Bible Characters – Men in the Old Testament
Aaron Aaron, Moses' older brother, is so often overlooked. Moses and Aaron were quite the team - Moses was like a god to Pharaoh; Aaron was like a prophet. Adam God forms Adam from the dust of the ground. Learn more about Adam, Eve, the Garden of Eden, and the serpent. Balaam When Balaam disobeys God's direction, God uses a donkey to convey His message to Balaam. Balak Balak is the king of Moab at the time the Israelites are marching towards the Promised Land. He tries to get Balaam to curse the Israelites. Baruch Baruch was Jeremiah's secretary, and his name means "blessed by Yahweh." Ben-ammi Ben-ammi was Lot's grandson from his younger daughter. He was conceived after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Benjamin Benjamin is Jacob's twelfth son and a full brother to Joseph. With her dying breath, Rachel names him Benoni, which means "son of my misfortune" or "son of my sorrow." After her death, Jacob changes his name to Benjamin, meaning "son of my good fortune" or "son of my right hand." Caleb The tribe of Judah sends Caleb as their representative when Moses sends a leader from each tribe to spy out the land of Canaan. Only Caleb and Joshua feel they can overtake the land of Canaan. Dan and Naphtali Dan and Naphtali were the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant. Rachel gives Bilhah to Jacob as a surrogate mother since she is unable to bear children. Daniel Daniel saved his own life by interpreting the king's dream. He took no credit for it, attributing all wisdom to God. David An overview of David's amazing life, from his beginnings as a shepherd to his becoming king. (By Mary Jane Chaignot) The Egyptian Pharaohs with Joseph An informative overview about Joseph's years in Egypt. Eleazar Eleazar is the third son of Aaron and Elisheba. He is in charge of the entire tabernacle, including its holy furnishings and articles. He becomes the eldest son when his older brothers disobey God. Ephraim Ephraim is the second son of Joseph and Asenath. The name Ephraim, then, means "fruitfulness." Esau As firstborn, Esau is the real heir and Isaac's successor. Readers already know that Jacob will be given that privilege. Gad and Asher Gad and Asher are Jacob's seventh and eight son's born to Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. Gideon Gideon was a judge who asked God some tough questions. Goliath of Gath The story of David and Goliath is so familiar, but here are still some tidbits of information that surely you haven't heard before. Ham, Noah's Son Scholars believe Ham is the youngest of Noah's three sons. Ham asks his brothers to help cover Noah when he ends up drunk and naked. Ishmael Ishmael was Abraham's firstborn son. His mother was Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar. Issachar and Zebulun God answers Leah's prayers by bringing her fifth and sixth sons: Issachar and Zebulun. Jacob and Esau Jacob and Esau were twins of Rebekah and Jacob. Esau was the older twin. He was rather short-sighted. Jacob stole Esau's blessing. Job Job was faithful to God, even when he lost absolutely everything that had been important to him. Jonah No one knows if Jonah was a real person or if his life is just a story. The story of Jonah reminds us of the importance of listening to God and that God loves us all. Joshua Joshua was the successor to Moses. He was one of the spies sent to check out the Promised Land. He was the one to apportion the land among the tribes. Judah Judah means, "thanksgiving" or "praise." Leah names this son, Judah, from the verb "to praise" and resolves to praise God for his wonderful provisions. Levi Levi is the third son of Jacob and his first wife, Leah. The name Levi is drawn from the verb "to join", expressing Leah's hope that her husband would now be drawn to her. Lot Lot is Abraham's nephew who chooses the land of Sodom because of it's apparent beauty and fertility. Manasseh, Son of Joseph Manasseh is the eldest son of Joseph and Asenath. Sometime later Joseph finds out that his father, Jacob, is ill. He takes his two sons to see his father. Jacob adopts Joseph's son, Manasseh, as well as his second son.
Manoah and His Wife Manoah belongs to the tribe of Dan. His wife is unable to have children. Then an angel appears to Manoah's wife and tells her that she will become pregnant and give birth to a son. Samson is the son of Manoah and his wife. Moab Moab was Lot's grandson. He was the offspring of Lot’s eldest daughter. Noah Most people probably thought he was crazy, but Noah was obedient to God and built an ark according to exact specifications. Phinehas Phinehas or Phineas is the grandson of Aaron. His father is Eleazar and he appears to be an only child. Potiphar and His Wife Potiphar buys Joseph grom the Midianites. Potiphar sees "that the Lord is with Joseph and that the Lord gives him success in everything he does." Reuben Reuben is the eldest son of Jacob and his first wife, Leah. Samson Samson was a perfect example of what NOT to do—in almost every sense. Shem Scholars are not sure whether Shem is Noah's eldest or youngest son. Simeon Simeon is the second son of Jacob and his first wife, Leah. The name Simeon means, "God has heard." It refers to Leah's conviction that God heard that "she was unloved." So essentially, it means that God has heard about her suffering. The Sons of Adam and Eve Enjoy learning more about Cain and Able the sons of Adam and Eve. Tamar's Twins - Perez and Zerah Tamar tricks Judah and together they have twin boys, Perez and Zerah. Three Hebrew Boys Three Hebrews boys refuse to worship a statue because it violates the Second Commandment. Then they're thrown into a fiery furnace and something miraculous happens! Zerubbabel Zerubbabel is often credited with rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, though most of his life is shrouded in mystery. |
