The job of the herald of Bible times was to announce, or proclaim. In the United States of America, we have a great present-day example of a herald. In the state of Kentucky, in the city of Louisville, we have a prestigious horse race called the Kentucky Derby. Thoroughbred horses, the best you can find,… Continue Reading
Cisterns were well known in Bible times. But today the word “cistern” is all but lost in our vocabulary. We can still find the word in the dictionary, and we still have cisterns at some of our farms that are located in isolated areas. A cistern can be described as an underground receptacle for collecting… Continue Reading
In the East when two parties were not able to work out their differences, they may have sought out a daysman. Job 9:32 and 33: For he [God] is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that… Continue Reading
We understand God’s Word much better when we know something of the manners and customs used in Bible times. What the Bible calls a “salute” has been a puzzle to some believers. It is not the military salute that is common today. We have many types of salutes and greetings in the Word of God.… Continue Reading
Metalworkers in Bible times held a very important occupation. Their job included digging ore from the ground, refining metal, and working the metal into useful objects such as weapons, tools, cooking utensils, and musical instruments. Different terms describing metalworkers in the Bible include artificer, smith, coppersmith, craftsman, and silversmith. By going to the Scriptures, we… Continue Reading
According to Eastern customs, when a son was given his heirship at the time of his father’s death, he was called to his father’s bedside and was presented with a robe, the robe of heirship. However, in Light through an Eastern Window, Bishop K. C. Pillai explained that sometimes the father designated his heir before… Continue Reading
So many scriptures can be understood by simply reading what’s written in the verse. But at times we may need to look at Eastern customs in order to understand an expression. Let’s see an expression Jesus used in the Gospel of John about a disciple named Nathanael. John 1:48: Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest… Continue Reading
A number of verses in Genesis 18 and 19 will become clearer to our Western minds when we understand Eastern customs of hospitality. This article will help us gain a greater understanding of some of these verses, as well as others, by looking at them in light of the emphasis that is placed on hospitality… Continue Reading
The courtyard, or court, of homes and other buildings in the East could be laid out in several ways. We can find much information about the various types of courtyards in books on manners and customs. In Manners and Customs of the Bible, James M. Freeman explains that the court of an Eastern house is… Continue Reading
Manners and customs can help us understand the use of the palm branches in the Scripture, as well as the garments spread, or strawed, in the way. John 12:12 and 13: On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of… Continue Reading