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
Blessings and Spoken Benedictions
Spoken blessings invoked God's favor, peace, protection, or grace and were used in priestly ministry, greetings, family settings, worship, and leave-taking.
Primary Scripture: Numbers 6:22-27
Blindness, Begging and Disability
People with disabling conditions often faced economic dependence and social barriers, though biblical law also explicitly commands protection and condemns mistreatment.
Primary Scripture: John 9:1-3
Bread Making and Daily Bread
Bread was a staple food requiring grain, grinding, mixing, kneading, fermentation when leavened, and baking. Producing bread was therefore part of the daily economy of most households.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 6:11
Broadcast Sowing and the Parable of the Sower
Seed was commonly scattered by hand over prepared or partly prepared ground. Paths, shallow rocky soil, thorns, and fertile patches could exist close together in the same agricultural landscape.
Primary Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23
Burial Before Sundown
Israelite law required the body of an executed person hung publicly not to remain overnight, and Jewish burial practice generally favored prompt interment.
Primary Scripture: Deuteronomy 21:22-23
Casting Garments Before a King
Spreading garments before an honored ruler could function as a dramatic public gesture of submission, celebration, and recognition of royal authority.
Primary Scripture: Luke 19:35-38
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