Loading...
Search, filter, and discover the perfect illustration for your sermon
Free to browse · Sign up free to unlock most illustrations · Premium ($9.95/mo) for the full library of 50,000+ illustrations
Herod Agrippa II Herod Agrippa II, son of Herod Agrippa I, succeeded his father as king and ruled in Palestine AD 50–100, eventually controlling approximately the same area as his great-grandfather, Herod the Great. Agrippa II was in control of...
Jeroboam I Jeroboam I, son of Nebat from the tribe of Ephraim, was the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel (931–910 BC). He led the northern ten tribes into the sins that brought about the destruction of the northern kingdom.
Barnabas Barnabas is presented in Acts as a model Christian leader. A native of Cyprus, Barnabas was active in the Jerusalem church and demonstrated unselfish generosity in meeting the needs of the poorer members of that community (Acts 4:32-37).
Balaam Balaam was a diviner—a person who read signs and omens to determine the future and performed rituals to change future events (see study note on Num 22:5-6; cp. Josh 13:22).
Abraham “By faith . Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land. He went without knowing where he was going. Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him” (Heb 11:8, 17).
Ahab Ahab, Israel’s eighth king, inherited the northern kingdom from his powerful father, Omri (1 Kgs 16:27-28), and reigned in Israel from 874 to 853 BC. Ahab married Jezebel, daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon. Under her influence, Ahab began...
Hagar Hagar was the Egyptian servant of Sarai, Abram’s wife. When God commanded Abram to leave Mesopotamia, he promised him a multitude of descendants who would be given a new land (Gen 12:2, 7).
Pharaoh “Pharaoh” is an Egyptian word meaning “great house.” It refers to the royal palace and is also used as a title for the king of Egypt. During the time of Joseph, the Israelites were looked upon favorably by the pharaoh.
Philippi Philippi was a minor village of Thrace until about 357 BC, when Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, conquered the site and rebuilt it. He named the village after himself, fortified it as a military...
Hittites The Hittites were once unknown to secular history and thought to be a mythical people by some critics of biblical history.
Ishmael Ishmael was Abraham’s first son, born of Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant. The boy was born near Hebron when Abraham was eighty-six years old (Gen 13:18; 16:16).
Brooks Hatlen was paroled after fifty years in prison. Free at last—yet he hanged himself within weeks. "These walls are funny," Red observes. "First you hate them, then you get used to them. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them.
The Pharisees The Pharisees were one of three major Jewish sects, along with the Sadducees and the Essenes. The Pharisees comprised a non-political lay movement within Judaism.
Moses Moses was the founding leader of Israel as a nation. God used Moses at a critical juncture in the history of his people. He was the prophet who received the law and mediated God’s covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai (Exod 19:3-6).
The Son of Man The Hebrew and Aramaic idiom “son of man” simply means “human being.” But the majestic yet humble figure in Daniel 7:13-14, who is “like a son of man”—meaning that he looked like a man—also appears to be much more.
Jeroboam II Jeroboam II, son of Jehoash, reigned over Israel for 41 years (793–753 BC), longer than any other northern king. He followed the evil example of his (unrelated) namesake, Jeroboam I (2 Kgs 14:23-24).
James, Brother of Jesus James, one of Jesus’ brothers (Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3; Gal 1:19; cp. Jude 1:1), became the recognized leader of the church in Jerusalem shortly after Jesus’ resurrection. He is traditionally recognized as the author of the book of James.
Eli Eli was Israel’s chief priest at the Tabernacle at Shiloh, Israel’s central shrine during the period of the judges. Eli apparently descended from Ithamar, Aaron’s youngest son (cp. 1 Kgs 2:27; 1 Chr 18:16; 24:3).
Herod the Great Herod the Great was the Roman-appointed king of Judea (37–4 BC) at the time of Jesus’ birth (Matt 2:1; Luke 1:5). He was a strong military leader, a brilliant politician, and a cruel tyrant.
Jethro (Reuel) Jethro, also called Reuel (Exod 2:16-18; Num 10:29), was “the priest of Midian” (Exod 2:16). Moses rescued Jethro’s seven daughters from the rough treatment of other shepherds at a well and helped them water their flocks.
The Roman Church The details of the founding of the church in Rome are not known with certainty. There was a large Jewish population in Rome, and some Jews from Rome were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost...
The Greeks Greek civilization played a major role in the ancient world, and Greek culture was a primary influence on the world into which Jesus was born and in which the New Testament was written.
Rome In the first century AD Rome was both a cosmopolitan city and a mighty empire that had brought peace and stability to the Mediterranean world.
Sarah Sarah was Abraham’s wife and half sister (Gen 11:29; 20:12). She accompanied Abraham from Ur to Haran to Canaan (11:31; 12:5).