Geographist

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 b...

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 souther...

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 ...

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 des...