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
Roman Crucifixion
Crucifixion was a Roman execution designed not only to kill but to punish publicly, deter others, and degrade the condemned. Its shameful social meaning is essential to New Testament references to the cross.
Primary Scripture: John 19:16-37
Roman Military Units and the Centurion
A centurion was a professional Roman officer associated with a centuria, a unit whose actual strength was not always exactly one hundred men.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 8:5-13
Roman Scourging
Scourging was a severe corporal punishment used in the Roman world and could accompany interrogation, judicial punishment, or preparation for crucifixion.
Primary Scripture: John 19:1
Roman Taxation and Tribute
Roman rule imposed taxes and tribute through several mechanisms, and tax collection could become a potent symbol of foreign domination and local collaboration.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22
Royal Court and Throne Protocol
Ancient royal courts operated through hierarchy, access rules, officials, audiences, gifts, petitions, and ceremonies that protected and displayed the ruler's authority.
Primary Scripture: Esther 4:10-17
Sabbath Rest and Sabbath Boundaries
The Sabbath set apart the seventh day for rest and holiness. By the Second Temple period, Jewish communities also debated how the command should apply to travel, work, healing, and daily activities.
Primary Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11
Sabbatical Year and Release of Debts
Israel's law set apart every seventh year for agricultural rest and included provisions concerning release from debts and Hebrew servants.
Primary Scripture: Deuteronomy 15:1-11
Sackcloth and Ashes
Sackcloth and ashes were visible signs of grief, humiliation, calamity, or repentance. They made inward distress publicly recognizable.
Primary Scripture: Jonah 3:5-10
Salting Food and Salt as a Covenant Symbol
Salt was essential for seasoning and preservation and could also appear in covenant and sacrificial language as a symbol of durability and obligation.
Primary Scripture: Leviticus 2:13
Sandals and Shaking Dust from the Feet
Feet and sandals appear in biblical gestures involving holiness, property transfer, hospitality, travel, and symbolic rejection.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 10:14
Sea Travel and Ancient Sailing
Ancient Mediterranean and inland-water travel depended on sailing vessels, coastal routes, seasonal winds, harbors, and crews experienced in navigation and cargo handling.
Primary Scripture: Acts 27:9-20
Sending Travelers with Provisions
Hospitality could extend beyond receiving a guest to helping the traveler continue the journey with food, supplies, companions, money, or other practical assistance.
Primary Scripture: Titus 3:13
Sheep Shearing
Sheep shearing was a seasonal pastoral task that could become an occasion for feasting, hospitality, and economic exchange.
Primary Scripture: 1 Samuel 25:2-8
Shepherds, Sheepfolds and the Shepherd's Voice
Shepherding required leading, guarding, watering, gathering, and protecting sheep. Flocks could be kept in enclosures, and sheep learned to respond to the familiar calls of their shepherd.
Primary Scripture: John 10:1-18
Siege Warfare
Ancient cities were commonly attacked by surrounding them, cutting communications and supplies, and using ramps, engines, mining, or assault against their walls and gates.
Primary Scripture: 2 Kings 18:13-19:37
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