Family & Human Body
Adultery
Adultery was a serious crime in the world of the Bible. It was punishable by death
Anointing
Anointing involves pouring oil over someone’s head or feet, or rubbing parts of the body with oil.
Oil is used in the Bible for washing the body, as perfume
Anointing Oil
Anointing oil consisted of a mixture of oil and fragrances. Mixing anointing oil was a job for a professional: a member of the guild of perfumers.
Anointing: Burial
When anointing, oil is poured over someone’s head or feet or parts of the body are smeared with oil.
Oil is used in the Bible when washing the body, as perfume
Baby
Not much is known about the care of infants in the time of the Bible.
Belt
A belt was a broad strip of cloth worn around the middle of the body. It was mostly made of linen, sometimes of leather. A belt could be worn around a tunic or a cloak. The folds of the broad strip of cloth could be used as a kind of pouch for carrying small objects.
Bill of Divorce
A bill of divorce is a document that a woman was given if her husband wanted to divorce
Blindness
Various stories about blindness are found in the Bible. There are also laws for the protection of blind people, as in Leviticus 19:14
Blood Vengeance
When someone was murdered, there was the option for his family to take revenge by killing the murderer. However, this blood vengeance was subject to certain rules.
Burial
In biblical times, the dead were normally buried. Leaving a body unburied or cremating was seen as a severe punishment.
Children
In Bible times, it was important to have children. Childlessness was felt to be a big problem. Unlike the way things are today, children were also a practical necessity.
Circumcision
Both the Israelites and some of the peoples living in the vicinity circumcised their men. In the Bible, circumcision means removing the foreskin from the male sex organ. Female circumcision is unknown.
More information about circumcision can be found under:
Circumcision in the Bible
In the Bible, circumcision plays an important role. It was seen as a sign of the covenant with God
Circumcision outside of the Bible
Circumcision is not just found in the Bible. The custom was also common among the nations around Israel.
Clan
Each tribe consisted of a number of clans. So the clan is the second largest unit within the ancient Israelite society. The members of a clan are (distant) relations.
Cloak
A cloak or outer garment was worn over the top of the tunic
The cloak was usually made of heavier material than the tunic, and was held together around the waist with a belt made of cloth or leather.
People did not always wear a cloak. During manual labour it was easier to wear only a tunic.
clothes common man
Clothing
In biblical times, men, women and children wore the same items of clothing:
Concubine
In Old Testament times a man could not only have several wives, but also one or more concubines. These concubines had a lower status and their main purpose was to bear children. They were also a symbol of wealth and power. Concubines do not feature in the New Testament.
Divorce
In the world of the Bible, divorce is a legitimate custom, and a husband could send his wife away if he no longer wished to be married to her.
Dowry
When a woman was given in marriage, the (family of the) husband had to pay a dowry or a bridal price.
entrance to tomb
Family
Family was very important in the time of the Bible. Family, in this case, means extended family, a father and his wife (or wives), children, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and slaves.
First-born Rights (the Right of Primogeniture)
The eldest son was given a double share of the inheritance
Foot-Washing
In the Bible, there are frequent accounts of people washing their feet or having them washed. The washing of feet was necessary because in Bible times open sandals were often worn, so that feet quickly became dirty. In addition, the washing of feet is also part of the purity rules for priests. Finally, the washing of someone’s feet can also be a gesture of hospitality.
Funeral
In Israel there were a variety of different customs surrounding funerals that were very similar to those of the cultures surrounding them.
Grave
When people died, they were buried. There were different types of graves, graves in the ground or a space hewn out of a rock were the most common.
Head-Covering
In Bible times both men and women wore a cloth around their head as a head-covering.
Heart
In the Bible, the heart does not just have a physical function, but also a spiritual one. It is the place in the body where the emotions, feelings, courage, insight, knowledge and wisdom can be found. The heart is the symbol for the inner person, in every respect.
Illness
All sorts of different illnesses and disabilities are mentioned in the Bible: lameness, blindness
Inheritance
After their father’s death, sons would receive his possessions as inheritance. The eldest son received a double portion, his birthright
Jewellery and Make-Up in Ancient Israel
Just as in modern day society, a lot of time and effort was put into one’s appearance in Ancient Israel. Not just rich women, but also those who were less wealthy wore jewellery, used make-up, cared for their bodies with creams and fragrant lotions, and used perfume. In the Bible there are frequent references to jewellery and products for looking after one’s appearance.
Jewellery in Ancient Israel
Archaeologists have found the following items of jewellery in Israel, most of which are mentioned in the Bible as well:
Levirate Duty
Levirate duty is a biblical custom, also known as Levirate marriage or brother-in-law marriage (levir is the Latin word for brother-in-law). If a man died childless, his brother or another member of the family had to marry the widow.
Make-Up and Body Care in Ancient Israel
In the hot, dry climate of the ancient Near East, skin care was almost as common as now, and at a very advanced stage of development. Women applied fragrant ointments to protect their skin from drying out. They also made up their faces with bright colours, used perfume and lacquered their nails.
Marriage
There are few legal descriptions of marriage in the Bible. But marriage plays an important role in Old Testament stories
Most cultures of the ancient Near East presupposed a monogamous marriage. However, there were also concubines
Laws and regulations concerning divorce
Marriage in the New Testament
In the New Testament, marriage is patriarchal (via the man) in character, as it is in the Old Testament: the man married, his wife was married to him.
Marriage in the Old Testament
Marriage customs in the Old Testament come to the fore mainly in stories. Laws relating to marriage are few in number.
Mourning
When someone died, there were a variety of rituals that allowed people to mourn.
Name-Giving
In the Old and New Testaments, names often have a meaning. In many stories, it is the mother who chooses her child’s name at the birth.
ossuary
Redemption
Redemption is a familiar custom in the Old Testament. It was intended to ensure that people and possessions (such as a field) remained within one’s own family.
Rock Tomb
In Israel, people were buried in rock-cut tombs from the First Temple period (around the eighth century before Christ until 586 BC) until the end of the Second Temple period (first century BC to AD 70).
Sandals
When shoes are mentioned in the Bible, this generally means sandals. Sandals were made of leather and were fastened at the ankles with straps.
The sole was made of a number of layers of leather fastened together with leather thongs.
sandals
When shoes are mentioned in the Bible, this generally means sandals. Sandals were made of leather and were fastened at the ankles with straps.
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a wooden or stone coffin. The sarcophagus occurs just once in the Bible: after his death, Joseph
Sickness and Healing in Jesus Sirach
In Bible times, many people were suspicious of doctors. We hear another message from the Jewish scholar Jesus Sirach. For him, sickness is a consequence of a person’s sin against his creator, but the sick person still has to go to a doctor for healing.
Son and Daughter
The words for “son” and “daughter” in Hebrew indicate a direct family relationship, as they do in English.