People of the Bible

Bible Basic

Nahum

Nahum was a prophet from the village of Elkosh during the reign of Menasseh king of Yehuda.

He was a contemporary of the prophets Joel and Habbakuk in the middle of the 7th century BCE. He prophesied about the destruction of the kingdom of Assyria, the most powerful nation at the time.

Nathan

Nathan was a personal prophet and advisor of King David.

Nathan was King David’s loyal prophet and was never afraid to tell David how to fix his mistakes. Nathan initially told King David that he could build the First Temple, but had to take it back after God appeared to him in a dream and explained that David was not the right person to build the Temple. Natan also admonished David for how he handled the situation with Batsheva and Uriah. Also, Nathan informed David of Adonijah’s attempt to become king, and he later anointed King Solomon.

Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah. He was a member of the royal court of Artaxerxes king of Persia, and traveled to Jerusalem to lead the Jews of Judah and help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2).

As a leader, Nehemiah focused on pragmatic matters involving the country’s material infrastructure, physically re-establishing Jewish communities and reconstructing the fortifications of Jerusalem.

Obadiah

Obadiah was a prophet during the reigns of King Jehoshafat of Judah and King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He was the son of Edomite converts.

Obadiah was a steward in the palace of Ahab. During that time, he hid and fed 100 prophets who Queen Jezebel was trying to kill. In the merit of his self-sacrifice, God granted him prophecy. He also interacted with his contemporary Elijah the Prophet. He is most famous for his one-chapter prophecy about the destruction of Edom.

Philistines

The Philistines were an enemy nation of Israel, originally from Egypt, who invaded and settled the southern coast of Israel.

The Philistines are a nation descended from the Casluch nation, who were themselves descended from Mitzrayim, the son of Ham. They originally invaded the coast of Israel from their original home in Egypt. Philistines occupied the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, stretching from the Yarkon River (north of Jaffa) to the Gaza Stream in the south.

Phinehas

Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron the High Priest. He was appointed to the priesthood after he ended a plague by killing an Israelite prince and Midianite princess who were having forbidden relations.

Phineas bravely stood up to stop a plague, for which God awarded him with the covenant of peace. He was later appointed as the priest to prepare soldiers for war, and served as one of the spies who scouted out the city of Jericho. After conquering the Land of Israel, he served as the priest in the city of Bet-El.

Rachel

Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban, sister of Leah and beloved wife of Jacob. She was one of the four matriarchs and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.

Rachel was a shepherdess for her father, the dishonest Laban. Jacob worked for seven years to marry her, but was tricked into marrying Leah instead. He then worked an extra seven years after marrying Rachel. Rachel was the beloved wife of Jacob but remained barren for a long time. She finally gave birth to Joseph, but died while giving birth to her second son Benjamin. She was buried “on the road to Ephrath – now Bethlehem” (Genesis 35:16-19). According to Jewish tradition, Rachel was buried on the road that the Jewish exiles were to take on their way into exile so that she could cry and pray on their behalf. Jeremiah addressed the weeping Rachel, telling her there is no need to cry and promising her that her children will indeed return to their land (Jeremiah 31:16).

Rebecca

Rebecca is known for her kindness, having extended herself not only to give water to Abraham’s servant but to his camels as well. It was this act of kindness, recognized by the servant of Abraham, that made Rebecca suitable to become the second matriarch of the Jewish people (Genesis 24:18-20).

Rebecca stands out as extraordinarily kind when she encountered Abraham’s servant at a well in Haran and gave him and all of his camels water to drink (Genesis 24). Rebecca understood the power of prayer and, suffering from barrenness, petitioned God to grant her children (Genesis 25:21). She understood that Jacob deserved to be blessed instead of Esau, and helped Jacob trick his father into giving him the blessings (Genesis 27).

Rehoboam

Rehoboam was the son and successor of King Solomon. His immaturity led to the split of the original single kingdom into two kingdoms – Israel and Judea.

Rehoboam succeeded his father, King Solomon. He caused the Hebrew Kingdom to split by making the mistake of seeking advice from his friends instead of the elders of Israel. Rehoboam’s foolishness resulted in the division of the kingdom, leaving him with only the Kingdom of Judah to govern. Throughout his reign, he was in constant war with the Northern Kingdom and had geopolitical issues with Egypt. He had 18 wives and 60 concubines and fathered a total of 88 children. Rehoboam reigned for 17 years, and his son Abijam succeeded him as king.

Ruth

Rut was a Moabite princess who converted to Judaism, and the heroine of the Book of Ruth.

Ruth is known for her exceptional kindness. having left everything behind in order to care for her mother-in-law, Naomi, and marrying the older Boaz in order to have children that would carry on the name of her late husband (Ruth 3). When she left Moab, Rut converted to Judaism, embracing not just Naomi but her people and her religion as well (Ruth 1:16). Rut is rewarded with a son who became the grandfather of King David. She is the matriarch of the Davidic dynasty, and ultimately the ancestress of the Messiah (Ruth 4:18-22).

7 / 9First Previous 5 678 9 Last

Help Us Spread the Hebrew Bible's Teachings!

Donate Now