(Encyclopedia) AretasAretasârˈĭtəs, –tăs [key], dynastic name of the Nabataean kings of Petra. The best-known Aretas was Aretas IV, 9 b.c.–a.d. 49, ruler of S Palestine, most of Jordan, N Arabia, and…
(Encyclopedia) ReubenReubenr&oomacr;ˈbən [key], in the Bible, Jacob's eldest son and eponymous ancestor of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. He interceded for his brother Joseph's life and…
(Encyclopedia) BethsaidaBethsaidabĕth-sāˈĭdə [key] [Heb.,=house of the fisher], in the Gospels, birthplace of Jesus' disciples Peter, Andrew, and Philip. Herod Philip (4 b.c.–a.d. 33) is said to have…
(Encyclopedia) JezreelJezreeljĕzˈrēĕl [key] [Heb.,=God sows]. 1 City, ancient Palestine, in the plain of Esdraelon, halfway from Megiddo to the Jordan, and mentioned in the Bible. Situated on land…
(Encyclopedia) HazaelHazaelhăzˈāĕl, həzāˈəl [key], fl. 840 b.c., king of Damascus; successor and murderer of Benhadad. In the Bible he appears as the ally of the party of Elisha in Israel and later…
Is Greenland Green? No. Much of Greenland is covered with a thick blanket of ice. The Viking explorers called it Greenland in order to lure settlers!Is the Dead Sea Dead? Yes. There is no life in…
(Encyclopedia) Moabite stoneMoabite stonemōˈəbītˌ [key], ancient slab of stone erected in 850 b.c. by King Mesha of Moab; it contains a long inscription commemorating a victory in his revolt against…
(Encyclopedia) SodomSodomsŏdˈəm [key] or SodomaSodomsŏdˈōmə [key], in the Bible, the principal of the Cities of the Plain (the others being Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar, which was spared)…
Haram As Sharif, Knesset, Nakba, and more by Jennie Wood A-Q | R-W Balfour Declaration On Nov. 2, 1917, the British government stated that it supported creating a "national home" for…
(Encyclopedia) Laurence, Margaret (Jean Margaret Laurence), 1926–87, Canadian novelist, b. Manitoba. She lived in Somaliland, Ghana, and England and many of her early works had an African setting.…
