Exploring the Unexplained: A Practical Guide to the Peculiar People, Places, and Things in the Bible

by Trent C. Butler

Overview

Have you ever wondered about those giants in Genesis or that reference to Enoch in Jude? Exploring the Unexplained: A Practical Guide to the Peculiar People, Places, and Things in the Bible answers all your questions about unusal, hard-to-explain, and difficult-to-understand stories in the Bible. Learn more about people like Enoch, Moses, and the Nephilim. As with other books in Thomas Nelson's A to Z series, Exploring the Unexplained helps you gain a deeper understanding of the Bible in an easy-to-read format.

Features include:

• Scripture index
• Topical index
• Easy-to-understand explanations of some of the Bible's most confusing stories
• A convenient tool for individual and group study

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401675219
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	09/03/2012
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Trent C. Butler is a freelance author and editor. He served ten years on the faculty of the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Rüschilkon, Switzerland, and for twenty-two years as editor and editorial director for Holman Bible Publishers and LifeWay. He wrote the Word Biblical Commentary volume on Joshua, the Layman’s Bible Book Commentary on Isaiah, the Holman Old Testament Commentaries on Isaiah and Hosea through Micah, and the Holman New Testament Commentary on Luke. He served on the editorial Board of the Holman Christian Standard Bible, and edited the Holman Bible Dictionary. Dr. Butler has a Ph.D. in biblical studies and linguistics from Vanderbilt University, has done further study at Heidelberg and Zurich, and has participated in the excavation of Beersheba.

Read an Excerpt

Exploring the Unexplained

A Practical Guide to the Peculiar People, Places, and Things in the Bible

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By Trent Butler

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4016-7521-9

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Chapter One

A

Aaron Person Lev. 10:1–7

Aaron was the priest who could not mourn his sons, who spoke for Moses, and who formed a golden calf. The brother of Moses and Miriam and the first high priest, he joined Moses in the sin of unbelief that kept them from entering the Holy Land (Num. 20:7–13).

Issue: How can a godly person do marvelous things for God, and yet still commit flagrant sins?

Aaron's Rod Thing Ex. 7–8; 17; Num. 16; 20:7–11

Aaron's rod was a shepherd's staff that became a snake, produced water, and blossomed. God used Aaron's rod or staff to perform miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness.

Issue: What earthly objects can God use for His purposes? What power do magic wands and wizards' rods have?

Abaddon Place Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; Ps. 88:11; Prov. 15:11; 27:20; Rev. 9:11

Abaddon literally means "Destruction." It is the home of the dead and personified as the angel of the bottomless pit. It is used in parallel with Sheol and Death. Abaddon is known and controlled by God.

Issue: What is your destiny after death?

Abana Place 2 Kings 5:12

Abana was a beautiful Syrian river flowing through Damascus where Naaman wanted to be cleansed. God sent him instead to the muddy Jordan. See also Pharpar.

Issue: Why does God often choose a particular place to work even when it seems inferior to another place?

Abba Person Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6

Abba is the Aramaic word for "father" that Jesus used when talking to God. It shows the intimacy of the relationship between Father and Son. Believers can know that intimacy and use that term in speaking with God.

Issue: How intimate and trusting are you with God in your prayer life? Do you keep certain things buried in your heart that you do not share with your Heavenly Father?

Abdon Person Judg. 12:13–15

Abdon was a wealthy judge of Israel who had forty sons, thirty nephews, and seventy donkeys. He judged Israel for eight years.

Issue: Is wealth a requirement for leadership?

Abednego Person Dan. 1:7; 2:48–3:30

Abednego is the Babylonian name for the Hebrew youth Azariah, who was thrown into and survived the deadly flames of the king's fiery furnace. He worshipped God even though it meant disobeying the king. He became one of the political leaders of the Babylonian Empire because he obeyed God.

Issue: Are you willing to trust God when people threaten to kill you?

Abel's Sacrifice Thing Gen. 4; Heb. 11:4

God accepted the fattest of Abel's flock as a sacrifice while rejecting his brother Cain's plant or fruit offering. God's displeasure is with Cain and his attitude, not with the nature of the sacrifice. Cain did not do what was right.

Issue: How do you know if God is pleased with you and your service for Him?

Abiathar Person 1 Sam. 22–23

Abiathar was the high priest who escaped King Saul with an ephod, their means of communicating with God. Israel's first king had Doeg the Edomite kill the priests and take each one's ephod. Abiathar preserved an ephod and turned it over to David, Saul's chief opponent. Once David's high priest and chief counselor, Abiathar supported Adonijah to succeed David, so Solomon deposed him to live in Anathoth.

Issue: Abiathar served Saul, then David, then Adonijah. When should you change your allegiance from one party to another? What do past loyalties gain you in the present circumstances?

Abigail Person 1 Sam. 23:9; 25; 30

Abigail was the wife of the foolish Nabal. When he refused sustenance for David and his fleeing troops, she quickly provided an excess of food. After Nabal's death, she married David, who later rescued her from the Amalekites.

Issue: When is a woman justified in associating with and assisting a male friend when her husband refuses to help as he should?

Abihu Person Ex. 6:23; 24:9–10; 28:1; Lev. 10

Aaron's second son, Abihu saw God during Israel's covenant ceremony on Mount Sinai and was ordained with his brothers as priests. Seeking to imitate the power and authority Moses and Aaron had demonstrated in bringing God's glory to appear before the people, they offered strange, unauthorized fire to God and were killed for it.

Issue: Can you worship God in the ways He has described and approved of, or will you invent your own strange ways that God does not accept? How do you determine what types of worship God accepts? Do you, at times, try to gain authority and praise through the ways you lead worship?

Abimelech Person Judg. 9

Abimelech killed sixty-nine of his half-brothers to become the leader of Israel. His name means "My father is king" but his father Gideon refused the offer of kingship. Abimelech hired a lawless mob for an army rather than summoning an Israelite army and was denounced by his own half brother. Abimelech was defeated when a woman dropped a millstone on his head. He had his armor-bearer run him through rather than suffering an ignoble death by a woman.

Issue: Do you operate and seek power from within or without the traditional power structure? How far are you willing to go to get power for yourself when you are not in line to occupy positions of power?

Abinadab Person 1 Sam. 7; 2 Sam. 6

The ark of the covenant stayed at Abinadab's house twenty years. His son was named priest for the ark and helped to take it to Jerusalem. Apparently, Abinadab was a well-respected priest and community leader of the Gibeonites and their major worship place at Kiriath-jearim. Such a description is built on scholarly reconstructions more than on strict biblical statements.

Issue: What qualifications does a person have to have to serve in God's sanctuary?

Abiram Person Num. 16; 26

Abiram was swallowed by the earth when he sought priestly authority and function in rebellion against Moses and Aaron.

Issue: God's offices are God-appointed, not self-appointed. How does this affect political power?

Abishag Person 1 Kings 1–2

Abishag served as a bed-warmer for the dying King David. Solomon's brother Adonijah was executed when he asked for her hand in marriage.

Issue: Do political marriages often lead to doubt, distrust, and death?

Ablutions Thing Ex. 29:4; 30:19–21; Lev. 8:6; 11–15; Mark 7:3–4; Heb. 6:2; 9:10

Ablutions were special baths to remove ritual impurities. People were required to take such baths to become eligible to participate in worship. The ritual of Christian baptism has supplanted ablutions for making people clean.

Issue: What rituals or rites does a person have to participate in to please and approach God?

Abomination Thing Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14

The Bible denounces several things as abominations hated by God. The sacrificing of a pig on an altar to Zeus in the Temple of Jerusalem by Syrian ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes is an example. It was part of his program to force Jews to adopt Hellenistic (Greek) culture and practices. This example was reinterpreted by later writers as the destruction of Jerusalem by Roman General Titus. It has also been interpreted eschatologically.

Issue: What is the most hideous religious practice you can imagine? How would you react if someone forced you to engage in this practice?

Absalom Person 2 Sam. 15–18

Absalom was a son of David whose hair got caught in a tree as he led rebellion against his father. He claimed David did not punish his brother Ammon when he raped their sister Tamar and that David did not maintain a justice system for the people. Joab, commander of David's army, killed Absalom while he dangled by his hair in the tree.

Issue: How does one correct a system that has gone wrong?

Abyss Place Luke 8:31; Rom. 10:7; Rev. 9:11; 17:8; 20

Abyss means "without a bottom"; it is used in the Bible as a dark dwelling place of the dead ruled by Abaddon, or the place where Satan is bound and the satanic forces live.

Issue: Where do you think a person goes after death? What will happen to you when you die?

Acacia Wood Thing Ex. 25–38

Timber ants find acacia wood too bitter to eat. It is also too dense for water or other liquids to penetrate so acacia trees do not decay. Because of this, acacia wood was used to build the tabernacle.

Issue: What type of building materials should one use in a building for God?

Accent Thing Judg. 12:5–6; Matt. 26:73

An accent is a peculiarity of a person's speech pattern that connects the speaker with a particular geographical region. For example, Ephraimites could not pronounce Shibboleth, and Peter's accent reflected his upbringing in Galilee.

Issue: Whom do you recognize by their accent? How do you respond to an accent?

Aceldama Thing Matt. 27:7; Acts 1:19

Aceldama is the biblical name for the field that Judas bought with his thirty shekels of silver and where he hung himself.

Issue: Is suicide ever justified?

Achan Person Josh. 7

Achan's disobedience caused his family to be stoned to death. He took spoils from the battle of Jericho and hid them in his tent, a crime that led God to bring defeat on Joshua's army at Ai. Achan's case illustrates the use of the lot (casting lots) to determine God's will.

Issue: Why kill a sinner's family? How is it fair for one man's sin to lead to the execution of his entire family?

Achish Person 1 Sam. 21; 27–31

Achish is the Philistine ruler before whom David acted like a madman in order to escape. Later David joined Achish's army, but other Philistine leaders would not let David join them in battle against Saul and Jonathan.

Issue: How do you prevent a prospective employee from deceiving you and manipulating you?

Achzib Place Josh. 15:44; Mic. 1:14

Achzib is the town whose name means Place of Deceitfulness.

Issue: How does an entire town earn the name of deceitfulness?

Acrostic Thing Pss. 9–10; 25; 34; 111–12; 119; 145; Prov. 31:10–31; Lam. 1–4

An acrostic is a literary device in which the lines of each section begin with a letter of the alphabet in sequence (Eng. a, b, c; Heb. aleph, beth, gimmel). See especially Ps. 119.

Issue: Christian witness in oral or written form should reflect the best possible use of literary devices to make the gospel presentation sharp and interesting. What are some other literary devices you can use?

Adam Person Gen. 1:26–27; 2:15–16; 4:1, 25; 5:3–4; Luke 3:38; 1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:11–15

Adam was the first man. God took Adam's rib and used it to create Eve. Enticed into eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge by a talking serpent, they disobeyed God and were cursed. The curse resulted in their being afraid of God, pain in childbirth, hierarchal family life, and the land requiring hard work to remove weeds and produce fruit. Ultimately, their lack of trust brought death to humankind. Their sin, seen as "original sin" in Christian theology, affects every human being.

Issue: How does this origin of the human race through the creation of one couple relate to scientific theory?

Admah Place Gen. 10:19; 14; 19:29; Deut. 29:23; Hos. 11:8

Admah was a city destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah. God's love kept Him from destroying Israel.

Issue: How are God's love and God's wrath related?

Adoni-bezek Person Judg. 1:5–7

Adoni-bezek was a king who cut off the thumbs and big toes of seventy kings. Israel, in turn, cut off his thumbs and big toes.

Issue: Why cut his thumbs off? Do people suffer precise retribution for their sins?

Adonijah Person 2 Sam. 3:4; 1 Kings 1–2

David's fourth son, Adonijah, tried to assume the throne against David and then Solomon. Following this, Nathan established David's line of God-chosen succession that took the place of tradition-mandated firstborn succession.

Issue: Does church or societal leadership go to the person God chooses? How can you tell?

Adoniram Person 1 Kings 4:6; 5:14; 12:18

Adoniram was stoned to death for managing Rehoboam's forced labor gangs, an act that led Israel to ultimately rebel against Judah.

Issue: Would you continue in a job that causes you to treat other people unjustly or cruelly?

Adoni-zedek Person Josh. 10:1–26

Adoni-zedek was a king of Jerusalem who led the southern coalition against Joshua in revenge for Israel supporting the Gibeonites.

Issue: What role does shame or revenge play in your decisions and actions?

Adoption Thing Rom. 8–9; Gal. 4:5

The transference of a sinner into a child and heir of God when he puts his faith in the Father is called adoption. It is a state of being in which the believer lives through Christ's death and resurrection and has equal rights and responsibilities with other members of God's family.

Issue: How do you enter the family of God? When did you do so?

Adultery Thing Ex. 20:14; Hos. 4:11–14; Matt. 15:19; John 8; 1 Cor. 6:9; Gal. 5:19

Adultery involves breaking marriage vows in order to have an intimate relationship with someone other than one's marriage partner. Jesus identified it as a thought in the heart, not just the physical act.

Issue: Why should a person limit sexual activity to his or her spouse?

Advocate Thing John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7; 1 John 2:1

An advocate is one who prays for believers when they sin. Jesus ascended to heaven to advocate on the behalf of believers. The Greek term is parakletos.

Issue: What is Jesus doing on behalf of believers today?

Aeneas Person Acts 9:33–34

Aeneas was bedridden for eight years until he met Peter, who healed him.

Issue: What is the relationship between healing and evangelism?

Agabus Person Acts 11:27–29; 21:10–11

The prophet Agabus's bad news led the church to start a new ministry. He warned of a coming famine, and the church began hunger relief work.

Issue: What is the church's response to a direct Word from God?

Agape Thing John 3:16; 1 Cor. 13

Agape is Greek for selfless love. It is the self-giving lifestyle to which God calls us.

Issue: What is the central devotion point of your life?

Age to Come Thing Matt. 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; Eph. 1:21; 2:7; 1 Tim. 6:19; Heb. 6:5

The age to come is the true "new age," when eternal identities are revealed and the imperfections of this age disappear.

Issue: How and when does God reward His people and fulfill all His promises? In what way will you be part of the new age to come?

Agur Person Prov. 30

Agur authored a set of proverbs that eventually became part of Solomon's book of Proverbs.

Issue: Describe your understanding of inspiration and authority of Scripture as revealed in the case of Agur.

Ahab Person 1 Kings 16–22

Ahab married Jezebel, the Phoenician princess, and let Baal worship become Israel's religion, making him the worst of the northern kings.

Issue: When should outside political affairs dominate one's choice of a spouse? How much power should the spouse exercise?

Ahaz Person Isa. 7

King Ahaz refused Isaiah's offer to stand firm in faith and so did not stand at all. He "piously" refused to ask God for any sign at all.

Issue: Do you place your trust in a divine ally or in human allies?

Ahijah Person 1 Kings 11; 14; 15:29

Ahijah was a Shiloh prophet who tore his clothes in twelve pieces, which signaled the beginning of the northern kingdom's independence and ended the reign of the first northern dynasty.

Issue: How does God's Word bring hope to God's people but destruction to those who do not obey?

Ahimaaz Person 2 Sam. 15:27; 17

Ahimaaz was a spy for David in Absalom's court.

Issue: When are God's people justified in spying and keeping secrets?

Ahinoam Person 1 Sam. 25:43; 30:1–20; 2 Sam. 2

David's first son was born to Ahinoam.

Issue: What significance does a woman get from bearing children? What is the biblical teaching on having multiple wives?

Ahithophel Person 2 Sam. 15–17

Ahithophel served as David's counselor and gave counseling that was known as equal to God's Word. His name means "brother of folly." He joined Absalom's revolt against David and later committed suicide.

Issue: How do you determine whose counsel to believe?

Ai Place Josh. 7–8

Ai is a city whose name means "the ruin." Joshua was first defeated here due to Achan's selfish sin. He later captured the ruins.

Issue: How big and powerful does an enemy have to be for an army to celebrate victory over the "city"?

Aijalon Place Josh. 10:12

Aijalon was the city where the moon stood still at Joshua's bidding.

Issue: How can you believe in a miracle involving the planets and moons and stars in light of scientific explanations of the nature of the solar system?

Akhenaton Person Ancient History

Akhenaton was the only Egyptian pharaoh to worship just one god—the god Aton. His wife was Nefertiti and his son-in-law is better known as King Tut. He moved the Egyptian capital to Tell El-Amarna.

Issue: In what ways do you think religions of their neighbors influenced Israel?

Alexander the Great Person Ancient History

Alexander the Great established the Greek culture that became the background for the last of the Old Testament writings and canonization, as well as for the New Testment period. He was the Greek king of Macedonia who conquered the basic known world from Greece to India.

Issue: How do you judge greatness? Where does Alexander rank in comparison to the Bible's minor heroes such as Enoch, Sarah, or Naphtali?

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Exploring the Unexplained by Trent Butler Copyright © 2012 by Thomas Nelson. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction....................7
Peculiar Uses for a Peculiar Dictionary....................9
A....................11
B....................37
C....................54
D....................73
E....................87
F....................107
G....................112
H....................124
I....................140
J....................146
K....................161
L....................164
M....................174
N....................190
O....................203
P....................207
Q....................219
R....................220
S....................225
T....................246
UV....................262
W–Z....................265
Index....................271