A PhD explains Isaiah's phrase: “Forget the former things”
The past is a powerful thing. Through pictures, videos, and other types of “time capsules,” we can create powerful messages that endure into the future and offer a window into the past. Certain sounds, tastes, and especially sm...
Who was Tiras in the Bible?
The book of Genesis describes the Great Flood that destroyed the Earth and the effect of that event on the world population. The story is that the race of mankind became corrupted after the fall of the angels, and that this cor...
What was Cabul in the Bible? PhD says: Two different towns
Cabul is a region of lower Galilee, in the north of what is now modern-day Israel. The words Cabul and Kabul seem to be the same place, as they are different ways of spelling the Hebrew word כבול. The name is mentioned in two p...
What is a sardius stone in the Bible? Carnelian symbolism
As far as we can tell, a sardius stone (sometimes called “sard stone" or “sardine”) was an ancient name for carnelian, a reddish mineral considered a semi-precious stone. Use of the sardius for decoration goes back to at least ...
What is algum wood in the Bible?
Algum is a type of wood that’s referenced in the Old Testament. It was one of the main types of wood used by Solomon in the construction of Solomon’s Temple. Almug and algum are both variants of the same word, originally writte...
Who was Hushai the Archite in the Bible? A friend of David
We don’t know much about Hushai except what is listed in I Chronicles and II Samuel. Scholars suggest that “Hushai” was probably short for a name like “Ahishai” or “Ahushai”, and that “Archite” indicated that he belonged to the...
Who was Tartak in the Bible? The idol of the Avites
Tartak is mentioned in the second book of Kings (also called “4th Kingdoms” in older Bibles) as one of the idols that was set up in Samaria by the people who were living there. 2 Kings chapter 17 describes the religious confusi...
Samyaza and the fall of the angels
Samyaza (also spelled Shemyaza or Semjaza) was the leader of a group of angelic beings described in the Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish text that influenced early Christians. The text tells the story of a group of beings calle...