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Biblical Profile: Abner
Abner Abner son of Ner was King Saul’s cousin as well as his general (1 Sam 14:49-52). Saul’s armies won important battles against the Philistines under Abner’s command (1 Sam 17:1-58), and Abner ate
Biblical Profile: Jeroboam II
Jeroboam II Jeroboam II, son of Jehoash, reigned over Israel for 41 years (793–753 BC), longer than any other northern king. He followed the evil example of his (unrelated) namesake, Jeroboam I (2 Kg
Biblical Profile: Solomon
Solomon Solomon was the third king of Israel, the second son of David and Bathsheba (2 Sam 12:13-25); he reigned forty years (971–931 BC). Solomon began his reign with promising confidence in God but
Biblical Profile: Elijah
Elijah Elijah from Tishbe served as prophet of Israel during the reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah (874–852 BC). His name means “my God is Yahweh,” and his ministry involved demonstrating that the Lord is t
Biblical Profile: Jeroboam I
Jeroboam I Jeroboam I, son of Nebat from the tribe of Ephraim, was the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel (931–910 BC). He led the northern ten tribes into the sins that brought about the d
Biblical Profile: Rehoboam
Rehoboam Rehoboam, the son of Solomon and an Ammonite woman (1 Kgs 14:21), was forty-one when he became king; he reigned for seventeen years (931–913 BC). He is remembered for instigating the split o
Biblical Profile: Elisha
Elisha Elisha the prophet was Elijah’s follower and successor in the northern kingdom of Israel during the late 800s BC, a time when the leaders and people of the northern kingdom turned their backs
Biblical Profile: Arameans
Arameans The Arameans were a Semitic group, descendants of Shem (Gen 10:22-23; cp. Gen 22:20-21). Bethuel and Laban were known as Arameans (Gen 25:20; 28:1-7). Jacob lived for some twenty years with
Biblical Profile: Ahab
Ahab Ahab, Israel’s eighth king, inherited the northern kingdom from his powerful father, Omri (1 Kgs 16:27-28), and reigned in Israel from 874 to 853 BC. Ahab married Jezebel, daughter of King Ethba
Biblical Profile: Hezekiah
Hezekiah Hezekiah, who reigned from 728 to 686 BC was one of Judah’s best kings. Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, betrayed the Lord, but Hezekiah promoted true worship of God. Reversing the damage done by Ah
Biblical Profile: Assyria
Assyria Assyria was a symbol of terror and tyranny in the Near East for more than three centuries. In the biblical account, we learn about its power and ruthlessness in its treatment of the people of
Biblical Profile: Babylon
Babylon Babylon, one of the world’s most ancient cities, was the center of the Babylonian civilization and is an enduring symbol for defiant human pride. Babylon was founded a few generations after
Biblical Profile: Cyrus II
Cyrus II Cyrus II, king of Persia (559–530 BC), founded the great Persian Empire. His father was king of Persia, a small nation that was subject to Media, and his mother was the daughter of the king
Biblical Profile: Uzziah
Uzziah Uzziah, son of Amaziah and Jecoliah, reigned over Judah for 52 years (792–740 BC; see 2 Kgs 14:21-22; 15:1-2; 2 Chr 26:1-3). He reigned as co-regent with his father from the age of sixteen for
Biblical Profile: Xerxes I
Xerxes I Xerxes I, who reigned over the Persian Empire from 486 to 465 BC, was the son and successor of Darius I (Hystaspes). He inherited a vast empire from his father and his maternal grandfather (
Biblical Profile: Baruch
Baruch Baruch the son of Neriah was a royal scribe in Jerusalem who served as secretary for Jeremiah the prophet. His brother Seraiah was a “staff officer” in Zedekiah’s administration (Jer 51:59-64)
Biblical Profile: The Son of Man
The Son of Man The Hebrew and Aramaic idiom “son of man” simply means “human being.” But the majestic yet humble figure in Daniel 7:13-14, who is “like a son of man”—meaning that he looked like a man
Biblical Profile: Antiochus IV
Antiochus IV Antiochus IV is the most important of all the Seleucid rulers as far as the biblical literature is concerned and is known as one of the cruelest tyrants of all time. He was an enthusiast
Biblical Profile: Esther
Esther Esther was queen of Persia during the reign of Xerxes I (486–465 BC). She was a woman of the Diaspora (“scattering”), descended from Jews who had been scattered among the nations at the time o
Biblical Profile: Isaiah
Isaiah Isaiah was a Judean prophet during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. He was the son of Amoz (Isa 1:1) and was possibly related to King Amaziah. He lived in Jerusalem, was well
Biblical Profile: Zerubbabel
Zerubbabel Zerubbabel, a Babylonian-born Jew, relocated to Judea in 538 BC as governor of Jerusalem under Persian rule. Cyrus, the king of Persia, had declared that Jews captured and exiled from Juda
Biblical Profile: Jeremiah
Jeremiah Jeremiah, a prophet in Jerusalem before its destruction in 586 BC, is sometimes called the “weeping prophet” because he shared his personal struggles and sorrows as he delivered God’s messag
Biblical Profile: Satan
Satan The book of Job includes “the satan” among the heavenly court (Job 1:6; 2:1). The Hebrew word (satan) refers to an adversary or an accuser in court (see Job 1–2; Zech 3:1). God sometimes appoin
Biblical Profile: Hellenistic Kingdoms
Hellenistic Kingdoms During the 300 years following the death of Alexander in 323 BC, Greek kings continued to rule in the lands he conquered, and Hellenistic religion, culture, and values expanded a