Daily Life in Ancient Israel

1
Daily Life in Ancient Israel

• Chapter 13

2
Changing Patterns of Life

• Before David and Solomon people lived mainly in
  small villages and lived on farming and
  shepherding
• After David and Solomon larger cities were
  established, shifting the economic and political
  power away from the rural areas
• This division between tribe and city dwellers led
  to increased tension in the area
• Rural dwellers resisted attempts at paganism from
  Jerusalems kings, but remained extremely loyal
  to the house of David, being one of the primary
  means of defense against outside attacks

3
City Life

• 1,000 3,000 people
• Extremely crowded conditions some buildings
  shared walls
• Typical house stone base, mudbrick walls, and a
  flat roof made of mud or sticks and thatch
• Cities usually had a major public square where
  marketing was done and where elders met to make
  judgments
• Some evidence of a drainage system, but most
  cities were probably garbage-infested

4
The Human Person in Israelite Thinking

• Descriptions were concrete
• Ex. Song of Songs
• Humans are made up of flesh (basar), spirit
  (ruah), heart (leb), and soul (nepesh)
• The basic quality of human life comes from the
  soul desire, feeling, weakness, need for
  nourishment
• Israelites viewed a person as unified in flesh
  and spirit

5
Sickness and Old Age

• Sickness
• Medicine depended on natural roots and plants
  used fantastic curses or prayed to God
• Some belief in evil spirits causing illnesses
• God was the ultimate cause of a cure
• Old Age
• Life was short average less than 45 years
• The long lifespans (ex. Abraham _at_ 175 years old
  Moses _at_ 120 years old) was a sign of blessing for
  being faithful rather than a literal age of death
• Old age was seen as a time of failing strength,
  loss of eyesight, inability to eat, and growing
  weakness still the elderly were respected for
  their wisdom

6
Death and Afterlife

• Prior to, and for a while after the exile, there
  is little evidence that the Israelites hoped for
  an afterlife, although others (Egyptians,
  Mesopotamians, Syrians) did
• Israel avoided mentioning a place of joy after
  death instead appeared to believe in a place of
  stillness, darkness, and helplessness
• Israelites were forbidden from offering
  sacrifices to the dead, or consulting their
  spirits
• Awhile after the exile, the focus shifted to the
  goodness/evil of the life of an individual
  renewed interest in God not forgetting the
  faithful

7
Daily Work

• Based off Genesis 1 and 2 the purpose of men
  and women is clearly said to be the domination of
  the earth and its cultivation
• After the first sin, laboring became both a
  blessing and a curse
• Other occupations
• Metalworkers
• Artisans
• Scribes

8
The Family in Israel

• Family Unit
• Large was preferable
• Strong clan loyalty for the protection of all
• Marriage
• In the bible, frequent instances of deep love
• Levirate marriage when a woman is widowed, she
  is taken in by her husbands closest male
  relative
• Women
• Have less power in the relationship
• Responsible for educating children in the home
• Although not empowered, were rarely shown in the
  bible as being disrespected or treated badly
• Children
• Often portrayed as headstrong and strong-willed
• Lucky boys got formal education reading and
  writing
• Sons were desired added to clan strength

9
Sexual Attitudes

• Sexual behavior was carefully regulated
• Sex and Marriage
• Love, even in arranged marriages, was expected to
  grow
• Strict laws against violation of marriage vows
• Sex before marriage carried with it the
  obligation to marry that person
• Other Condemned Sexual Acts
• Unnatural Acts
• Bestiality
• Males wearing womens clothing
• Public nakedness or exposing sexual organs
• Sexual activity of a warrior engaged in a holy
  war
• The sexual drive was seen to be unruly as a
  result of the first sin by Adam and Eve

10
Marriage Customs

• Monogamy vs. Polygamy
• According to Genesis 1 and 2, monogamy is ideal
  covenant bonds!
• Seems to have been standard practice around the
  writing of these books (1000 B.C.) except for
  kings
• In cases of polygamy, the first wife was
  protected and had special rights over the other
  wives second wives were taken only in order to
  bear children
• Marriage Ceremonies
• A time for rejoicing
• Husband publicly declared his obligation to care
  for his wife
• Wife processes to the grooms house

11
Friends and Enemies

• Friends
• All brothers must be treated equally by their
  father even if they have different mothers
• There is a primary loyalty between brothers
• This brother idea was spread to mean all
  members of the covenant
• Enemies
• In many biblical stories, hatred for an enemy
  leads to a disaster
• In the proverbs, the idea of overcoming the
  hatred of an enemy and helping him is discussed

12
Legal Justice in Early Israel

• Very little written record, especially prior to
  the exile
• Before King David-
• Disputes were handled at the family or clan level
• Blood-revenge
• After King David-
• Clan system judgments were given by the elders
• Penalties were generally less severe than
  neighboring countries

13
Royal Justice

• Kings took an active interest in their lands
  justice they often made judgments themselves
• The law was built on the age-old customs and
  judgments royal additions came only in cases
  that needed new solutions or had never occurred
  before
• Ultimately, law came from God

14
Slavery

• Nearly every nation in the Near East permitted
  slavery
• Israel limited its use
• Poverty forced a person into slavery just to live
• Prisoners of war, made to work for the state
• Slavery was opposed to the basis of the covenant
  God had given His blessings equally and to all
• Both types of slavery gradually disappeared after
  Israel lost political independence and social
  conditions changed