The name of the Egyptian Pharaoh with whom Moses contended is not given in the Bible. Study of archeological records does not absolutely solve this, but points strongly in a specific direction.
The Queen of Sheba’s visit to the court of King Solomon is described in a short, uneventful biblical tale. And yet, this simple narrative has inspired a myriad of legends, stories, and artwork that explore the queen as a wealthy and wise monarch, a black Ethiopian queen, a nationalist hero, and even possibly a half-demon.
During the Neo-Assyrian Empire, expansion began, particularly toward the west. Sargon II (722-705 BCE) ended the Northern Kingdom of Israel. To reduce future rebellions, the Assyrians practiced the exchange of populations, moving their own people into Northern Israel and driving the Jews east. The mixing of new Assyrian populations with the few remaining Israelites produced a new, hybrid culture.
While some Bible narratives can be taken at face value, others require some knowledge of the places, times and customs involved in order to be fully appreciated. Absent such context, scripture can sometimes leave the reader with an inaccurate view of the event.
Where knowledge of translational difficulties can help our understanding, it is also true that one must resist the understandable temptation to look at the text through the lens of a modern cultural context.
In this section, narratives are presented that we hope may bring a clearer picture of certain Bible stories.