People of the Bible

Bible Basic

Aaron

Aaron was the brother of Moses and Miriam, and Moses’ spokesman to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:1). He was the first High Priest, and all Jewish priests descend from him. According to the sages, he was known for promoting peace, brotherly love and marital harmony, and for loving every person unconditionally.

The righteous Aharon (a-ha-RON) was Moses’ brother and the first High Priest. He was known for his love and pursuit of peace, especially brotherly love and marital harmony. He assisted Moses in redeeming the Israelites from Egypt, and became the spiritual leader of the nation.

Abigail

Abigail was a righteous woman who became one of King David’s wives.

Abigail was the wife of the wicked Nabal and married King David after Nabal’s death. She is described as intelligent and beautiful. She had a strong and positive influence on her husband King David, and, as a result, on the entire Jewish nation. She is also counted as one of the seven prophetesses.

Abiram

The eldest son of Hiel the Bethelite, who died because his father violated the prohibition of rebuilding Jericho.

The only thing that is known about Abiram, son of Hiel the Bethelite, is that he died as a result of his father brazenly rebuilding the city of Jericho. In Joshua 6:26, after conquering and destroying Jericho, Joshua cursed anyone who would try to rebuild Jericho: “Cursed of Hashem be the man who shall undertake to fortify this city of Jericho: he shall lay its foundations at the cost of his first-born, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest.” This is indeed what happened to Abiram.

Abraham

Abraham was the first of the three forefathers.

Abraham (born as Abram) was the first person to recognize the one true God and to spread the message of monotheism to the world. He was chosen by God to be the father of His chosen nation and was promised the Land of Israel as his eternal inheritance (Genesis 12:1-7). Avraham is known for his kindness to others and strong devotion to God.

Adam

Adam was the first human, fashioned by God on the sixth day of creation.

Adam is the first man, originally comprised of male and female. When the female aspect was removed, it was turned into Eve, and Adam became a man. He was the father of humanity and lived for 930 years. He also communicated directly with God. We have no conception of Adam’s incredibly high spiritual level.

Adonijah

He was the fourth son of King David, born in Hebron to Chagit.

Adonijah tried to usurp the kingship while his father King David was not feeling well. As Adonijah was celebrating, his father anointed Solomon as the legitimate king. Adonijah ran away in fear until Solomon forgave him. The Bible attributes Adonijah’s rebelliousness to not having been disciplined by his father as a child.

Ahab

He was the seventh king of the Kingdom of Israel, a famously wicked person and idolater.

Ahab was the seventh king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He famously married the evil Tyrian princess Jezebel who dragged Ahab deeper into idolatry and murder. He also famously had Naboth murdered in order to get his property. All of Ahab’s terrible sins brought him several warnings from prophets, most notably Elijah the Prophet. Ahab died as a result of his sinful life. He bled to death in battle, and his blood was dishonored after his death.

Ahijah

Ahijah was a Levite prophet from the town of Shiloh best known for his activities during the reigns of King Solomon and Jeroboam.

Even though Ahijah was born in Egypt and was a student of Moses, he is only introduced in the Bible as a prophet in the times of King Solomon (as such, he lived a very long time). He prophesied about the split of the tribes of Israel into two kingdoms – the Northern and Southern kingdoms. Later, he prophesied that Jeroboam’s family would be completely destroyed, and that the tribes of the Northern Kingdom would eventually be exiled. At the end of his extremely long life, Ahijah was the teacher of Elijah the Prophet.

Amittai

He was the father of Jonah.

He was the father of Jonah the prophet, from Gat-Chefer. The rabbis teach that when a prophet is identified by his father (x son of y), it means that the father was also a prophet. As such, Amittai was also one of the prophets of Israel.

Amnon

Amnon was the firstborn son of King David. After raping his half-sister Tamar, he was killed by his half-brother Absalom.

Amnon was born in Hebron, where King David reigned for seven years. As the oldest son of King David, Amnon would have been the heir to the throne. He was unfortunately overcome by lust for his half-sister Tamar, and was ill-advised by his cousin to rape her. Two years after the rape, Amnon’s half-brother Absalom had him killed at specially set-up feast for the sons of King David.

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