The Valley of Achor 

The Valley of Achor   “And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them…

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Nazareth  

Nazareth, Nazareth in the Holy Land, Where is Nazareth, Nazareth in the Bible

Nazareth   “And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them…

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Hyssop 

God told them to tie ezov, known as hyssop in bunches and use it as a brush to apply blood to the doorposts during the climactic events of the Exodus. Hyssop in the Bible. Hyssop in Psalm 51

Hyssop  “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God;…

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Jacob’s Well

Jacob’s Well is located near historic Shechem (Sychar in the the Book of John). Jesus witnessed to the Samaritan woman here in John 4.

Jacob’s Well  “And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about…

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King David’s Blessing at En Gedi 

The Waterfall at En Gedi. David would often come here to hide and find refreshment.

King David’s Blessing at En Gedi  “And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks…

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Emmaus

Remains of Tel Motza. It was discovered by construction workers as they built a bridge across a valley. As you can see, parts of the site were destroyed in the construction process. The site is of interest because excavators found a small, fully functional replica of the Jerusalem Temple built here. Photo by John Buckner

Emmaus In The New Testament “And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.” Luke 24:13 Jesus liked to hike. That much is clear from the Bible, where He frequently walked from Galilee to Judea, crossed the Rift Valley, and once went up…

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The Samaritan Temple

Ruins of the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim overlooking Shechem. A massive, ancient staircase leads up from the valley floor to the temple. A small remnant of Samaritans lives nearby in a village on the mountain. They still practice their ancient religion.

The Samaritan Temple “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.” John 4:20-21   The Samaritan temple stood on Mount…

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Paul in Corinth

The ruins of the Temple of Apollo at Corinth. The city was known in antiquity for this magnificent Doric temple. Ironically, this was the city where the preacher from Alexandria, Apollos, came to minister. Corinth was destroyed by the Romans under Lucius Mummius, then later refounded as a city by Julius Caesar, just before his assassination. As a result, many monuments in the city were dedicated to his memory, and that of his familv. Photo by John Buckner

 Paul in Corinth  “And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If…

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The Castle of the Servant 

The ruins of the Castle of the Servant in Jordan. The historian Josephus wrote that the dynasty of Tobiah built a castle on the east side of the Jordan River, in Ammon. He specifically wrote in the Antiquities of the Jews about the carved "beasts of gigantic size" visible here on the left corner of the structure. The beasts on the right side are not as well-preserved. The structure dates to the centuries after Nehemiah, however it shows the power and prestige of this family of "servants." Photo by John Buckner

The Castle of the Servant  “When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel” (Nehemiah 2:10). An enigmatic figure of Scripture is Tobiah the Ammonite. He came from a clan that may…

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Where Was the House on Pentecost? 

 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it…

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Bible Valleys  

Bible Valley

The Hebrew Bible uses several words for a valley. The largest valley is the emek, which is a wide, U-shaped valley. The valley of Elah, famous for the fight between David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17), is one example from the Bible, the Jezreel Valley is another. (A related valley type is bikah, but that…

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The Herodium in Bethlehem 

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23). In Mark 11, Jesus…

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Mixed Worship at Arad 

“And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will…

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Mars’ Hill 

“Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection…Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens,…

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Moab

 “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.” Ruth 1:1  Biblical Moab, in modern Jordan, is only about twenty-five miles from…

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Paths of Righteousness  

“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3). As a shepherd from the wilderness south of Bethlehem, David wrote about one of the most salient characteristics of the hills in those barren lands: the magal. Residents of the deserts of the holy land understand it…

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Milk and Honey

“And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey;” Exodus 3:8a Throughout the Hebrew Bible, God referred to the promised land as a land that flows with milk…

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It Is Well in Zion

“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.” Psalm 8:10-11 “When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou…

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Jonah and Peter in Joppa

Jonah and Peter in Joppa “And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.” Acts 10:5-6 The city of Joppa, known in modern Hebrew as Jaffa,…

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Diana of the Ephesians

“For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but…

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The Pool of Bethesda

“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of…

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Floods in the Desert

“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:…

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Millstones in Capernaum

“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter…

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The Brass Serpent

The Brass Serpent

“And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Numbers 21:9).  Even in judgment, God provides a means of salvation. When the people cried out due to the fiery…

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The Heath in the Desert 

The prophet Jeremiah grew up in the Judean Wilderness, the large desert on the edge of the Great Rift Valley. As a desert dweller, he often wrote about the animals and plants found there. In Jeremiah 17, he described a person who puts his trust in God as a leafy, fruitful tree planted by flowing…

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The Tombs of the Prophets

“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the…

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Why did David keep Saul’s water cruse?

In I Samuel 26, we find a puzzling account from the life of David. He recruited Joab’s brother Abishai to go with him on a high-risk night raid into the very center of Saul’s camp. “And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay,…

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The Graveyard of the Old Gods in Shechem 

Ancient Shechem, with the mountains Ebal and Gerizim in the background, as well as modern Nablus in the West Bank. Photo by author.

The Graveyard of the Old Gods in Shechem “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as…

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Guest Post: A Meditation on Psalms, Sirens, and Terror.

Enjoying the Journey has many friends in the ministry who help and encourage us along the way. John Buckner is a real student of God’s Word. He has spent the last several years in Jerusalem completing a Master’s degree in Classical Hebrew and has dedicated His life to the study of God’s Word. Please read this recent…

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