Customs and Culture of the Bible
The Bible was written in cultures very different from our own. Explore customs, institutions, daily practices and figures of speech that help explain what biblical writers and their first readers would have understood.
188 customs found
Gleaning
Israelite law instructed landowners not to harvest every edge or retrieve every forgotten sheaf, leaving produce accessible to the poor, resident alien, widow, and orphan.
Primary Scripture: Leviticus 19:9-10
Greeting with a Kiss
A kiss could function as a greeting, family welcome, expression of affection, reconciliation, honor, or betrayal depending on context.
Primary Scripture: Luke 7:45
Guest Rooms and the Upper Room
Larger ancient houses could include an upper story or roof-level room used for lodging, meals, gatherings, storage, or other household activities.
Primary Scripture: Mark 14:12-16
Hair, Beards and Shaving
Hair and beards could communicate dignity, mourning, humiliation, religious commitment, or social identity. Cutting, shaving, pulling, or neglecting hair could therefore carry meanings beyond grooming.
Primary Scripture: 2 Samuel 10:4-5
Harvest Seasons and Agricultural Calendar
The agricultural year of biblical Israel followed seasonal rains and successive harvests of barley, wheat, grapes, olives, and other crops.
Primary Scripture: Ruth 1:22
Head Coverings and Veils
Head coverings and veils could communicate modesty, marital status, mourning, social convention, or religious propriety, but practices differed across cultures and periods.
Primary Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16
Heralds and Public Proclamations
Before mass communication, rulers and officials used messengers, heralds, posted decrees, and public reading to announce laws, commands, honors, and news.
Primary Scripture: Daniel 3:4-5
High Places and Local Shrines
High places were local worship sites, often associated with altars and other cult installations. Some were used for worship of Israel's God, while others served idolatrous or syncretistic worship.
Primary Scripture: 1 Kings 3:2-4
Honor, Shame and Places of Status
Public honor, reputation, precedence, and shame were powerful social forces in the biblical world. Jesus repeatedly challenged the pursuit of status and redefined greatness as humble service.
Primary Scripture: Luke 14:7-11
Hospitality and Protection of Guests
Hospitality could create serious obligations between host and guest, including food, lodging, safety, and protection.
Primary Scripture: Genesis 18:1-8
Hospitality to Travelers and Strangers
Travelers depended heavily on household and community hospitality for food, water, lodging, and protection. Receiving a stranger could therefore carry serious social and moral obligations.
Primary Scripture: Genesis 18:1-8
Hospitality to Traveling Teachers
Traveling teachers and missionaries depended heavily on households that offered lodging, meals, local contacts, and material support.
Primary Scripture: 3 John 5-8
House Churches
Early Christian congregations commonly met in private homes because purpose-built church buildings did not characterize the apostolic period.
Primary Scripture: Romans 16:3-5
Household Gods and Teraphim
Teraphim were household cult objects or images associated with domestic religion and, in some settings, divination. Their precise forms and functions varied.
Primary Scripture: Genesis 31:19-35
Household Servants and Stewards
Large households could include servants with substantial responsibility for property, supplies, accounts, travel, and other members of the household.
Primary Scripture: Genesis 24:2-4
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