The Bible Well

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People of Scripture

The people in the pages — failures, faith, and all.

Elizabeth Jane Gardner, The Shepherd David, about 1895. The young David kneels over a slain lion, holding a rescued lamb in one arm and lifting his other hand toward heaven

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David the Shepherd: The Boy Who Kept Sheep Before He Was King

Was David a shepherd? Yes. The fields of Bethlehem, the lion and the bear, Psalm 23, and how God made a shepherd boy king and pointed to Jesus.

Caravaggio, Sacrifice of Isaac, 1603, the angel staying Abraham's hand as the knife is raised over Isaac on Mount Moriah

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Abraham and Isaac: The Binding of Isaac in Genesis 22

Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22: the three-day journey, God will provide the lamb, the ram in the thicket, Jehovah-Jireh, and how it points to Jesus.

Caravaggio, Sacrifice of Isaac, 1603, oil on canvas, the angel staying Abraham's hand as the knife is raised over Isaac on the mountain

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Who Was Abraham in the Bible? The Full Story of the Father of Faith

Who Abraham was: the call out of Ur, the covenant, the long wait for Isaac, the binding on Mount Moriah, and the line that runs through him to Christ.

William Blake, Enoch, 1807, lithograph illustrating Genesis 5:24, Enoch seated with three figures, one holding a scroll, one a tablet

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Who Was Enoch in the Bible? The Man Who Walked With God and Did Not Die

Enoch in Genesis 5:21-24, Hebrews 11:5, and Jude 14-15. The two Enochs, the seven words that changed Bible history, and what walking with God meant.

Diego Velazquez, Joseph's Tunic, 1630, oil on canvas, the brothers presenting the bloodied robe to Jacob

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The Story of Joseph in the Bible: Dreams, the Pit, and a God Who Means It for Good

Joseph son of Jacob, the full story across Genesis 37 to 50. The pit, the prison, the rise, the brothers, and the line that holds the whole thing together.

Caravaggio, Penitent Magdalene, around 1594, a young woman seated alone in muted light, her hair down and her hands folded in her lap

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Who Was Mary Magdalene in the Bible? The Full Story

Mary Magdalene in Scripture: Luke 8:2, the seven demons, the cross, the empty tomb, and the garden. What the Bible says, and what it refuses to say.

Rembrandt, Moses with the Ten Commandments, 1659, oil on canvas, Moses lifting the two stone tablets above his head

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The Biblical Story of Moses: Burning Bush, Red Sea, and the Prophet Who Died Outside the Land

The story of Moses from Exodus to Deuteronomy: the basket, burning bush, plagues, the sea, Sinai, the golden calf, Meribah, and Mount Nebo.

Pieter Lastman, Ruth Swears Loyalty to Naomi, 1614, oil on panel, the moment Ruth refuses to leave her grieving mother-in-law on the road back to Bethlehem

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Who Was Ruth in the Bible? The Moabite Widow Who Walked Into the Line of Jesus

Ruth the Moabite: the vow that built a marriage, the field that became a wedding, and the foreign-born great-grandmother of David in the line of Christ.

Golden wheat field at sunset, the sun low on the horizon over distant rolling hills

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The Story of David in the Bible: Shepherd, King, Man After God's Heart

David's full life in Scripture: shepherd boy, giant-killer, fugitive, king, sinner, psalmist. Story, timeline, key verses, and how David points to Jesus.