Study Guide: Week 3 - Biblical Figures, Places, and Terms

Flashcards covering key figures, geographic locations, and important religious terms from biblical history as presented in week 3 materials.

Abigail

Wife of Nabal who provides food to David; she later becomes the wife of David.

Abishag

A young virgin hired to keep David warm in his old age; Adonijah is killed by Solomon after asking to marry her.

Abner

Commander of Saul’s army who anoints Ishbosheth but later joins David; he is killed by Joab.

Absalom

Son of David who kills his half-brother Amnon for the rape of Tamar and leads a rebellion against David.

Adonijah

Son of David who attempts to succeed him but is thwarted by Nathan and Bathsheba; he is later killed by Solomon.

Ahab

King of the northern kingdom of Israel who worships Baal and is married to Jezebel.

Amnon

Son of David who rapes his half-sister Tamar and is killed by his half-brother Absalom.

Bathsheba

Wife of Uriah the Hittite who becomes pregnant by David and later is the mother of Solomon.

Boaz

A wealthy landowner of Bethlehem who marries Ruth and is an ancestor of David.

David

The successor to Saul as king of united Israel who makes Jerusalem the capital and receives the Davidic Covenant.

Eli

The ineffectual priest who mentored Samuel; he died when the Ark of the Covenant was captured.

Elijah

A prophet from the northern kingdom who performed miracles, had a theophany on Mt. Horeb, and was carried to heaven on a fiery chariot.

Goliath

A Philistine giant who was killed by David with a slingshot in one-on-one combat.

Hannah

A woman who was formerly barren and prayed for a son; she consecrated her son Samuel as a Nazirite.

Jeroboam

The king of the northern kingdom of Israel who established rival shrines to compete with the Temple at Jerusalem.

Jesse

The father of King David.

Jezebel

The foreign wife of Ahab and worshipper of Baal who was responsible for the death of Naboth.

Joab

The commander of David’s army responsible for the deaths of Abner, Uriah the Hittite, and Absalom.

Jonathan

The son of Saul and close friend of David who was killed by Philistines in battle.

Josiah

King of Judah who instituted religious reforms after the Book of the Law was found in the Temple.

Mephibosheth

The lame son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul who was cared for by David.

Michal

The daughter of Saul and wife of David who was given for a bride-price of $200$ Philistine foreskins.

Nabal

A wealthy shepherd who refused food to David's men and was subsequently killed by God.

Naboth

The owner of a vineyard who was illegally executed by Jezebel so Ahab could take his land.

Naomi

A woman of Bethlehem who returned from Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth.

Nathan

A prophet during David's reign who denounced his adultery and helped Solomon become king.

Nebuchadnezzar

King of the Babylonian Empire who besieged and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in $587\text{ BCE}$.

Philistines

Aegean people who settled along the Mediterranean and were the chief rivals of the Israelites; they possessed the use of iron.

Queen of Sheba

A woman who visited Solomon to admire his wealth and test his wisdom with questions.

Rehoboam

The son of Solomon whose refusal to lighten the people's burden led to the rebellion of the ten northern tribes.

Ruth

A Moabite woman and daughter-in-law of Naomi who marries Boaz and becomes the great-grandmother of David.

Samuel

A priest and prophet who warned against the monarchy but anointed both Saul and David as kings.

Saul

The first king of Israel who was from the tribe of Benjamin and eventually grew jealous of David.

Solomon

The son of David and Bathsheba who built the first Temple in Jerusalem and was famous for his wisdom.

Tamar

The daughter of David who was raped by her half-brother Amnon.

Uriah the Hittite

A soldier in David’s army whom David had killed to hide his adultery with Bathsheba.

Assyria

An empire that dominated the Near East from about $1100$ to $600\text{ BCE}$ and conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in $722\text{ BCE}$.

Babylonia

The empire that replaced Assyria, destroyed Jerusalem in $587\text{ BCE}$, and deported the population to Babylon.

Jerusalem

The ancient city captured by David that became the capital and site of the Temple.

Samaria

The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel built by King Omri.

Babylonian Captivity/Exile

The period between $587$ and $538\text{ BCE}$ during which the upper classes of Judah were held in Babylon.

Book of the Covenant/Law

A collection of laws attributed to the time of Moses and rediscovered during the reign of King Josiah.

Proverbs

A book of the Hebrew Bible traditionally ascribed to Solomon containing practical advice and reflections on wisdom.

Psalms

A collection of sacred songs or poems traditionally ascribed to David.

Song of Songs

A book often attributed to Solomon that consists of erotic poems praising sensual love.