267

Procession of the Foremothers 270

Conclusion 284

Part IV The Rape Stories and Absalom's Rebellion 287

16 Introduction to the Rape Stories in the Bible 289

17 The Rape of Dinah (Genesis 34) 297

The Tendentious Aspect of the Vengeance Story 308

18 The Concubine at Gibeah (Judges 19-21) 312

Reality and Imagination 319

19 The Rape of Bilhah (Genesis 35:21-22) 328

20 The Rape of Tamar (II Samuel 13) 333

The Spider 341

21 Absalom's Rebellion and David's Rise to Kingship (II Samuel 14-19) 349

Saul and David 351

The Rape of Tamar and Absalom's Rebellion 361

The Beauty of the Biblical Writing Style 369

Part V Inheritance Stories 373

22 Inheritance and Vital Resources 375

The Law of the Firstborn 375

Sons Who Did Not Inherit 383

23 The Theft of the Blessing 385

Sale of the Birthright for a Mess of Pottage (Genesis 25:19-34) 386

The Second Version: Theft of the Blessing (Genesis 27) 388

The Beauty of the Biblical Writing Style: The Image of Jacob in Genesis 397

24 Joseph and His Brothers (Genesis 37, 39-50) 404

The Birthright 409

The Beauty of the Biblical Writing Style 412

25 Inheritance by Women 418

Part VI The World of the Bible 425

26 The Bible Really Happened 427

The Archeological Picture 436

The Probability Test 437

Family and Society 439

The Authors of the Bible 449.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 463-467).

ISBN:

9789652296092

9652296090

OCLC:

857348897