The Bible on Location: Off the Beaten Path in Ancient and Modern Israel

In this innovative guidebook Julie Baretz takes readers to twenty-one off-the-beaten-path locations in Israel where Bible stories are said to have happened. At each site she sets the scene by relating the historical context of the event, then follows with the biblical text itself and her own lively commentary. Captivating and complex Bible characters bring the locations to life as they face social, ethical, and spiritual dilemmas not unlike our own today. Baretz’s narratives draw on history, archaeology, academic scholarship, and rabbinic literature for interpretations that enhance the meaning of the biblical events. Each story is told in the voice of Baretz as the tour guide—knowledgeable yet informal and friendly.

 
The Bible on Location traces the chronology and narrative arc of the historical books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, Ezra, and Nehemiah. The book begins with the Israelites’ arrival in the land of Israel (following the exodus from Egypt and the forty years of wandering) and continues over more than six hundred years, until the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon to their homeland.

 
Baretz’s descriptions are accompanied by colorful maps and photographs that put actual and armchair visitors in the middle of the action. Each location reveals a new episode in the biblical narrative and provides inspiration and commentary that will enhance visits to the various sites.

ISBN-13: 9780827612228

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: The Jewish Publication Society

Publication Date: 06-01-2015

Pages: 376

Product Dimensions: 5.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

Julie Baretz received her license from the Israel Government Tour Guides training program in 1987. Since then she has guided thousands of Jewish and Christian visitors to sites all around the country.

Read an Excerpt

The Bible on Location

Off the Beaten Path in Ancient and Modern Israel

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By Julie Baretz

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA PRESS

Copyright © 2015 Julie Baretz
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8276-1222-8

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CHAPTER 1

Rahab at Jericho

Joshua 2:1–23; 6:21–25

A Canaanite prostitute aids and encourages the Israelite spies See page 311 for visitor information.

Where Are We?

Vered Yericho lies in the Jordan Valley area of the West Bank. It is a secular cooperative village founded in 1980 with a population of about fifty families. Most are engaged in tourism, agriculture, and small businesses.

Setting the Scene

Looking eastward, in the distance you can see the mountains of Moab, today Jordan. Although difficult to pinpoint from here, one of those mountains is Nebo, whose summit was Moses's lookout into the promised land after the forty-year sojourn in the wilderness (Deut. 34:1–5). The Jordan River lies just below; we will descend to the banks of the river at the next stop.

Looking northward to the left, you can see the present-day city of Jericho sprawled below. An oasis, Jericho's lush surroundings are fed by the spring of Elisha (Ein es-Sultan), a freshwater spring with an average capacity of fifty gallons of water per second. The abundant water source, rich alluvial soil, and its strategic location on the ancient trade routes have made Jericho a desirable place to settle since antiquity.

Home to the remains of the oldest city on the world (ten thousand years old), today Jericho is a Palestinian municipality numbering over twenty thousand inhabitants. Tel Jericho, the site of the ancient settlement, is the small brown mound to the right of the foot of the hill.

The Context

The book of Joshua is part of a larger unit within the biblical anthology known as the Deuteronomistic history, which was inspired by the ideas of the book of Deuteronomy and was probably penned in the seventh–sixth centuries BCE. The objective of the authors and editors was to tell the story of the people of Israel from the moment they stood poised to enter the promised land after forty years of wandering in the wilderness, until they were banished into exile over six hundred years later.

The Deuteronomistic history kicks off with Deuteronomy, when Moses, in his final act as leader, delivers his last long speech to the people of Israel. He reviews their experiences together, reiterates the laws by which they have agreed to abide, and exhorts them to remain faithful to their God. The central idea of Deuteronomy, at the heart of its history, is the importance of the covenant between the Israelites and God. The books that follow—Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings—recount the ups and downs in this unique relationship as the Israelites take possession of the land, adapt to an agricultural lifestyle, fend off their enemies, establish a monarchy, and violate the covenant again and again. The story culminates with the destruction of Solomon's temple and Jerusalem and the forced exile of the Jewish people from the land.

An important theme in this context is the threat inherent in contact with the indigenous Canaanite population, which worshipped foreign gods. It was clear from the get-go that the Israelites would have a hard time resisting the temptation to mingle with their gentile neighbors. As they prepared to take possession of the land, Moses specifically commanded them to have no pity on the locals and to destroy all the peoples there in a sweeping injunction known in Hebrew as a herem (e.g., Deut. 7:1–2).

After Moses completed his instructive orations, he climbed up to the summit of Mount Nebo to view the promised land from afar as his last act. Following his death, the baton of leadership passed to Joshua, son of Nun, whose task was to lead the people of Israel on the next leg of their odyssey (Josh. 1:1–9). In the beginning of the book of Joshua, we meet the Israelites as they make ready to cross over the Jordan River and enter the land (Josh. 1–5).

In an unmistakable echo of the Exodus story, just as Moses led the Israelites through the parted waters of the Red Sea forty years earlier (Exod.14), Joshua leads them across the waters of the Jordan River (Josh. 3–4). Just as Moses sent a squadron of men to spy in the land (Num. 13), Joshua dispatches two scouts to gather intelligence on the region of Jericho, the first city they will encounter after they cross the river. However, while Moses's spies spent forty days hiking the width and breadth of the land, closely examining the terrain, Joshua's spies embark on a completely different experience.

The first place they land is in a brothel.

Joshua 2

1 Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, "Go, reconnoiter the region of Jericho." So they set out, and they came to the house of a harlot named Rahab and lodged there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, "Some men have come here tonight, Israelites, to spy out the country." 3 The king of Jericho thereupon sent orders to Rahab: "Produce the men who came to you and entered your house, for they have come to spy out the whole country." 4 The woman, however, had taken the two men and hidden them. "It is true," she said, "the men did come to me, but I didn't know where they were from. 5 And at dark, when the gate was about to be closed, the men left; and I don't know where the men went. Quick, go after them, for you can overtake them."—6 Now she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under some stalks of flax which she had lying on the roof.—7 So the men pursued them in the direction of the Jordan down to the fords; and no sooner had the pursuers gone out than the gate was shut behind them.

8 The spies had not yet gone to sleep when she came up to them on the roof. 9 She said to the men, "I know that the Lord has given the country to you, because dread of you has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land are quaking before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds for you when you left Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings across the Jordan, whom you doomed. 11 When we heard about it, we lost heart, and no man had any more spirit left because of you; for the Lord your God is the only God in heaven above and on earth below. 12 Now, since I have shown loyalty to you, swear to me by the Lord that you in turn will show loyalty to my family. Provide me with a reliable sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death." 14 The men answered her, "Our persons are pledged for yours, even to death! If you do not disclose this mission of ours, we will show you true loyalty when the Lord gives us the land."

15 She let them down by a rope through the window—for her dwelling was at the outer side of the city wall and she lived in the actual wall. 16 She said to them, "Make for the hills, so that the pursuers may not come upon you. Stay there in hiding three days, until the pursuers return; then go your way."

17 But the men warned her, "We will be released from this oath which you have made us take 18 [unless,] when we invade the country, you tie this length of crimson cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your family together in your house; 19 and if anyone ventures outside the doors of your house, his blood will be on his head, and we shall be clear. But if a hand is laid on anyone who remains in the house with you, his blood shall be on our heads. 20 And if you disclose this mission of ours, we shall likewise be released from the oath which you made us take." 21 She replied, "Let it be as you say."

She sent them on their way, and they left; and she tied the crimson cord to the window.

22 They went straight to the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers turned back. And so the pursuers, searching all along the road, did not find them.

23 Then the two men came down again from the hills and crossed over. They came to Joshua son of Nun and reported to him all that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, "The Lord has delivered the whole land into our power; in fact, all the inhabitants of the land are quaking before us."

6

21 They exterminated everything in the city with the sword: man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and ass. 22 But Joshua bade the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the harlot's house and bring out the woman and all that belong to her, as you swore to her." 23 So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and her mother, her brothers and all that belonged to her—they brought out her whole family and left them outside the camp of Israel.

24 They burned down the city and everything in it. But the silver and gold and the objects of copper and iron were deposited in the treasury of the House of the Lord. 25 Only Rahab the harlot and her father's family were spared by Joshua, along with all that belonged to her, and she dwelt among the Israelites—as is still the case. For she had hidden the messengers that Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Pretty Woman

The account of the battle of Jericho comes shortly before this story in chapter 6, when the walls of the city come famously tumbling down. The archaeological excavations at Jericho have not, as yet, yielded evidence to support the biblical account of the city's destruction. It seems that Jericho was deserted at the time of the Israelite conquest and probably had been abandoned more than four hundred years earlier. At most, a small settlement existed there, patched together from the salvageable ruins and probably ruled over by an insignificant king. However, in our story Jericho, the first city conquered by the Israelites, has enormous symbolic significance as proof of the guiding power of the Israelite God. Likewise, Rahab the Canaanite also has great symbolic importance; ultimately, she and her family will be adopted into the nation of Israel.

It's hard not to wonder how this harlot found her way into the narrative. Why would the honorable biblical editors choose to introduce a prostitute, the quintessential prototype of a depraved native, right at the beginning of the glorious story of the holy conquest?

The ancient rabbis clearly felt uncomfortable with the term "prostitute," and in early translations of the Bible into the vernacular Aramaic they referred to Rahab as a "supplier of provisions." When used in the feminine, and with a wink, the euphemism was understood by everyone. (When the Rahab text is taught today in Israeli elementary schools, Rahab is still called a supplier of provisions, but without the wink.)

Still, the problematic character of Rahab the hussy was nonetheless warmly embraced in the rabbinic literature because of her contribution to the Israelite victory. Her aiding and encouragement of the Israelite spies was a vote of confidence in God from a previously unenlightened foreigner. When she declared her faith in the Israelite deity, she transformed herself from the lowliest idolater to the ideal proselyte, a fallen woman who has seen the light.

Liberated by Rahab's complete moral makeover, in the midrash, the rabbinic folk literature, the sages really let loose in their discussion of the formerly licentious woman. First, they slam her: she became a harlot at age ten and worked until she was fifty years old (Zevahim 116b). She had an entrance to her establishment outside the walls for the convenience of her clients, which included thieves (Pesikta Rabbati p. 40:3) She had relations with every prince and ruler, and her talents were bought by everyone. Her name was a byword for lewdness (b. Zevahim 116b). Shhh ... they even admit that simply to mention Rahab's name was to risk having an involuntary seminal emission! (b. Megillah 15a).

After rollicking in the mud bath of Rahab's earlier depravity, the sages clean her up very nicely. They note that the former lady of ill repute was one of the most beautiful women in the world (Megillah 15a). She was a model convert and even a kind of prophetess (Deuteronomy Rabbah 2:26–27). Two hundred of Rahab's relatives survived the Jericho onslaught thanks to her, and her family and her descendants are the subject of in-depth discussion. She eventually married Joshua (don't miss the movie, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts), and among her progeny were eight prophet/priests, including Jeremiah and Hulda (Sifrei on Numbers 78 et al.). The midrash notes that the Divine Spirit rested on Rahab when she stood up for Israel (Ruth Rabbah m1,1), and that rather than being called by God, she choose the faith of Israel by her own free will (Exodus Rabbah 27:2, p. 48b). Her transformation from harlot to shining moral example was complete.

Choose Your Enemies

If Rahab experienced a religious epiphany, then it is easy to understand why she cooperated with the spies. However, if we attempt to deconstruct her as a real-life character acting within the reality of her time and circumstances, then we have to wonder about her motives. Why would a local Canaanite woman sell out her people to an invading enemy? Why would she cut a deal to save her family, but no one else? Two hypotheses emerge.

News of the exploits of the Israelites and their God had reached Canaan by wandering nomads before the twelve tribes' arrival. As Rahab described it, the Canaanites were quaking in their boots just thinking about what would happen to them once the actual invasion began. Rahab may have coldly calculated that militarily, the locals had no chance against the Israelite army. She may have decided to help the spies after plainly considering the options and concluding, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Another possible explanation for Rahab's betrayal of her own people may lie in the feudal nature of ancient Canaanite society. City-states like Jericho typically comprised two sectors: the royalty and the upper class, who owned all the land, and the peasantry, who worked it. We may assume that there was no love lost between the two. In fact, there was often deep animosity between the privileged class and the poor. When the invading Israelites appeared on the scene, the local Canaanites were forced to choose their loyalties. While the kings of the city-states naturally resisted the invaders, many of the people of the lower class may have opted to throw their lot in with the Israelites. It is certainly possible that Rahab, a woman who lived on the margins of society, felt she had nothing to lose by turning her back on the local aristocracy and joining forces with the foreign attackers.

We Are Family

Yet other considerations quietly surface when we contemplate Rahab's social role. Let's remember that the Bible was written from a male perspective, for a male audience; anything relating to sexual matters was to be understood from the male point of view. In ancient times prostitution was considered a necessary evil. The laws against fornication, or extramarital relations, applied mainly to married women, who were considered the exclusive sexual property of their husbands. Since the unmarried ladies who plied the trade profaned no man's honor, technically they weren't doing anything illegal. The professional gals enabled the men of ancient patriarchal society to jealously guard their women's chastity, and at the same time get a few thrills on the side whenever the need arose. References to prostitutes are scattered throughout the biblical text (Jephthah's mom was one [Judg.11:1]; Samson visited one in Gaza [Judg.16:1]), indicating that they were a tolerated part of the landscape, albeit strongly stigmatized. (In an echo of the biblical toleration of prostitution as a necessary evil, modern Israel has adopted a fairly lenient attitude toward women who choose to sell their bodies. Prostitution is not a criminal offense, but brothels, pimping, and advertising sexual services are all illegal.)

For a prostitute Rahab receives fairly positive treatment from the biblical author. While we know what she does for a living, we're given to understand that she is a smart, resourceful woman who acts coolly and confidently in a time of crisis. She knows where to hide the intruders, she lies artfully to the king, and she cunningly plans the spies' getaway. From the Israelite perspective, she's the classic whore with a heart of gold, and we're led to believe that beneath her coarse exterior lies one tough cookie.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Bible on Location by Julie Baretz. Copyright © 2015 Julie Baretz. Excerpted by permission of UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA PRESS.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Acknowledgments
Introduction
List of Abbreviations
Time Line

1. Rahab at Jericho
2. Joshua in the Valley of Aijalon
3. Deborah and Jael at Mount Tabor
4. Gideon at En Harod
5. Samson at Zorah
6. Ruth the Moabitess at Bethlehem
7. The Levite and His Concubine at Gibeah
8. David and Goliath in the Valley of Elah
9. David’s Flight to En Gedi
10. King Saul at Mount Gilboa
11. Bathsheba in the City of David
12. Absalom’s Flight to Geshur
13. Absalom’s Rebellion in the Kidron Valley
14. Jeroboam in Dan
15. Elijah at Mount Carmel
16. Naboth’s Vineyard at Jezreel
17. Elisha and the Wealthy Woman at Shunem
18. Hezekiah Prepares Jerusalem for War
19. Zedekiah Flees Jerusalem
20. Ezra and Nehemiah Rehabilitate Jerusalem
21. Megiddo: The Untold Story

Appendix
Bibliography
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