Geographist

Horites Key Scripture: Deuteronomy 2:12 Figures: Seir The flow of people groups in and out of the lands described in the Bible has been constant for quite a number of years.  Some nations have managed to establish a homeland for a significant amount of time, such as the Egyptians, while others have been relocated, destroyed, or assimilated by other cultures.  This week we look at the story of an old group about which little is known, and in fact may have gone entirely unnoticed if it weren't for a record of their existence found in the pages of Scripture.  They are the Horites, and like any group with little definitive information they are the subject of much conjecture. The first mention of the Horites is found in Genesis 14, shortly after Lot parted company with his uncle.  They were said to live in Seir, the mountainous region south of the Dead Sea, and in response to their rebellion against King Chedorlaomer of Elam were attacked by a confederation of his allies.  The Horites a

Philistines Key Scripture: Zephaniah 2:5 Figures: Abimelech, Goliath, Achish During our study of Biblical people groups, some of the names that have been studied are quite familiar while others are obscure and relatively unknown.  This week we'll dive into the Philistines - a nation that is discussed frequently in Scripture, but has certain mysterious details absent from their story.  This has led to some misconceptions and guesswork from readers, especially regarding their origin and ultimate destiny.  Let's dig deeper into this familiar name and see if we can't uncover some facts that we may not have known before.  Like so many of the nations discussed in the Old Testament, we are first introduced to the Philistine people when they are mentioned in Genesis 10.  While it is clear that the inhabitants of Philistia are descended from Ham's son Mizraim, their specific geographic origin has become disputed because of conflicting translations.  Two specific names are mentio

Hagrites Key Scripture: 1 Chronicles 5:20 Figures: Jaziz Another milestone for the website this week - we just crossed the 175,000 mark!  It was less than a year ago that I celebrated reaching six figures for the very first time, a goal that was five years in the making.  The fact that we're progressing towards doubling that number in the coming months is amazing to me, and (as it always does) fills me with gratitude for every person who takes the time to click on the links and read what I'm learning.  Thank you all!  This week, we're going to learn about another one of the more obscure people groups that are found in the Old Testament.  During the time when various empires were being forged, defeated, and recreated, several of these small nations seemed to exist.  Like some of the others that we've analyzed, this one has a possible family relationship to the people of Israel, but that didn't stop the Hagrites from opposing God's chosen people. Before the birth

Indians Key Scripture: Esther 1:1 Figures: none This year, India overtook China as the most populous nation in the world.  With an estimated 1.45 billion individuals, India can claim nearly 1 out of 5 humans currently alive.  But did you know that this nation, with a history whose years span a time frame that approaches the length of Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations, plays a role in the Bible?  Let's learn a bit about this fascinating country and why it shows up in Scripture.  Trying to determine the ethnic background of the inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent presents some unique challenges and has led to some dispute, specifically as it pertains to the sons of Noah.  There are two primary groups, called the Dravidians and the Aryans, who have separate genetic origins but eventually came to settle together in India.  Some evidence suggests the Dravidians descended from Ham through the African lands of Cush and Put before migrating east to southern Asia.  The support for

Nabataeans Key Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:32 Figures: Aretus This week we delve into a bit of Biblical mystery.  Over the past few posts we have looked at the neighbors of the Hebrew people who occupied the territory to the south and east of the Promised Land.  This time we'll look at a people group that expanded just beyond those areas, and eventually encroached upon their lands.  What makes this mysterious, however, is that while they play a few important roles in the Biblical narrative and are known well enough to history, they are never directly mentioned by name in the Scriptures.  The are the Nabataeans, and learning about them may actually answer one of the big questions in the New Testament. The Nabataean people are thought to be descendants of Ishmael, the oldest son of Abraham by his wife's servant, Haggar.  Ishmael's oldest son was named Nebajoth, but whether this people group was entirely descended from him or if the younger families simply adopted the name of

Moabites Key Scripture: Genesis 19:36-37 Figures: Moab, Balak, Cozbi, Eglon, Ruth, Mesha This week we dive into the story of the third group of related neighbors to the children of Israel, the Moabites.  They share many similarities with the Ammonites, so much of the story you read today will sound familiar.  In fact, the nations of Moab and Ammon seem to always be referenced together whenever they come up in the Biblical narrative.  But there are several details that merit attention, which gives this nation an interesting place in the story of God's people and plan.  Let's dive in and see what we can discover.  Like the Ammonites, the descendants of Moab had a sordid and disturbing origin story as the eldest daughter of Lot was the first to become pregnant by her father.  As the oldest heir, it seems her son Moab was able to establish himself in the same region where he was conceived.  The city of Zoar was where Lot fled after being saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomo

Ammonites Key Scripture: Genesis 19:36-38 Figures: Ben-Ammi, Nahash, Hanun, Naamah, Baalis, Tobiah Last week we learned about one of Israel's related neighbors named Edom, the descendants of Jacob's brother Esau.  Today we'll study the first of two other people groups who lived nearby and shared a similar ancestry with the Hebrew people, and this time their origin story isn't very pretty.  If there were a musical equivalent to the banjo in the 18th century BC, it would surely be a fitting instrument for the background music for the incestuous history of the Ammonites.  Hailing from just across the Jordan River, the people of Ammon may have been cousins of Israel's descendants but they were wicked, idolatrous, and rarely friendly.  They did play several important roles throughout the Old Testament, however, so let's jump in and see what we can learn about them.  When Abraham left his family, the only relative who is recorded to have come with him and Sarah was Lo

Edomites Key Scripture: Genesis 36 Figures: Esau, Hadad, Harod As we pass 170,000 views over the history of this blog (thank you to all my readers!) we're going to take a few weeks to look at some of the near neighbors to Israel who are related to the patriarchs and heads of the original 12 tribes.  The first one we'll inspect is Edom, the offspring of Esau.  Located south of the Dead Sea, the Edomites lived in a tough land marked by wilderness and mountains.  In fact, the area was known and referenced in the Bible as Mount Seir.  The inhabitants, however, experienced a forced relocation and had a new home by the time of the New Testament.  Let's take a look at some of the details of their history and civilization. After becoming the miracle child of a barren mother, Isaac experienced the same struggle of being unable to have children of his own.  He prayed for his wife, Rebekah, who had been infertile and his petition was granted with the birth of twin sons.  Esau was born

Magog Key Scripture: Ezekiel 38:1-2 Figure: Gog This week we'll take a look at a pair of related names that pop up in three very distinct and separate parts of the Bible, but have become quite recognizable.  Even in popular culture that has little to do with any sort of sacred writings, the names of Gog and Magog have appeared.  The Biblical references to these two names indicate that Gog is a ruler from a land that is known as Magog, but that he also leads an army that includes neighboring areas.  Let's find out what we can know from Scripture and see what sorts of interpretations have been made. When the descendants of Japheth are listed in Genesis 10, seven sons are listed.  One of them is Magog, and although he is listed second we've already discussed in previous posts how the birth order is not always reflected by these sorts of genealogies.  The association with two of Japheth's other sons, however, is very important as Magog is discussed by the prophet Ezekiel al

To wrap up our look back at one of the most unique summers in our family's history, here are some thoughts from my lovely wife.  Summer time and more As I reflect on the past summer, I find myself thinking more about the decisions that I have had to make in the past year. It was around January when I had to start thinking about starting over with a different career or changing what I wanted to do with my life. Overall, I have been blessed to be given the choice on what I want to do so there was no pressure from home about where I should go. For those of you who don’t know, I was a teacher for two years. When my principal told me that I wouldn’t be renewed, I was devastated. I felt like my power was taken away from me and all of my hard work obtaining my degree had gone out the window. I’ve always had challenges with my self-esteem, and this did not help. I spent the next few months trying to figure out what to do with my life if teaching wasn’t an option anymore. My husband said th

Happy Labor Day weekend everybody!  I know most of the school-aged folks have already resumed classes, but historically this point in the calendar has marked the official end of summer.  As the temperatures begin to cool and the sports calendar switches over to football season, we take the opportunity to check out the summer reflections for my youngest daughter, who has taken the nickname of Whirly on this blog.  Enjoy her memories, and happy Fall! My Summer Reflection First, I went to California for the first week of summer.  We went to Disney's California Adventure first and it was really fun.  Then the second day we went to Disneyland.  On the Star Wars ride I was the worst driver.  After a day off at the pool that was very hot we went to Universal Studios.  My favorite ride was the Jurassic Park water ride.  Finally we went to the San Diego Zoo where my feet really hurt from walking.  After that we went to a birthday dinner for my mom.  For eight weeks of summer I did Black Bel

Before getting started, I wanted to let you all know about a pretty important moment that you are currently participating in - this is the 300th post in the history of the Geographist blog!  Would you believe we're also rapidly approaching the 5th anniversary of the very first entry?  Seems crazy to even think about how much has happened over that time, but I'm amazed this little endeavor has carried on this long.  Thank you to all who have read, contributed, or been a part of it!  Now on to our next summer reflection, brought to you by our newest high schooler. So first of all I am known as Curly.  I am the Geographist's middle kid.  This summer I probably did the most.  My summer kicked off with our trip to California.  We went to California Adventure, Disneyland, Universal Studios and to the San Diego Zoo.  At California Adventure I got to meet Iron Man right outside of the Avengers compound and I might have broken his brain by accident by responding "yes" to a

Here is our second week of summer observations - enjoy! Hey! This is Girly, the oldest of the three daughters. This summer was filled with several eventful things that I will go into more detail throughout this blog. This summer I learned and grew so much and had some experiences that I am very grateful for. Starting off on May 1, I finished my last final of my freshman year of college, which was chemistry. Let’s just say that my freshman year was not the best, but there was a lot of growth involved. I was happy it was over, and I could enjoy my summer. On May 6th, I got diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and was given meds to help my daily anxiety and ones to help with anxiety attacks when those occur. This was a huge breakthrough for me, because I have struggled for years, and it was such a relief to finally get answers and work on bettering myself. On May 10, I went with my grandma and her sister to Italy and stayed there for 10 days. This was my first ever time going to Eu

Before we finish looking at Biblical nations, I thought it might be worthwhile to take a few weeks to pause and reflect over one of the most noteworthy summers that my family has had.  I've asked each member of the family to record their thoughts in a few paragraphs, so each week one of us will take the stage (figuratively speaking) and share our activities as well as what we believe will be the takeaway.  If you need a refresher on who you'll meet along the way, go back and check out the Diary of a Homeschool Dad from a few years ago.  I hope you enjoy - either way, the study of people groups will continue in a few short weeks!  I'll begin... As the only member of the Geographist family not attached to a school schedule, my only clues that summer has arrived typically involve higher temperatures and the increased presence of smaller humans around the house during the day.  This year we initially didn't expect to have a family vacation during the break because of all t