Bible Passages Blog

By John W. Moore Few places in Jerusalem put your feet in the actual place where Jesus once stood, as the southern steps do. Nearly every time I visit, I see Christian groups doing the same thing. People slow down. They look at their feet. Someone opens a Bible to the Psalms of Ascent and reads aloud. For a few quiet minutes, a modern tour group reenacts what many believe happened some two thousand years ago, as Jewish worshippers ascended these steps on their way to the inne

By John W. Moore "For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place." — Psalm 132:13 "As the mountains are around Jerusalem, so the Lord is around his people." — Psalm 125:2 It is early morning on the Sabbath during Ramadan, and a peaceful calm blankets the Old City of Jerusalem. Most of the Jewish and Muslim communities are locked away at home, and many shops lie closed inside their respective quarters. It's my favorite part of the day. At the Western Wa

IMAGE INSIGHTS - It is hot, rugged, and home to a some of the rock badgers and wild goats of Israel. With its thousands of small caves and fissures it is an ideal location for finding refuge and escape from an enemy or the heat of the desert sun. This 56 by 12-mile-long barren and inhospitable land is wedged between the Dead Sea and the mountains of Judea and was the setting for several important events of scripture. In this barren location of Judah's territorial allotment,

IMAGE INSIGHTS: In the rocky terrain northwest of present-day Ein Bokek, a large rugged escarpment known as Masada stands defiantly in the desert territory of the Dead Sea. Located in the lowest region on earth, this natural defensive outpost towers some 1,424 feet above the dry and barren creek-beds below. The word masada is found in the Hebrew Bible and is often translated in English as “stronghold” or “fortress.” This uniquely shaped escarpment was only approachable by a

IMAGE INSIGHTS: The ancient city of David and Jerusalem’s temple mount (Mount Zion), where Islam’s Dome of the Rock rest today, is lower than the adjacent hills. Biblical Jerusalem is surrounded by three valleys and sits at an approximate elevation of 2,428 feet above sea level. This Bible Land Passages photo was taken from the slope of Mount Scopus which is nearly three hundred feet higher than where the Temple once stood. To the south lies an even higher hill, Eztel Hill (H