Customs and Culture of the Bible
The Bible was written in cultures very different from our own. Explore customs, institutions, daily practices and figures of speech that help explain what biblical writers and their first readers would have understood.
188 customs found
"Binding and Loosing"
Binding and loosing were Jewish expressions associated with authority to forbid or permit and, in communal settings, to make authoritative judgments about conduct and discipline.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 16:19
"Cup" as a Symbol of Destiny or Judgment
A cup can function biblically as a metaphor for the portion or destiny allotted to a person, including blessing, suffering, or divine judgment.
Primary Scripture: Mark 14:36
"Dust on the Head" and Signs of Grief
Putting dust or earth on the head was a visible gesture of grief, humiliation, calamity, or mourning in the ancient biblical world.
Primary Scripture: Joshua 7:6
"Gird Up Your Loins"
Long garments could hinder strenuous movement, so a person preparing to work, run, or fight could gather the garment and secure it around the waist.
Primary Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13
"Keys" as a Symbol of Authority
Keys were practical instruments for controlling access and therefore became symbols of delegated authority over a household, office, treasury, or domain.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 16:19
"Take Up Your Cross"
Before the cross became a Christian symbol, it was associated with Roman execution, public degradation, coercion, and the condemned person's loss of control over his own fate.
Primary Scripture: Mark 8:34-35
"Under the Fig Tree"
Sitting under one's vine or fig tree became a biblical image of settled life, security, prosperity, and peace.
Primary Scripture: John 1:48-50
"Yoke" as a Symbol of Submission and Discipleship
A yoke joined draft animals for labor and therefore became a natural metaphor for burden, rule, obligation, submission, and disciplined service.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30
Adoption and Heirship
Adoption and the appointment of heirs provided legal means of incorporating a person into a household and granting family status and inheritance rights.
Primary Scripture: Romans 8:14-17
Alabaster and Perfume Vessels
Small stone, glass, or ceramic containers held perfumes, oils, cosmetics, and medicines. The Gospel 'alabaster jar' refers to a recognizable type of valuable container associated with perfume.
Primary Scripture: Mark 14:3
Almsgiving
Giving material assistance to the poor became a prominent expression of Jewish piety and communal responsibility, rooted in the Torah's commands to care for the needy.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 6:1-4
Altars and the Practice of Sacrifice
Altars were designated places for offerings and sacrifice and appear throughout biblical history before and after the establishment of the tabernacle and temple.
Primary Scripture: Exodus 20:24-26
Ancient Calendars and Reckoning Days
Biblical peoples used calendar systems based on months, lunar observation, agricultural seasons, regnal years, and festival cycles. Ancient time reckoning can affect chronological interpretation.
Primary Scripture: Exodus 12:1-20
Ancient Doorways, Thresholds and Doorposts
Doorways marked the boundary between household and outside world and could carry practical, legal, religious, and symbolic significance.
Primary Scripture: Exodus 12:7
Ancient Education and Childhood
Children learned primarily within households and communities, acquiring religious traditions, practical skills, and social expectations. Formal scribal or literary education existed but was not universal.
Primary Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:6-9
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