The Bible on Location

Off the Beaten Path in Ancient and Modern Israel

Julie Baretz

• Publisher: The Jewish Publication Society
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9780827611900
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

In this innovative guidebook Julie Baretz takes readers to twenty-one off-the-beaten-path locations in Israel where Bible stories are said to have happened. At each site she sets the scene by relating the historical context of the event, then follows with the biblical text itself and her own lively commentary. Captivating and complex Bible characters bring the locations to life as they face social, ethical, and spiritual dilemmas not unlike our own today. Baretz's narratives draw on history, archaeology, academic scholarship, and rabbinic literature for interpretations that enhance the meaning of the biblical events. Each story is told in the voice of Baretz as the tour guide—knowledgeable yet informal and friendly.
The Bible on Location traces the chronology and narrative arc of the historical books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, Ezra, and Nehemiah. The book begins with the Israelites' arrival in the land of Israel (following the exodus from Egypt and the forty years of wandering) and continues over more than six hundred years, until the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon to their homeland.
Baretz's descriptions are accompanied by colorful maps and photographs that put actual and armchair visitors in the middle of the action. Each location reveals a new episode in the biblical narrative and provides inspiration and commentary that will enhance visits to the various sites.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• List of Maps
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• List of Abbreviations
• Time Line
• 1. Rahab at Jericho
• 2. Joshua in the Valley of Aijalon
• 3. Deborah and Jael at Mount Tabor
• 4. Gideon at En Harod
• 5. Samson at Zorah
• 6. Ruth the Moabitess at Bethlehem
• 7. The Levite and His Concubine at Gibeah
• 8. David and Goliath in the Valley of Elah
• 9. David’s Flight to En Gedi
• 10. King Saul at Mount Gilboa
• 11. Bathsheba in the City of David
• 12. Absalom’s Flight to Geshur
• 13. Absalom’s Rebellion in the Kidron Valley
• 14. Jeroboam in Dan
• 15. Elijah at Mount Carmel
• 16. Naboth’s Vineyard at Jezreel
• 17. Elisha and the Wealthy Woman at Shunem
• 18. Hezekiah Prepares Jerusalem for War
• 19. Zedekiah Flees Jerusalem
• 20. Ezra and Nehemiah Rehabilitate Jerusalem
• 21. Megiddo: The Untold Story
• Appendix
• Bibliography
• About Julie Baretz