Walk into the lives behind the Bible

· Creation and Patriarchs

Sarah was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac, bearing the promised son of the Abrahamic covenant. Originally named Sarai, her name was changed by God Himself, marking her transformation from a patriarch's wife into the mother of nations.

· Creation and Patriarchs

King of Salem and priest of God Most High, whose name means "king of righteousness," a brief figure in Abraham's time who became a key type of Christ's eternal priesthood.

· Creation and Patriarchs

Isaac is the promised son born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age; his name means 'he laughs,' and he inherits God's everlasting covenant with Abraham.

· Creation and Patriarchs

Seth was the son born to Adam and Eve after Cain killed Abel, named as the divine substitute for Abel whom God appointed as another seed (Genesis 4:25). He is also the son in whom Adam's likeness and image continued, carrying forward the image of God and Adam's genealogical line (Genesis 5:3).

· Creation and Patriarchs

Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve, whose name means 'vapor' or 'breath.' A keeper of sheep, he offered the firstlings of his flock and their fat by faith and was accepted by God, only to be murdered by his brother Cain, becoming history's first righteous man and martyr.

· Creation and Patriarchs

Ancestor of the twelve tribes, renamed Israel after wrestling with God.

· Exodus and Law

Balaam, son of Beor, was a non-Israelite diviner from the region of the River, hired by Balak of Moab to curse Israel, but God compelled him to pronounce blessings instead.

· Prophets and Exile

Ezekiel was a priest-prophet taken into Babylonian exile in the sixth century BC, who received divine visions by the river Chebar and was commissioned to speak God's words of judgment and restoration to the exiled community of Israel.

· Prophets and Exile

One of Israel's greatest prophets, victor on Mount Carmel, taken up to heaven.

· Prophets and Exile

Joel was a Hebrew prophet whose book begins with a devastating locust plague, calls the people to rend their hearts and return to God, and foretells the outpouring of the Spirit upon all flesh.

· Prophets and Exile

Haggai is the prophet who received the word of the LORD in the second year of King Darius (520 BC), stirring the returned Judean exiles to rebuild the Jerusalem temple and proclaiming that the LORD of hosts would once more shake the heavens and the earth.

· Prophets and Exile

Zephaniah was a prophet of Judah who proclaimed both judgment and salvation during the reign of King Josiah (c. 640–609 BC).

· United Kingdom

Jonathan was the eldest son of Saul and David's most faithful friend. He made a deep covenant with David, protected him at the cost of his own standing, and witnessed the transfer of the kingdom to David's line.

· Conquest and Judges

Caleb was a spy from the tribe of Judah who, because he followed the Lord fully, was granted entry into the promised land and stands as a model of faithfulness and wholehearted devotion.

· United Kingdom

Manasseh was the longest-reigning king of Judah, ascending the throne at age twelve and ruling in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. His early reign was marked by extreme wickedness, yet in later years he humbled himself before God in deep distress, presenting a profound model of repentance.

· Conquest and Judges

Jephthah was a mighty warrior of Gilead, born to a harlot, later appointed by the elders as judge and commander against the Ammonites; his rash vow led to the tragic fate of his only daughter.

· Conquest and Judges

Gideon was a judge from the clan of the Abiezrites in the tribe of Manasseh, named Jerubbaal after tearing down Baal's altar; he defeated the Midianites with a deliberately reduced army, demonstrating that salvation belongs to God alone.

· Conquest and Judges

Eli was the high priest and judge of Israel at the close of the era of the Judges, stationed at the tabernacle in Shiloh. He observed Hannah's prayer and raised Samuel, who would later become prophet and judge of Israel.

· New Testament: Gospels

Barnabas, originally named Joseph, was a Levite born in Cyprus whom the apostles surnamed "Son of Exhortation." He became a vital bridge figure in the early church, introducing Saul (Paul) to the apostles and establishing the Gentile mission at Antioch.

· New Testament: Gospels

James the son of Alphaeus is one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus, regularly distinguished in the apostolic lists from the other James (son of Zebedee).

· New Testament: Gospels

Thaddaeus was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus, consistently listed alongside James the son of Alphaeus in the apostolic records.

· New Testament: Gospels

Matthew, also called Levi, was a tax collector at Capernaum who was called by Jesus to follow him and became one of the twelve apostles; he is traditionally identified as the author of the Gospel of Matthew.

· New Testament: Gospels

The beloved disciple, traditional author of the Gospel of John, the three letters, and Revelation.

· New Testament: Gospels

Judas was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, remembered in the New Testament Gospels for betraying Jesus and handing Him over to the chief priests.

· New Testament: Gospels

Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher, is identified by Luke as a prophetess. She encountered the infant Jesus in the Temple and spoke of Him to all who were looking for redemption.

· Early Church and Epistles

Luke is the coworker called "the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14) and the only companion who remained with Paul at the end (2 Timothy 4:11); he is traditionally regarded as the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

· Early Church and Epistles

Aquila was a Jewish tentmaker born in Pontus who, along with his wife Priscilla, had recently come from Italy to Corinth under the emperor Claudius's order for Jews to leave Rome, and who became a fellow laborer with Paul in Christ Jesus.

· New Testament: Gospels

Joseph of Arimathaea was a wealthy disciple who followed Jesus secretly out of fear of the Jews; he courageously asked Pilate for the body of Jesus and provided a tomb for the Lord's burial.

· New Testament: Gospels

Cornelius was a centurion of the Italian band in Caesarea, a devout Gentile man whom God reached through an angel's instruction, sending Peter to share the gospel with him so that he and his household became among the first Gentile believers to receive the Holy Spirit.

· New Testament: Gospels

Ananias was a disciple at Damascus whom the Lord addressed in a vision, sending him to lay hands on the repentant Saul so that Saul might receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.