1 Kings 17:1 describes Elijah as “the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead”. It is not known where Tishbe was located, although that doesn’t stop map-makers placing it on Bible maps or commentaries making authorative-sounding statements about its location. There are three candidate sites: Listib (shown below), Umm el-Hedamus and Abu Hummus. The most popular identification […]
What did Paul mean when he said he was “out of due time”? (1 Cor 15:8)
In the context, Paul had been talking about all of the groups of people who had seen Jesus after he was resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:3-7). These all seem to have been in the 40 days after Jesus was raised before he was taken into heaven. However, Paul knew that Jesus had only appeared to him long […]
Was Rahab a prostitute or an innkeeper?
The full question: Rahab is recorded as a harlot which seems unlikely. (1) She lived with her family. (2) She lived within the city. (3) Harlots lived outside the city (4) She did not wear a veil. (5) She was an innkeeper. (6) She did greet strangers. What is the Hebrew word for innkeeper versus […]
Does Proverbs 8:22 refer to Jesus?
Proverbs 8:22 “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. The writer of this poetry had in his mind that he was personifying wisdom as a beautiful woman who leads men to righteousness and happiness, in contrast to the superficially attractive prostitute described in Proverbs 7 […]
What is the difference between thinking something will happen and hoping that something will happen?
Today when we talk of ‘hope’, we might say “I hope I win the Lotto”. We are not always confident that what we hope for will actually happen. But this meaning is not quite the same as the way ‘hope’ is often used in Scripture. ‘Hope’ is a vital theme in the New Testament. The […]
If God knew there would be sin, why did he make a world in the first place?
God knew that sin would enter the world, as you say. But he made the world so that his purpose would come to pass. This necessitated people, of their own freewill, renouncing serving sin and choosing to serve God. God wanted a family of people filled with his fullness – people who serve him out […]
Where was the garden of Eden?
The location of the garden of Eden is described in Genesis 2:10-14. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. […]
What does the word “helps” mean in 1 Corinthians 12:28?
In the King James Version, this verse reads And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. (1 Cor 12:28 KJV) In the Common English Bible, it reads In the church, God has appointed first apostles, second prophets, […]
What verse is there that has Jesus asking anyone to “submit” or “surrender” their will to his? Wouldn’t that be violating man’s free will to choose to follow his teachings?
I don’t think Jesus uses the word “submit” or “surrender” when explaining to the disciples what is required of them, but he uses similar ideas. A small selection of verses with Jesus’ instructions to his disciples: Matthew 10:37-39: Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son […]
Why hasn’t anything been inspired recently? Revelation was the last inspired book and it was a long time ago. Why aren’t there any more?
The straightforward answer is that it is up to God, not us, when he chooses to leave us inspired books. The books of the Bible were given to achieve his purposes. There have been other times in history when God did not choose to leave his written word; actually nearly all the time this has […]