OT Essential v2.txt

late bronze age

exodus: early date

exodus: late date

sea peoples incursion (including Philistines)

Iron age

Reigns of Saul, David, & Solomon (United Monarchy)

Division of the Kingdom

Fall of Samaria (Northern Kingdom)

Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah

Fall of Nineveh (capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire)

Battle of Megiddo (Josiah's Death)

1st Deportation (including Daniel)

2nd Deportation (including Jehoiachin and Ezekiel)

3rd deportation (including Zedekiah), Fall of Jerusalem, 1st temple destroyed

Fall of Babylon (capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire)

Decree of Cyrus II/ First Return

2nd temple is completed

Second Return (Ezra)

Third Return (Nehemiah)

the first human beings God created

the father of the Israelites; given a covenant by God, promising him a name and a family and that through him all nations would be blessed

wife of Abraham who had been barren but gave birth to Isaac when she was 90

son of Isaac, younger twin of Esau, and father of twelve sons from whom came the twelve tribes of Israel

Jacob's favorite son, sold into slavery by his brothers, from where he rose to a position of power in Egypt

brother of Moses and first high priest of Israel

God's chosen leader to bring the Israelites out of Egypt to the border of the Promised Land; received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai

Successor to Moses, commissioned by God to secure and apportion the land of Canaan to the Israelites

Prophetess & judge who accompanied the army in the defeat of the Canaanites

Judge of Israel who delivered Israel from the hands of the Midianites; Known for lack of confidence that led him to use a fleece oracle to get God to affirm his plan

Moabitess during the judges period, who through her faithfulness to Naomi eventually became the wife of Boaz and ancestor of David

Hannah's son, who became the last judge of Israel as well as the prophet and priest who anointed both Saul and David as king

First king of Israel's monarchy, whose direct acts of disobedience led God to later reject his kingship

Israel's greatest king, with whom God made a covenant to secure his throne and from whose lines Jesus eventually came

son and successor of David as king of Israel, known for his wisdom, wealth, and many wives

Son of Omri, king of the Northern Kingdom; influenced to worship Baal by his Phoenician wife, Jezebel; opposed by Elijah

Prophet to Israel during the reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah, whose mission was to demonstrate that Baal is impotent and Yahweh is king

Elijah's successor; prophet to Israel; advisor to kings; led Sons of the Prophets

Son of Ahaz; one of the greatest kings of the Southern Kingdom

Son of Amon; King of Judah known for extensive religious reforms

Israelite exile trained as a royal adviser, serving Babylonian and Persian kings in Babylon; noted for his ability to interpret dreams

leader of a remnant of Israelites returning to Jerusalem from Exile in Babylon; helped rebuild the temple

Jewish queen of Persia who with her uncle, Mordecai, protected her people from Haman's annihilation plot

Priest and scribe after the return from the exile who played a vital role in re-establishing the law among the Jews

Governor over the returned exiles who led in rebuilding Jerusalem's walls

Assyrian king who invaded Judah during Hezekiah's reign

King of Babylon who invaded Judah and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and took the people of Judah into exile

Babylonian king who called for Daniel to interpret the cryptic handwriting on the wall

King of Persia who conquered Babylon twenty years later and allowed the Jews to return to their land and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem

Son of Darius the Great and the Persian king in the book of Esther; known for his wars with the Greeks

Babylonian praise hymn to their chief god Marduk, recounting his ascension to the head of the pantheon. Dates to ca. 1200 bc and contains a creation account

Epic from second millennium BC that records the exploits of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and his companion, Enkidu, and ultimately the king's search for immortality. Includes an account of a devastating flood that destroyed humanity

Hittite treaties from second millennium BC and Assyrian treaties from first millennium that use a literary format similar to that which the OT uses for the covenant

Akkadian text from early in second millennium BC that has an account of creation, followed by population growth and then a flood that destroys the human race

Fragments of an Aramaic royal inscription that recounts a defeat of the kings of Israel and Judah by an Aramean king in the 9th century (Hazael). Identifies the king of Judah as belonging to the house of David--the only reference to David in contemporary sources outside of the Bible

Royal inscription of the Assyrian king, telling of his siege of Jerusalem at the time of Hezekiah

painted text on a plaster wall from the eighth century BC, recording a prophecy of Balaam about the displeasure of the divine council

Royal inscription & relief that record the paying of tribute by Israelite king Jehu and portrays him bowing before the Assyrian king (841 BC)

small, rolled silver amulets containing Numbers 6:24-26 -- oldest portion of Scripture found (7th century BC) -- from Ketef Hinnom tomb

royal inscription by an Egyptian Pharaoh concerning his conquests from just before 1200. Includes the earliest mention of Israel outside the Bible

collection of legal sayings from about 1750 BC, gathered by the Babylonian king to demonstrate his wisdom to the gods and the future kings

Decree written by Cyrus proclaiming freedom of a group of people to rebuild their temple with help from the treasury, just as the Bible indicates he did for Israel

mountain where God appeared and gave the law to Moses. exact location unknown but traditionally placed in the southern Sinai Peninsula

elevated section of Jerusalem where the temple was situated

flat, fertile section of land that cuts E-W across Israel from Mount Carmel in the west to the towns of Jezreel and Beth-shean near the Jordan River just south of the Sea of Galilee

Rolling hills that transition from the high central mountains around Jerusalem to the coastal plains where the Philistine cities were located

main route from Egypt up to Syria and over to Mesopotamia, used by merchants and armies alike. Began in Memphis, Egypt, crossed the northern Sinai, turned north up the coast, then jogged east through the Valley of Jezreel and over to Damascus. Continued northeast until it reached the northwestern spur of the Euphrates

area south of the hill country of Judah, bordered on the south by a steppe region called the "wilderness." Focal point: the valley east of Beersheba over to Arad, extending about 10 miles north and south of Beersheba

deep depression marking a fault line through which the Jordan River flows. Lowest elevation on earth, going down to about 1,300 feet below sea level athe Dead Sea

Ridge of mountains running N-S through Israel from north of Hebron down to the Valley of Jezreel

Arid section of wilderness running N-S between Jerusalem and the Jordan valley and upper section of the Dead Sea

Steppe region running N-S on east side of the Jordan Valley

creation, fall, flood, Babel and the covenant established through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Israel's deliverance from Egypt, covenant through Moses, and God's presence in the tabernacle

ritual instructions on holy worship and holy living

renewal of Mosaic covenant for the second generation after the exodus

Israel's conquest and possession of Canaan under Joshua's leadership

Israel's cycle of apostasy, oppression, and deliverance during the rule of the judges

God's blessings on David's faithful ancestors during the rule of the judges

Theocracy, the leadership of Samuel, and the reigns of Saul and David over the United Kingdom

the United Kingdom under Solomon and the division, deterioration, and destruction of Israel and Judah

lessons about obedience from the spiritual history of the Southern Kingdom

The first two returns from Babylonian captivity; restoration of Israels' temple and community

the third return from Babylonian captivity: restoration of Jerusalem's wall and the covenant

God's providence over his people during the Babylonian captivity

God's wisdom and justice in human suffering

Praise the Lord our King!

Righteous living through the pursuit of wisdom and the fear of the Lord

futility of searching for meaning in life apart from the fear of God

celebration of the power and beauty of love

God's plans for judgment and deliverance through Messiah in the near and distant future

Impending judgment on Jerusalem and the necessity of repentnace

Laments over the destruction of Jerusalem

Judgment on Judah and the nations and the future restoration of God's presence

Stories and visions from the Babylonian captivity about God's sovereignty over his people and over kings and nations

God's judgment and loyal love for adulterous Israel

Call for Judah's repentance following a locust plague and future judgment and blessing in the Day of the Lord

God's coming judgment on Israel for moral corruption and social injustice

Judgment on Edom

God's compassion for the undeserving contrasted to the lack of compassion in Jonah and Israel

Impending judgment on Israel and Judah and future restoration through Messiah

Judgment on Assyria

Questions about God's justice and sovereignty in relation to Babylon and the nations

Coming judgment on Judah prefiguring the Day of the Lord

Call to Israel's returned exiles to complete the rebuilding of the temple

Call to repentance among the returned exiles and the comfort of Messiah's future restoration

Call to repentance in light of God's covenant love for Israel