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1. Daily Life in Ancient Israel Chapter 13
3. City Life 1,000 – 3,000 people
Extremely crowded conditions – some buildings shared walls
Typical house: stone base, mudbrick walls, and a flat roof made of mud or sticks and thatch
Cities usually had a major public square where marketing was done and where elders met to make judgments
Some evidence of a drainage system, but most cities were probably garbage-infested
4. The Human Person in Israelite Thinking Descriptions were concrete
Ex. Song of Songs
Humans are made up of flesh (basar), spirit (ruah), heart (leb), and soul (nepesh)
The basic quality of human life comes from the soul – desire, feeling, weakness, need for nourishment
Israelites viewed a person as unified in flesh and spirit
5. Sickness and Old Age Sickness
Medicine depended on natural roots and plants; used “fantastic curses” or prayed to God
Some belief in evil spirits causing illnesses
God was the ultimate cause of a cure
Old Age
Life was short – average less than 45 years
The long lifespans (ex. Abraham @ 175 years old; Moses @ 120 years old) was a sign of blessing for being faithful rather than a literal age of death
Old age was seen as a time of failing strength, loss of eyesight, inability to eat, and growing weakness; still the elderly were respected for their wisdom
6. Death and Afterlife Prior to, and for a while after the exile, there is little evidence that the Israelites hoped for an afterlife, although others (Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Syrians) did
Israel avoided mentioning a place of joy after death – instead appeared to believe in a place of stillness, darkness, and helplessness
Israelites were forbidden from offering sacrifices to the dead, or consulting their spirits
Awhile after the exile, the focus shifted to the goodness/evil of the life of an individual – renewed interest in God not forgetting the faithful
7. Daily Work Based off Genesis 1 and 2: “the purpose of men and women is clearly said to be the domination of the earth and its cultivation”
After the first sin, laboring became both a blessing and a curse
Other occupations:
Metalworkers
Artisans
Scribes
8. The Family in Israel Family Unit:
Large was preferable
Strong clan loyalty for the protection of all
Marriage:
In the bible, frequent instances of deep love
Levirate marriage – when a woman is widowed, she is taken in by her husband’s closest male relative
Women:
Have less power in the relationship
Responsible for educating children in the home
Although not empowered, were rarely shown in the bible as being disrespected or treated badly
Children:
Often portrayed as headstrong and strong-willed
Lucky boys got formal education: reading and writing
Sons were desired = added to clan strength
9. Sexual Attitudes Sexual behavior was carefully regulated
Sex and Marriage:
Love, even in arranged marriages, was expected to grow
Strict laws against violation of marriage vows
Sex before marriage carried with it the obligation to marry that person
Other Condemned Sexual Acts:
Unnatural Acts
Bestiality
Males wearing women’s clothing
Public nakedness or exposing sexual organs
Sexual activity of a warrior engaged in a “holy war”
The sexual drive was seen to be unruly as a result of the first sin by Adam and Eve
10. Marriage Customs Monogamy vs. Polygamy:
According to Genesis 1 and 2, monogamy is ideal = covenant bonds!
Seems to have been standard practice around the writing of these books (1000 B.C.) except for kings
In cases of polygamy, the first wife was protected and had special rights over the other wives; second wives were taken only in order to bear children
Marriage Ceremonies:
A time for rejoicing
Husband publicly declared his obligation to care for his wife
Wife processes to the groom’s house
11. Friends and Enemies Friends –
All brothers must be treated equally by their father even if they have different mothers
There is a primary loyalty between brothers
This “brother” idea was spread to mean all members of the covenant
Enemies –
In many biblical stories, hatred for an enemy leads to a disaster
In the proverbs, the idea of overcoming the hatred of an enemy and helping him is discussed
12. Legal Justice in Early Israel Very little written record, especially prior to the exile
Before King David-
Disputes were handled at the family or clan level
“Blood-revenge”
After King David-
Clan system – judgments were given by the elders
Penalties were generally less severe than neighboring countries
13. Royal Justice Kings took an active interest in their lands’ justice – they often made judgments themselves
The law was built on the age-old customs and judgments; royal additions came only in cases that needed new solutions or had never occurred before
Ultimately, law came from God
14. Slavery Nearly every nation in the Near East permitted slavery
Israel limited its use:
Poverty forced a person into slavery just to live
Prisoners of war, made to work for the state
Slavery was opposed to the basis of the covenant: God had given His blessings equally and to all
Both types of slavery gradually disappeared after Israel lost political independence and social conditions changed