Biblical History

I was going over the book of Yechezkel (Ezekiel) today and I have always wanted to share the following thing.  In chapter 14 there are three people mentioned:  Noach, Iyov (Job), and Daniel.  When we think about it, all three are righteous men who lived in the past but one of them is not who we think he is.  Daniel is not the famous Daniel from the book with the same title but another person with the same name.

Yoqne’am is a less known Tel (artificial mound) which sits just outside of the modern Yoqne’am of today near the eastern slope of Mount Carmel in the land of the tribe of Zevulun.  The city can be dated to the Early bronze age, and is mentioned in Egyptian writings under the name ‘aqne’am. The city sat next to the ancient “Way of the sea” (now road 70) which was one of the main roads which connected the east and the west.

An interesting question that comes up when reading Isaiah 58:13 where it says:

אִם–תָּשִׁיב מִשַּׁבָּת רַגְלֶךָ, עֲשׂוֹת חֲפָצֶךָ בְּיוֹם קָדְשִׁי; וְקָרָאתָ לַשַּׁבָּת עֹנֶג, לִקְדוֹשׁ יְהוָה מְכֻבָּד, וְכִבַּדְתּוֹ מֵעֲשׂוֹת דְּרָכֶיךָ, מִמְּצוֹא חֶפְצְךָ וְדַבֵּר דָּבָר.

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and YHWH’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words”