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
Casting Lots
Lots were used to make selections, assign portions, or seek a decision in situations where human preference was to be excluded.
Primary Scripture: Proverbs 16:33
Childbirth and Midwifery
Childbirth normally occurred within a household setting with assistance from experienced women or midwives, and it carried substantial physical risk for mother and child.
Primary Scripture: Exodus 1:15-21
Circumcision as Covenant Sign
Circumcision marked male descendants of Abraham as members of the covenant community and became a major identity marker for Israel and later Judaism.
Primary Scripture: Genesis 17:9-14
Cisterns and Water Storage
In the dry climate of biblical lands, households and cities often collected rainwater in plastered cisterns cut into rock or built below ground.
Primary Scripture: Jeremiah 2:13
Cities of Refuge and Blood Avenger
Cities of refuge provided protected locations for a person who killed unintentionally while the case was distinguished from deliberate murder and blood vengeance.
Primary Scripture: Numbers 35:9-34
City Gates as Places of Law and Public Business
The gate of an ancient city was more than an entrance. Its open spaces could serve as places for elders, legal decisions, transactions, public announcements, and community judgment.
Primary Scripture: Ruth 4:1-12
City Walls and Watchmen
Fortified cities relied on walls, towers, gates, and watchmen to detect approaching travelers or armies and warn the population.
Primary Scripture: Ezekiel 33:1-6
Courtyards and Household Compounds
Many ancient homes were organized around an open courtyard that provided light, ventilation, work space, cooking space, and circulation among rooms.
Primary Scripture: Mark 14:66-72
Covenant Making and Covenant Signs
Covenants formally established relationships, obligations, promises, and loyalties. Biblical covenants could be accompanied by oaths, sacrifices, meals, memorials, or visible signs.
Primary Scripture: Genesis 15:1-21
Craftsmen, Artisans and Guilds
Skilled artisans worked in metal, stone, wood, textiles, pottery, leather, and other trades, sometimes in royal or temple projects and sometimes in urban workshops.
Primary Scripture: Exodus 31:1-6
Day Laborers and Daily Wages
Day laborers depended upon short-term employment and prompt payment, making delayed wages a serious threat to household survival.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 20:1-16
Day of Atonement
The Day of Atonement was Israel's annual day of solemn purification and atonement, centered on the high priest's unique entrance into the inner sanctuary.
Primary Scripture: Leviticus 16
Debt Slavery and Bondservice
People in the ancient world could enter servitude because of poverty or debt. Israelite law placed limits on some forms of debt service while also existing within a broader ancient slaveholding world.
Primary Scripture: Exodus 21:2-11
Disease, Healing and Social Stigma
Illness and disability in antiquity could carry economic and social consequences in addition to physical suffering, especially when a condition limited work or created ritual concerns.
Primary Scripture: John 9:1-3
Divorce and the Certificate of Divorce
A written certificate of divorce formally documented the dissolution of a marriage and enabled the woman to demonstrate her changed legal status.
Primary Scripture: Deuteronomy 24:1-4
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