Close

Eastern Villages in the Bible (Endnotes)

1. It is hard for Westerners to appreciate the value that drinkable water had to the Easterner. Natural springs were extremely rare in Israel, and most of the riverbeds were dry in the summer. Wells were both difficult and dangerous to dig. Water was so valuable that it was a show of distress, repentance or love to pour it out to Yahweh (1 Sam. 7:6; 2 Sam. 23:16; 1 Chron. 11:18). Ownership and use of wells was a common source of contention in the East (Gen. 21:25, 26:15,19-22; Exod. 2:15-17).

A proverb that reflects the importance of finding drinkable water is Proverbs 25:26 (NIV): “Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.” The essence of the proverb is this: travelers, who depended on springs and wells for water, knew where they were located, and expected drinkable water to be there when they arrived. For a traveling man to arrive at a spring and find the water polluted and undrinkable was much more than just an inconvenience, it was dangerous—he might die of thirst. Similarly, people expect that a righteous man will stand up for what is right and prevent wicked people from having their way. When the righteous person gives way to the wicked, it is not just inconvenient for the society, it is dangerous.

A standard way to increase the available water supply was to dig large cisterns in the ground. These were usually bottle-shaped cavities or pits that could hold hundreds and even thousands of gallons of water and which, hopefully, would fill up during the rainy season. The size and shape made them dangerous to fall into, and getting out by oneself can be impossible. Joseph was thrown into a cistern by his brothers (Gen. 37:20-24), and Jeremiah was thrown into one by his enemies (Jer. 38:6). God reproved the people of Israel for forsaking Him, the spring of living [running] water, and hewing themselves out cisterns, cisterns with cracks that could not hold water (Jer. 2:13). Close

2. This should not be thought of as strange. Western dogs and cats often are out and about all day (sometimes wandering great distances) but show up at home at night. Close

3. A sad example of this occurs in Judges 19 and 20. A man and his concubine were traveling through the tribal area of Benjamin and stopped for the night in the town of Gibeah. That night some of the wicked men of the city raped the woman to death, a capital crime. Upon hearing what happened, the men of the other 11 tribes of Israel demanded that the men who raped and murdered the woman be given up to be executed, which is what the Law of Moses commanded. Instead of obeying the Law, however, the tribe of Benjamin rallied in defense of the wicked men of Gibeah and went to war, an act that nearly cost them their existence, because they were eventually slaughtered so completely that only 600 Benjamite men survived. Close