If you go to church regularly, you will likely be regularly exposed to teachings on major Christian topics such as grace, faith, gifts of the Holy Spirit, and salvation. You might spend weeks or months studying one of those topics.
There are probably many times you have heard a Scripture and said to yourself, “I wish someone would give me a short lesson on a particular word or topic. Not a long treatise, but enough to get a better understanding.” The purpose of this series is to do that for a wide variety of topics. For that reason, some of these videos are shorter than the typical Eyewitness episodes.
As we often caution, we are not trying to add to what the Bible says, we are trying to add context that will help you understand the Bible better. So, please read the applicable Scriptures in the study guides for these stories so you will know exactly what the Bible says.
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Dinah was part of a very dysfunctional family. Her father Jacob, had two wives who were sisters. Jacob loved the younger wife, Rachel, but didn’t love the older wife, Leah. In an effort to give Jacob more sons, the wives had Jacob impregnate their servants, Bilhah and Zilpah. Altogether they birthed twelve sons and one daughter, Dinah.
Leah gave birth to Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, and Dinah. Notably, Reuben was the firstborn of Jacob, Levi was the ancestor of the Jewish priests, and Judah was the ancestor of David and Jesus.
The sons of Jacob became the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. The good and bad stories about the family dominate the books of the Old Testament. All we know about Dinah is found in Genesis 34.
Shechem was a city in the mountains which lay on the main north-south road through the mountains of Israel. It is first mentioned in the Bible as a place where Abraham built an altar and where God confirmed his covenant. Many decades later, Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, led his family through the area. They bought some land near the city and built an altar to God.
