Water and Blood
Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Oh, did we say water? We meant blood. Well, bloody water. Okay, let's just dive in. (To the text! Don't be gross.)Moses and WaterIf you knew one t...
The Ark of the Covenant
Sorry to dash your hopes and dreams on the rocks of literary reality, folks. But the Bible gives us no Indiana Jones account of the heroic men and women who dashed to save the Bible from the Amalek...
The Tabernacle
People have been building replicas of this stuff for centuries. It can bring the community together, and hey, the specs are in Bible, so why not? The Tabernacle is God's pad, where he'll "dwell amo...
Priests
Being a priest in the ancient world wasn't like being a priest now. Sure, there are similarities—both are community leaders and both oversee certain rituals of the religion. But we're pretty sure...
Magic
Why should the Israelites follow God and believe in him? Sure, the philosophy and the Commandments are important, but the wonders, magic, and tricks are really what seal the deal. Remember, this is...
Gold
Gold was as fancy then as it is now. Check out our discussion of the "Tabernacle" and the "Ark of the Covenant" to hear how they're totally bedazzled. The point? To display wealth and power to beli...
Manna
Scholars have speculated for centuries on the identity of the mysterious "manna," the substance that God sends down for the Israelites to eat in the desert. All you need to know is that manna is di...
The Plagues
We know, we know. You're here because you want to know if these plagues really happened. Well, don't hold your breath.To tell you the truth, fire coming down from God—or not—three thousand year...