The Tigris River is mentioned twice in Scripture. The first time is in the beginning of Creation, as one of the four rivers which defined the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:14: “The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates” (NASB). The KJV/NKJV transliterates the Hebrew [חִדֶּקֶל] as “Hiddekel.” The Septuagint (LXX) has Τίγρις (from which we get the English: Tigris).
Our photo here is at Hansankeyf, in upper Mesopotamia (which means the land between the rivers: Tigris and Euphrates).
The second mention of the Tigris is found in Daniel 10:4: “On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris.” In this vision, it was revealed to Daniel what would transpire, especially during the Intertestamental Period, that historical period following the death of Alexander the Great, and reaching down in time to the Roman Empire. Of special interest was how these events would impact the Jewish people.
Since these photos were taken the area has been flooded by the Ilısu Dam construction. This photo below shows the Mausoleum of Zeynel Bey, son of Sultan Uzun Hasan of the Aq Qoyunlu dynasty (1378-1508).
This morning while studying Revelation 8 for our Bible study tonight, I was giving attention to verses 10-11: “The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.” Every passage has a context. Previously John saw the protection and care of those who have “the seal of the living God” (Rev. 7). Their prayers ascend “before God” and are heard (8:1-5). Here in our text (ch. 8) the imagery of trumpets sounding warning of judgments from God against those (rebellious) who “dwell on the earth” (8:13).
What does this imagery of wormwood portray? The text itself is helpful: “because they were made bitter” (8:11). Here is punishment/divine judgment which would be very bitter to those experiencing it. Further, the book will show that these warnings were the prelude of more (and worse) to come.
“Several plants in Palestine within the genus Artemisia, all of which are bitter in taste. Several species and varieties grow in Palestine, but those mentioned in the Bible are most likely Artemisia herba alba Asso, A. Judaica L., or A. absinthium” (ISBE, Vol. 4, p. 1117).
“Several species of artemisia grow in Palestine. The common wormwood is Artemisia Absinthium. The name always implies wormwood or something more bitter than gall. The genus artemisia belongs to the natural order Compositæ.” (Balfour, J. H. The Plants of the Bible, p. 246).
Consider the biblical references to wormwood, where its bitter, unpleasant character is alluded to.
Deut. 29:18: Moses warned Israel about a root bearing bitterness (see NIV: “bitter poison”): “Deuteronomy 29:18 “so that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.
The young man is warned against the adulterous woman in Prov. 5:4: “But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.”
Jeremiah warned God’s apostate people in Jerusalem, “therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink” (Jer. 9:15).
Later, Jeremiah wrote about his personal struggle as he witnessed the wrath of God upon Jerusalem by Babylon: “He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drunk with wormwood” (Lam. 3:15). And he implores God, “Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness” (Lam. 3:19).
The prophet Amos rebuked the northern kingdom of Israel, describing them with the words, “For those who turn justice into wormwood And cast righteousness down to the earth” (Amos 5:7). And again, “Do horses run on rocks? Or does one plow them with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood” (Amos 6:12).
The book of Revelation is filled with Old Testament allusions. These verses help provide the background for the imagery of wormwood in Revelation 8:11.
Our title comes from Judges 5:19, which contextually refers to the battle between Barak (with Deborah as Judge) and the Canaanites led by Sisera. God gave Israel a great victory (Judges 4-5).
Taanach, located about 5 miles SE of Megiddo, is mentioned seven times in the Bible:
Joshua 12:21: In this summary chapter, Taanach is one of thirty-one cities taken in the conquest of Canaan, led by Joshua.
Joshua 17:11:Taanach was assigned to the western half tribe of Manasseh in the tribal allotment of land.
Judges 1:27: Manasseh did not drive out the [Canaanite] inhabitants of Taanach.
Judges 5:19: In the days of the Judges, “The kings came and fought, Then the kings of Canaan fought In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo.”
1 Kings 4:12: King Solomon’s officers included “Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean.”
1 Chronicles 7:29: “Taanach and her towns” are listed as among the possession of Manasseh.
Location of Tanaach. Map courtesy of BibleAtlas.Org.
Lexham Bible Dictionary has some helpful information:
Taanach, or Tell Tiinik, is located approximately five miles southeast of Megiddo and northwest of Jenin in the eastern portion of the Jezreel Valley. The modern village located at the site bears the same name. The ancient city lies at an important intersection between Akko in the north, Jerusalem in the south, and the coastal cities in the west. The site encompasses at least 14 acres (Lapp, “Taanach by the Waters,” 2). Occupational evidence of the ancient city has been discovered dating from the Early Bronze Age, Intermediate Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age, Iron Age, Persian Period, Hellenistic Period, Roman Period, Byzantine Period, and Islamic Periods (Glock, “Taanach,” 1432–33; Lapp, “1963 Excavation at Ta’annek,” 8, 43–44) . . .
Taanach in Ancient Texts In addition to the Bible, Taanach is mentioned in ancient texts including:
• Egyptian topographical lists dating to the reigns of Thutmose III and Shoshenq I • possibly one Amarna Letter • the Taanach Tablets • other Egyptian documents from the Late Bronze Age
These documents, in addition to archaeological findings, attest to the city’s prominence and confirm occupation of the city in both periods during which the Bible mentions Taanach: the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age IIA (Ahituv, 184–185; EA 248; Lapp, “Taanach by the Waters,” 4).
Archaeological Significance Excavations at Taanach exposed 13 Akkadian tablets dating to the 15th century BC and one Canaanite tablet that uses an alphabetic cuneiform script dating to the 12th century BC (Glock, “Taanach,” 1431–32). Although a larger total number of cuneiform tablets have been recovered at Hazor, the Taanach collection comprises the largest single cache. The content of the Akkadian tablets ranges from letters for the local king to administrative lists, while the Canaanite tablet, found in a building with stone-grinding objects, is a receipt for a grain shipment (Albright, 16–25; Lapp, “1963 Excavation at Ta’annek,” 8; Lapp, “1966 Excavations at Ta’annek,” 21; Cross, 44–45; Glock, “Taanach,” 1431–32). (Kennedy, T. M. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press).
2 Samuel narrates an event early in the reign of King David, when initially he was king of Judah, prior to his reign over all Israel. When Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was the rival king of Israel to the north, and Abner was his commander, there was a meeting at the pool of Gibeon, with Abner and his forces, and Joab, David’s commander, and his men. The text reads,
And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. So they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.” So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon. So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David (2 Sam. 2:13-17).
Abner and his forces were soundly defeated, suffering 360 casualties, while David’s men led by his commander Joab had a total of 20 losses (v. 25-31). It was a sad and unnecessary chapter in Israel’s history. Gibeon was located within the tribal territory of Benjamin. Today it is in the West Bank.
Here is a closer view of the pool mentioned in our text:
The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible has the following entry, dealing with the pool, as well as more info regarding the site of Gibeon:
The Great Pool. This is referred to several times in the Bible and can now be identified. It was 37 feet in diameter and 82 feet deep, cylindrical in shape with perpendicular sides cut into bed-rock. There was a spiral stairway of 79 steps which gave access to fresh water 80 feet below street level. The pool lay inside the city walls.
The Stepped Tunnel. There was a second plan for obtaining water in time of siege. An underground sloping tunnel which descended by a series of 93 steps led to an underground reservoir fed by a spring originating in the rock mass below the city. This spring had been traced and a feeder tunnel enabled its water to flow more readily to the reservoir. Any overflow found its way via a conduit to the village below. This was a remarkable engineering achievement. The stepped tunnel reached down to a depth of 80 feet and was 167 feet long. In its walls were niches to hold oil lamps. Probably it was here that the “drawers of water” (Jos 9:27) obtained their supplies.
Inscriptions and Royal Stamp Seals. Sixty-one jar handles have been found on which inscriptions were cut in the archaic Hebrew script. On 31 of these is the word for Gibeon in whole or in part. Another 80 jar handles carry the letters lmlk, “belonging to the king.” Several well-known OT names such as Azariah, Amariah, Hananiah, and Neriah and a number of place-names such as Hebron, Socoh, and Ziph appear on these inscriptions.
Industrial Area. A remarkable industrial area came to light in the excavations, located both north and south of the pool. Here there were numerous winepresses, fermenting basins, and 63 underground cellars for cooling large wine jars. The whole area covered over 1100 square yards with cellars sunk into the limestone, some of these being over seven feet deep and equipped with stone covers. It is estimated that up to 25,000 gallons of wine could be stored in the jars. Some of the cellars were used as tombs in Roman times, but in Byzantine and modern times their use as wine cellars continued. In detail the cellars were bottle-shaped and averaged 7.2 feet in depth and 6.6 feet across at the bottom. The opening to the cellars averaged 2.2 feet in diameter at the top. The jars in which the wine was stored had a capacity of 9.75 gallons. It is clear that the manufacture of wine was an important element in the economy of Gibeon in OT times.
Fortifications. Gibeon was a walled city. Two impressive stone walls which encircled the city at different periods have been exposed. No traces of walls were found that could be dated to the Early, Middle, or Late Bronze periods although the remains of house walls, pottery, and tombs demonstrate that the city was occupied then. The excavator concluded that the construction of the earlier wall dates to the 12th century BC. and the later wall was built in the 10th century BC. and continued in use to the end of the 7th century BC. The average thickness of the wall was about 13 feet. The circumference of the fortification was 3125 feet.
The Necropolis. The burial place of Gibeon was situated to the west of the city halfway down the rock scarp. Many of the graves contained skeletal remains, pottery, scarabs, and other artifacts. The size of the tombs varied considerably, but most consisted of a vertical cylindrical shaft about 3.7 feet in diameter, the depths varying from 3.3 feet to 13 feet. The tombs were sealed by either one large stone or several smaller ones at the foot of the vertical shaft where the burial chamber opened to one side. JOHN A. THOMPSON Vol. 1, p. 864).
I have previously posted on Gibeon here, here and here.
Foundational to the Gospel message is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Luke writes:
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, “saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” And they remembered His words. (Luke 24:1-8).
This tomb was discovered during road construction. It so well illustrates the biblical texts that narrate the burial of Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea had a new tomb (one which had not been previously used, John 19:38-42). Assisted by Nicodemus, Joseph wrapped Jesus’ body in a clean linen cloth, “and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed” (Mt. 27:59-60). The tomb in our photo was hewn out of the rock, and you can see the large stone positioned to the left of the opening.
On Sunday, the 1st day of the week when Jesus was raised from the dead, the text says this about Peter and “the other disciple:”
So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. (John 20:4-8).
Note the record says the disciple stooped down to look in. The tomb in our photo shows how this would of necessity be true.
Rolling Stone Tomb. Stooping to Look Inside. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.
Note that we are not suggesting that this is the tomb in which Jesus was buried; it does however illustrate the type of tomb that would have been used.
For New Testament Christians, each first day of the week is significant. Christians assemble in the name of Jesus Christ to partake of His memorial feast, the Lord’s Supper. That Supper points back to His death, His body and His blood. But we serve a risen Savior! We proclaim His death till He comes (1 Cor. 11:26).
Click herefor an excellent post detailing “The Week of the Death and Resurrection,” by Ferrell Jenkins.
2 Kings 17 records the sad, catastrophic fall of the northern Kingdom of Israel (722 BC), as well as the reasons for that calamity: their sin and rebellion against Yahweh. The siege of Israel’s capital city Samaria, begun by Assyrian King Shalmaneser (r. 726-722 named in v. 3), lasted three years (v.5). The text continues to narrate that “the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria. . .” (v.6). According to Assyrian records, Shalmaneser V died just before the siege was finished; the conquest was completed by his successor Sargon II (r. 722-705).
Though not mentioned by name in the 2 Kings text, Sargon II is cited in Isaiah 20:1, in the context of his capturing Ashdod of Philistia.
When you study the Scriptures, you’re reading about real events, real people, real places! The Bible is not a book of fiction. It is the inspired word of God.
A scheduled study for today includes 1 Kings 19, the chapter which follows the triumph on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18) which showed that Elijah was the true servant of God, and Yahweh was the true God; Baal was nothing! But in 1 Kings 19, a discouraged Elijah leaves Jezebel & Ahab’s jurisdiction (northern Kingdom of Israel) and travels hundreds of miles south.
1 Kings 19:3 notes that he first traveled as far as Beersheba, which was the southernmost extent of Judah’s border.
After some food and rest, Elijah continued his journey down to Mt. Sinai, here designated as “Horeb, the mountain of God” (1 Kings 19:8). Earlier at Mt. Sinai when God brought Israel out of Egypt by His servant Moses, He gave the Israelites the 10 Commandments (along with the other laws and ordinances) to Israel. (Note rendering of NLT is “Mount Sinai.”).
Psalm 127 is attributed to Solomon, who wrote, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them” (v. 3-5a). Psalm 128 goes on to say, “Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!” (v.6). We would also include Proverbs 17:6, which states, “Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father.”
These verses speak to the fact that our children and grandchildren are blessings from God, from Whom all blessings flow! In our tours to biblical and historical sites over the years, we have been privileged to have family travel with us, including some of our grandchildren. In our recent tour of Greece and Turkey we had two of our grandsons (and two of our children). It was their (these grandsons) first time traveling internationally.
Keegan (left) and Little Leon (right) at Ephesus.
Walking down Curetes Street, Ephesus. Photo by Alysha Montgomery.
When we were in Athens Keegan posed with a “Greek soldier,” complete with hopite armor. Keegan is wearing the stephonos (victor’s) crown.
Keegan with Greek soldier, dressed in hoplite armor. Acropolis at Athens, Greece. Photo by Leon Mauldin.
I want to fortify the faith of our grandchildren. I want them to know that the Bible is true. That it speaks of real people, real places, and real events. Travel in the Steps of Paul and John can contribute to that. We are blessed!
At various points in biblical history, we sometimes see that opposition to God’s purpose came from the outside, from those who are enemies of God’s revealed will. But on other occasions, the source of problems and discord is from within, from professed followers. This was the case in Nehemiah 5. Previously the inspired narrative had traced the opposition to rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall to men such as Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite and Gehsem the Arab (2:10,19; 4:1,7), enemies from “without.” But in chapter 5 it is the “Jewish brethren” (v. 1), their “nobles and rulers” (v.7), who were taking advantage of the poor (Jews) for their own financial profit. The poor were having to borrow money, and even reduced to selling their children as slaves, to have something to eat. (Neh. 5:1-5). Hence their plea to Nehemiah: “Therefore let us get grain for them, that we may eat and live” (v.2).
To illustrate, I want to share some photos from Maresha, near Beit Guvrin, Israel.
This photo shows a portion of the wheat field, plus an ancient well (note the rope marks), a manger, a milestone, an almond tree, and my good friend/brother Ferrell Jenkins. (He is “out standing” in his field). That’s a lot to get in one photo 🙂
Our recent tour visiting biblical sites in Greece and Turkey concluded in the city of Istanbul (Byzantion, Byzantium, Constantinople). Sites on this final leg of our itinerary included the Chora Church, the Yedikule Fortress, the dungeon, the city walls, and one of the underground water systems. (The Fall 2023 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review had a feature article on this city, which it entitled, “Explore Christianity’s First Capital.”)
The underground cistern we visited (the Basilica Cistern) is presently beneath Istanbul’s streets (rediscovered in 1545 by Petrus Gyllius). It was built by Justinian I in the 6th century BC, and supplied water to Justinian’s palace, the Hagia Sophia, and other major structures of Constantinople. It has 336 marble columns and holds up to 20 million gallons of water. Justinian believed in “recycling.” He used architectural elements from other buildings, as illustrated here:
Lonely Planet Istanbul notes that “the cistern has played a starring role in innumerable motion pictures (remember From Russia with Love?) and is now one of the city’s best-loved tourist attractions” (p. 25). The authors lists the Basilica Cistern as among “Istanbul’s Top 10” attractions to visit.
Posted by Leon Mauldin 
leonmauldin.blog 