Syllabus Periods of Old Testament History  SBW - 1  SBW - 2  SBW - 3 SBW - 4 SBW - 5  SBW - 6 SWB - 8

 

BIBLE WOMEN

LESSON 7

Of the Old Testament

Patriarchal Age

Abraham to the Exodus

430 Years; Gen 12 to Ex 14

PERIOD OF PREPARATION

 

LEAH—tender eyed; weary (implies she is not pretty—29:16)

 

1.      Who was her father (29:16)?

A.     Who were her grandparents (22:23; 24:29)?

B.     Who was her well-known aunt (24:29)?

2.      What is said of her eyes? This could be poor eyesight or lack of luster. Notice that the Hebrew definition in Strong’s concordance says weak, as in faint-hearted.

3.      Jacob fulfilled his part of the agreement and asked for his reward (29:21)?

4.      Who was given him instead of Rachel (29:23)?

A.     What reason did Laban give for deceiving Jacob (29:26)?

B.     How did Laban manage to keep Jacob from knowing who the woman was? (Heavy veils, darkness, no speech, etc.)

C.    How did Jacob feel about the deception (29:25)?

D.    Leah’s father persuades Jacob to accept her by promising what (29:26-28)?

E.     How many more years does Jacob have to serve to get the wife he asked for in the first place (29:20, 27b)? Was this fair?

F.     What is the reason Leah had not married earlier?  We might assume that it is because of verse 16.

5.      How was Jacob’s love for his wives divided (29:30)?

A.     When God saw that Leah’s husband hated her, what did he do? The Hebrew dictionary says ‘hated’ means to hate (personally); enemy; foe; odious.

B.     Later, at Mt. Sinai , the law was given to prevent such marriages (Lev 18:18).

6.      Name the children of Leah and give the meanings of their names (29:32-35; 30:17-21)

A.     In bearing these children, what did Leah think? Note the statements after the meaning of each child’s name.

B.     These were her statements after each child’s birth.

C.    Why was Levi so outstanding? What was to be his position in Israel ?

D.    For what great event was Judah used (Heb 7:14)?

i.  What blessing was given Ruth years later (Ruth 4:11)?

ii.Was there ever any real peace between the sisters (30:15a)?

7.            When Jacob wanted counsel, for whom did he send (31:4)? How did his wives respond to his plan (31:14-16)?

8.            When Jacob met an enemy, how did he rank his family for protection (33:1-2)?

9.            What happened to Leah’s only daughter (34:1-2)? How might this affect her?

10.       How many of her descendants went into Egypt (46:15)?

11.       Did her life and descendants compensate for her appearance?

12.       When Leah died, with which great people was she buried (49:31)?

 

ZILPAH—to trickle, as myrrh, fragrant dropping

1.            Whose handmaid was she (29:24)?

2.            Who named the sons she bore to Jacob (30:9-13)? This custom indicates that the sons belonged to or were claimed by whom?

3.            What was the reason she was given to Jacob for a wife (30:9)?

4.            Through her, how many sons did Leah send into Egypt (46:18)?

 

DINAH—justice; judged or avenged

1.      Who were her mother and father (30:19-21)?

2.      What dangerous venture did this young girl make (34:1b)?

A.     Who humiliated her and later wanted her for his wife (34:2-3)?

B.     What OT law was later made to apply to both males and females in such situations?

C.    How did Simeon and Levi avenge their sister (34:25-29)?

D.    How did their conduct affect their father, Jacob (34:30-31)?

E.     What are some of the dangers of “seeing the daughters of the land?”

 

TAMAR—A PALM TREE

1.            She is the wife of ________, son of Judah (Gen 38:1-30).

2.            What did God think of this man and his brother?

3.            From where had Er’s mother come (Gen 38:1-3)? From what great nation did this tribe descend?

4.            His children were born to a Canaanitish woman (1 Chr 2:3).

5.            Notice the tribal families, which descended from Tamar/Judah (Num 26:20-21). She is an ancestress of the family of Christ (Mat 1:1-17). Was she in Mary’s linage or Joseph’s?

6.            What should have been done for Tamar after her husband died?  Why (Deut. 25:5-10)?

7.            Was this a common practice among Jews even in Christ’s day (Matt 22:24-28)?

8.            What other character in Old Testament history can you think of who had this same situation (Ruth 1:1; 2:3; 3:1-5, 11-12; 4:1-17)?

9.            Who was also obligated to support a widow (Lev 22:12-13; Ruth 1:11-15)?

10.       Why was Judah ’s temptation strong?  There may be more than one reason, but Gen 38:12 gives one.

11.       Where is Timnath (Judges 14:1)? Who else found trouble in Timnath?

12.       What was the custom concerning whores (Eze 16:33; Lev 21:9)?

13.       What was Tamar’s temptation? What was her right (Pro 30:15-16)?

14.       Who were Tamar’s sons?  Name Judah ’s other sons (1Chr 2:4-6)?