Casual Articles - Heroes & Villains in the Quest for Spirituality: 100 Significant Characters of the Hebrew Bible

There are hundreds of named men and women in the Old Testament. Merely to list all of their names would fill many pages and be of little profit. If you want to investigate every one of them, I recommend Herbert Lockyer's books, All the Women of the Bible and All the Men of the Bible, or any good Bible dictionary, such as Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Here are the 100 most significant Old Testament people, based not on what I think or who I like, but on how many chapters are devoted to their lives. You will meet peasants and princes, queens and harlots, shepherds and soldiers.

I have identified each with a short description and a Bible reference. This doesn't mean the reference cited is the only place this person is mentioned. Keep in mind that these are in alphabetical order, not in either chronological order or in the order in which they appear in the Hebrew Scriptures.

1. Aaron – Brother of Moses and Israel's first high priest.

2. Abner – The general of King Saul's army, treacherously killed by David's general, Joab.

3. Adebnego – One of Daniel's three friends who were thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to worship the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar. "Abednego" is the Babylonian name assigned to him by his captors. His Hebrew name is Azariah.

4. Abimelech – One of the "Judges" of Israel who for a short time ruled as a king.

5. Abraham – The man whose life of faith and covenant with God established the nation of Israel, his descendants, as the people of God.

6. Absalom – The son of King David whose bitterness at how his father treated him led him to usurp his father's throne. David's general Joab killed Absalom to end the rebellion.

7. Adam – The first human being, created out of the dust of the ground. His wife's name was Eve.

8. Adonijah – A son of David and half-brother of Solomon who tried to steal the throne during David's declining years.

9. Ahab – Powerful king of Israel (though in fact he only ruled over the northern 10 tribes). As a result of marrying Jezebel, Ahab introduced his kingdom to Baal worship.

10. Ahasuerus – King of the Persian empire and husband to the Jewess Esther.

11. Amos – Farmer-shepherd whom God call to denounce the northern nation of Israel.

12. Athaliah – Wicked daughter of Ahab and Jezebel who ruled over Israel until she was executed to make way for the boy-king Joash.

13. Baalam – Non-Israelite prophet who prophesied blessing for Israel rather than the curses he was being paid to declare. Balaam is also known for beating his donkey, who then spoke to him by God's power.

14. Bathsheba – Wife of Uriah with whom David committed adultery before murdering her husband. Bathsheba's second child, and the only to survive more than a few days, was Solomon.

15. Belshazzar – The last ruler of the Babylon before it was conquered by the Medes and Persians. Daniel prophesied his destruction--a prediction fulfilled that very night.

16. Bildad – One of the three friends who visited Job and ended up discouraging him rather than comforting him.

17. Boaz – A godly man in an ungodly age, Boaz married Ruth of Moab and was great grandfather of King David.

18. Caleb – A tribal leader who, along with Joshua, counseled Israel to courageously conquer the land they and the 10 unbelieving leaders had spied out.

19. Cyrus – As the first great leader of the Medo-Persian empire, Cyrus abruptly changed the policy of the Babylonians, allowing exiled peoples to return to their ancestral homelands. In doing this, Cyrus was unwittingly fulfilling Isaiah's much earlier prophecy that he was actually carrying out God's will.

20. Daniel – One of the Israelites taken into Babylonian exile who, because of his faithfulness to God and to the king, rose to great power and influence in both the Babylonian and Medo-Persian empires.

21. David – Second king of Israel and famous as "the man after God's own heart," as a singer of psalms, and the slayer of the giant, Goliath. David's reign and that of his son Solomon, was the time of greatest power and prosperity for the nation in ancient times.

22. Darius – The first ruler of Babylon in the Medo-Persian empire, Darius the Mede appointed Daniel to be his advisor. Darius was manipulated into throwing Daniel to the lions, but was greatly relieved when God's prophet emerged unharmed.

23. Deborah – As the only woman who served as a "Judge" of Israel, Deborah led the Israelites to a military victory over Sisera of Damascus.

24. Delilah – This Philistine woman deceived Samson into revealing the secret of his great strength so that she could deliver him to his enemies.

25. Eli – The high priest who took in Samuel when his mother Hannah dedicated him to the Lord. God punished Eli for not restraining the wickedness of his sons.

26. Elihu – A young man who became angry as he listened to the discourse between Job and his three friends. In contrast to the friends, Elihu believed that God imposed suffering on Job, not to punish him for sins but to prevent him from sinning.

27. Elijah – One of the greatest of the prophets, Elijah stood for God virtually alone during the time King Ahab and his wife Jezebel were persecuting true believers and promoting the worship of Baal.

28. Eliphaz – One of the three friends of Job, all of whom were convinced that God was punishing Job for his wickedness.

29. Elisha – The successor of Elijah as God's prophet. Elisha sought and apparently received a double dose of Elijah's miraculous power.

30. Esau – The elder brother of Jacob, who sold the birthright of firstborn to his brother and later also lost his father's blessing to his brother. Although at the time of this second incident Esau vowed to kill Jacob, he later on was reconciled to him declaring how much God had blessed him.

31. Esther – A beautiful Jewess whom the Persian king Ahasuerus married and made his queen. Esther later on saved the Jews from certain destruction by exposing the plots of Haman against her uncle, Mordecai.

32. Ezekiel – Prophet among the Hebrew exiles in Babylonia who saw visions of why God would destroy Jerusalem and how He would restore it.

33. Ezra – A righteous priest and one of the exiles who returned under the sponsorship of the Persian government. Ezra helped Nehemiah to turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord.

34. Eve – The first woman, created from the side of the first man, Adam.

35. Gideon – One of the "Judges" of Israel, convinced to lead the army against the Midianites by two miracles involving a fleece and dew. At God's prompting, Gideon reduced his large army down to 300 men, and still won the victory.

36. Gomer – Wife of the prophet Hosea, whom he married despite her prostitution. Gomer's unfaithfulness to Hosea was symbolic of Israel's unfaithfulness to God.

37. Habakkuk – A prophet who struggled to understand how God could punish the wicked of his nation by the Babylonians, who were even more wicked. God's reply, to which Habakkuk complied, was simply to trust him.

38. Hagar – The slave of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. When Sarah remained childless after many years of trying to conceive, she gave Hagar to her husband--a practice common to the culture of that time. Hagar conceived and bore Abraham his first son, Ishmael.

39. Haggai – Worked closely with his fellow-prophet Zechariah to inspire the people returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile to finish rebuilding the temple of the Lord.

40. Haman – An advisor to King Ahasuerus whose arrogance and pride led him to plot against Mordecai, the righteous uncle of Esther. When Esther uncovered Haman's plot, the king ordered that he be hung on the gallows he had built to hang Modecai.

41. Hannah – Mother of Samuel who dedicated him to the Lord as soon as he was weaned.

42. Hezekiah – Righteous king of Judah who sought and received God's deliverance from the Assyrian army, reformed the worship of God, and brought about a second golden age similar to that of David and Solomon. Hezekiah benefitted greatly from having the prophet Isaiah for an advisor.

43. Hiram – King of Tyre who entered into a treaty and a close personal friendship with King Solomon. Hiram supplied the cedars for the building of the temple and Solomon's palace.

44. Hosea – Prophet of God who obeyed God's command to marry the prostitute Gomer, as a living parable of God's relationship to wayward Israel.

45. Isaac – Second son of Abraham but regarded as the firstborn, since he alone was son of Abraham's wife Sarah. Isaac also entered into covenant with the Lord and prospered under His blessing.

46. Isaiah – Prophet of God who advised King Hezekiah and, along with Micah, inspired the nation of Judah to return to the Lord.

47. Ishmael – First son of Abraham, by Hagar, the slave-woman of Abraham's wife Sarah.

48. Jacob – Also known as "Israel" (Prince of God), Jacob was son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, husband of Leah and Rachel, and father of twelve sons, who became tribal leaders of what would be known as "The Sons of Israel." Jacob also had a daughter named Dinah.

49. Jehu – The successor of Ahab as king of the northern nation of Israel. Appointed by the prophet Elijah, Jehu had Ahab's wife, One-Product Sales Sites: Avoid These Top Blunders
    One product, one long web page: this kind of web site is sometimes called a sales letter site or mini-site, and it focuses on one and only one goal, as many sales of that one product as possible. With a one-product sales site, no distractions, no subsidiary goals, such as newsletter signups, are allowed to interfere with that goal. So let's look at some common mistakes and omissions for a sales letter site.Your headline serves as the key point of orientation for the reader and should be as strongly worded and pointedly targeted as you can manage. Do not use the name of your product as the headline - that's a weak marketing message.Instead, dramatize either the problem solved by your product or the solution offered, or both. For instance:Discover Your Family's Roots Through Easy, Fun Internet ResearchYou can often add a subhead after the headline for even greater punch:Turn Words into Money with Copy That Even a Skinflint Can't Resist!Get a Juicier Return on Investment from Your Marketing With the Easy-to-Apply Secrets in This New ManualNormally you want to start your sales page by building rapport with the reader with respect to the problem or goal at hand. Make sure, however, that you not only make your case in a positive way for your product but also address and head off each and every worry, objection or doubt the reader might have about buying your product. For instance, how can you know so much about knee injuries if you're not a doctor? Or, do these money-saving strategies apply if I live in Canada or Bermuda?The biggest worry people have buying online from companies or individuals they've never heard of is, are you trustworthy? Am I going to get what I order and have some recourse if it's a pile of crap? A money-back guarantee goes part of the way toward assuaging this, as do testimonials, but just as important, and much more often neglected, is posting a mailing address and telephone number for the vendor.If it's a physical product that will be shipped, make sure you explicitly say how and when it will be shipped and whether you can ship it anywhere in the world for that price. Don't make the reader click through to the order form to learn how much your product costs, or how much it costs with shipping.As your copy builds toward its conclusion, remember to include what marketers term the "call to action": explicitly ask for the order. Do so prominently, so that someone skipping down the page can quickly find the "order now" button. Even better, insert an order button or link near the top of the page so that someone who arrives already wanting to buy can do so immediately.When you've built the strongest possible case for your product and orchestrated your pitch properly, consider the formatting of your sales page. Since this sort of site doesn't have a left navigation bar, the column of text often ends up much too wide for comfortable reading. Studies have shown that paragraphs wider than six or seven inches are difficult to read on a computer screen. Add blank columns to the left and right of your sales copy to narrow it to that width.Make sure too that paragraphs go on no more than seven lines, and a long run of paragraphs is broken up by subheads. And make those subheads interesting and meaty. Someone who skims down the page should be able to get the gist of your marketing message just from reading the subheads.

50. Ahab – Powerful king of Israel (though in fact he only ruled over the northern 10 tribes). As a result of marrying Jezebel, Ahab introduced his kingdom to Baal worship.

51. Ahasuerus – King of the Persian empire and husband to the Jewess Esther.

52. Amos – Farmer-shepherd whom God call to denounce the northern nation of Israel.

53. Athaliah – Wicked daughter of Ahab and Jezebel who ruled over Israel until she was executed to make way for the boy-king Joash.

54. Baalam – Non-Israelite prophet who prophesied blessing for Israel rather than the curses he was being paid to declare. Balaam is also known for beating his donkey, who then spoke to him by God's power.

55. Bathsheba – Wife of Uriah with whom David committed adultery before murdering her husband. Bathsheba's second child, and the only to survive more than a few days, was Solomon.

56. Belshazzar – The last ruler of the Babylon before it was conquered by the Medes and Persians. Daniel prophesied his destruction--a prediction fulfilled that very night.

57. Bildad – One of the three friends who visited Job and ended up discouraging him rather than comforting him.

58. Boaz – A godly man in an ungodly age, Boaz married Ruth of Moab and was great grandfather of King David.

59. Caleb – A tribal leader who, along with Joshua, counseled Israel to courageously conquer the land they and the 10 unbelieving leaders had spied out.

60. Cyrus – As the first great leader of the Medo-Persian empire, Cyrus abruptly changed the policy of the Babylonians, allowing exiled peoples to return to their ancestral homelands. In doing this, Cyrus was unwittingly fulfilling Isaiah's much earlier prophecy that he was actually carrying out God's will.

61. Daniel – One of the Israelites taken into Babylonian exile who, because of his faithfulness to God and to the king, rose to great power and influence in both the Babylonian and Medo-Persian empires.

62. David – Second king of Israel and famous as "the man after God's own heart," as a singer of psalms, and the slayer of the giant, Goliath. David's reign and that of his son Solomon, was the time of greatest power and prosperity for the nation in ancient times.

63. Darius – The first ruler of Babylon in the Medo-Persian empire, Darius the Mede appointed Daniel to be his advisor. Darius was manipulated into throwing Daniel to the lions, but was greatly relieved when God's prophet emerged unharmed.

64. Deborah – As the only woman who served as a "Judge" of Israel, Deborah led the Israelites to a military victory over Sisera of Damascus.

65. Delilah – This Philistine woman deceived Samson into revealing the secret of his great strength so that she could deliver him to his enemies.

66. Eli – The high priest who took in Samuel when his mother Hannah dedicated him to the Lord. God punished Eli for not restraining the wickedness of his sons.

67. Elihu – A young man who became angry as he listened to the discourse between Job and his three friends. In contrast to the friends, Elihu believed that God imposed suffering on Job, not to punish him for sins but to prevent him from sinning.

68. Elijah – One of the greatest of the prophets, Elijah stood for God virtually alone during the time King Ahab and his wife Jezebel were persecuting true believers and promoting the worship of Baal.

69. Eliphaz – One of the three friends of Job, all of whom were convinced that God was punishing Job for his wickedness.

70. Elisha – The successor of Elijah as God's prophet. Elisha sought and apparently received a double dose of Elijah's miraculous power.

71. Esau – The elder brother of Jacob, who sold the birthright of firstborn to his brother and later also lost his father's blessing to his brother. Although at the time of this second incident Esau vowed to kill Jacob, he later on was reconciled to him declaring how much God had blessed him.

72. Esther – A beautiful Jewess whom the Persian king Ahasuerus married and made his queen. Esther later on saved the Jews from certain destruction by exposing the plots of Haman against her uncle, Mordecai.

73. Ezekiel – Prophet among the Hebrew exiles in Babylonia who saw visions of why God would destroy Jerusalem and how He would restore it.

74. Ezra – A righteous priest and one of the exiles who returned under the sponsorship of the Persian government. Ezra helped Nehemiah to turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord.

75. Eve – The first woman, created from the side of the first man, Adam.

76. Gideon – One of the "Judges" of Israel, convinced to lead the army against the Midianites by two miracles involving a fleece and dew. At God's prompting, Gideon reduced his large army down to 300 men, and still won the victory.

77. Gomer – Wife of the prophet Hosea, whom he married despite her prostitution. Gomer's unfaithfulness to Hosea was symbolic of Israel's unfaithfulness to God.

78. Habakkuk – A prophet who struggled to understand how God could punish the wicked of his nation by the Babylonians, who were even more wicked. God's reply, to which Habakkuk complied, was simply to trust him.

79. Hagar – The slave of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. When Sarah remained childless after many years of trying to conceive, she gave Hagar to her husband--a practice common to the culture of that time. Hagar conceived and bore Abraham his first son, Ishmael.

80. Haggai – Worked closely with his fellow-prophet Zechariah to inspire the people returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile to finish rebuilding the temple of the Lord.

81. Haman – An advisor to King Ahasuerus whose arrogance and pride led him to plot against Mordecai, the righteous uncle of Esther. When Esther uncovered Haman's plot, the king ordered that he be hung on the gallows he had built to hang Modecai.

82. Hannah – Mother of Samuel who dedicated him to the Lord as soon as he was weaned.

83. Hezekiah – Righteous king of Judah who sought and received God's deliverance from the Assyrian army, reformed the worship of God, and brought about a second golden age similar to that of David and Solomon. Hezekiah benefitted greatly from having the prophet Isaiah for an advisor.

84. Hiram – King of Tyre who entered into a treaty and a close personal friendship with King Solomon. Hiram supplied the cedars for the building of the temple and Solomon's palace.

85. Hosea – Prophet of God who obeyed God's command to marry the prostitute Gomer, as a living parable of God's relationship to wayward Israel.

86. Isaac – Second son of Abraham but regarded as the firstborn, since he alone was son of Abraham's wife Sarah. Isaac also entered into covenant with the Lord and prospered under His blessing.

87. Isaiah – Prophet of God who advised King Hezekiah and, along with Micah, inspired the nation of Judah to return to the Lord.

88. Ishmael – First son of Abraham, by Hagar, the slave-woman of Abraham's wife Sarah.

89. Jacob – Also known as "Israel" (Prince of God), Jacob was son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, husband of Leah and Rachel, and father of twelve sons, who became tribal leaders of what would be known as "The Sons of Israel." Jacob also had a daughter named Dinah.

90. Jehu – The successor of Ahab as king of the northern nation of Israel. Appointed by the prophet Elijah, Jehu had Ahab's wife, Personal Loans for People with Bad Credit - A Saviour in Crisis Times
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91. David – Second king of Israel and famous as "the man after God's own heart," as a singer of psalms, and the slayer of the giant, Goliath. David's reign and that of his son Solomon, was the time of greatest power and prosperity for the nation in ancient times.

92. Darius – The first ruler of Babylon in the Medo-Persian empire, Darius the Mede appointed Daniel to be his advisor. Darius was manipulated into throwing Daniel to the lions, but was greatly relieved when God's prophet emerged unharmed.

93. Deborah – As the only woman who served as a "Judge" of Israel, Deborah led the Israelites to a military victory over Sisera of Damascus.

94. Delilah – This Philistine woman deceived Samson into revealing the secret of his great strength so that she could deliver him to his enemies.

95. Eli – The high priest who took in Samuel when his mother Hannah dedicated him to the Lord. God punished Eli for not restraining the wickedness of his sons.

96. Elihu – A young man who became angry as he listened to the discourse between Job and his three friends. In contrast to the friends, Elihu believed that God imposed suffering on Job, not to punish him for sins but to prevent him from sinning.

97. Elijah – One of the greatest of the prophets, Elijah stood for God virtually alone during the time King Ahab and his wife Jezebel were persecuting true believers and promoting the worship of Baal.

98. Eliphaz – One of the three friends of Job, all of whom were convinced that God was punishing Job for his wickedness.

99. Elisha – The successor of Elijah as God's prophet. Elisha sought and apparently received a double dose of Elijah's miraculous power.

100. Esau – The elder brother of Jacob, who sold the birthright of firstborn to his brother and later also lost his father's blessing to his brother. Although at the time of this second incident Esau vowed to kill Jacob, he later on was reconciled to him declaring how much God had blessed him.

101. Esther – A beautiful Jewess whom the Persian king Ahasuerus married and made his queen. Esther later on saved the Jews from certain destruction by exposing the plots of Haman against her uncle, Mordecai.

102. Ezekiel – Prophet among the Hebrew exiles in Babylonia who saw visions of why God would destroy Jerusalem and how He would restore it.

103. Ezra – A righteous priest and one of the exiles who returned under the sponsorship of the Persian government. Ezra helped Nehemiah to turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord.

104. Eve – The first woman, created from the side of the first man, Adam.

105. Gideon – One of the "Judges" of Israel, convinced to lead the army against the Midianites by two miracles involving a fleece and dew. At God's prompting, Gideon reduced his large army down to 300 men, and still won the victory.

106. Gomer – Wife of the prophet Hosea, whom he married despite her prostitution. Gomer's unfaithfulness to Hosea was symbolic of Israel's unfaithfulness to God.

107. Habakkuk – A prophet who struggled to understand how God could punish the wicked of his nation by the Babylonians, who were even more wicked. God's reply, to which Habakkuk complied, was simply to trust him.

108. Hagar – The slave of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. When Sarah remained childless after many years of trying to conceive, she gave Hagar to her husband--a practice common to the culture of that time. Hagar conceived and bore Abraham his first son, Ishmael.

109. Haggai – Worked closely with his fellow-prophet Zechariah to inspire the people returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile to finish rebuilding the temple of the Lord.

110. Haman – An advisor to King Ahasuerus whose arrogance and pride led him to plot against Mordecai, the righteous uncle of Esther. When Esther uncovered Haman's plot, the king ordered that he be hung on the gallows he had built to hang Modecai.

111. Hannah – Mother of Samuel who dedicated him to the Lord as soon as he was weaned.

112. Hezekiah – Righteous king of Judah who sought and received God's deliverance from the Assyrian army, reformed the worship of God, and brought about a second golden age similar to that of David and Solomon. Hezekiah benefitted greatly from having the prophet Isaiah for an advisor.

113. Hiram – King of Tyre who entered into a treaty and a close personal friendship with King Solomon. Hiram supplied the cedars for the building of the temple and Solomon's palace.

114. Hosea – Prophet of God who obeyed God's command to marry the prostitute Gomer, as a living parable of God's relationship to wayward Israel.

115. Isaac – Second son of Abraham but regarded as the firstborn, since he alone was son of Abraham's wife Sarah. Isaac also entered into covenant with the Lord and prospered under His blessing.

116. Isaiah – Prophet of God who advised King Hezekiah and, along with Micah, inspired the nation of Judah to return to the Lord.

117. Ishmael – First son of Abraham, by Hagar, the slave-woman of Abraham's wife Sarah.

118. Jacob – Also known as "Israel" (Prince of God), Jacob was son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, husband of Leah and Rachel, and father of twelve sons, who became tribal leaders of what would be known as "The Sons of Israel." Jacob also had a daughter named Dinah.

119. Jehu – The successor of Ahab as king of the northern nation of Israel. Appointed by the prophet Elijah, Jehu had Ahab's wife, Direct Mail for Aircraft Charter
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120. Esther – A beautiful Jewess whom the Persian king Ahasuerus married and made his queen. Esther later on saved the Jews from certain destruction by exposing the plots of Haman against her uncle, Mordecai.

121. Ezekiel – Prophet among the Hebrew exiles in Babylonia who saw visions of why God would destroy Jerusalem and how He would restore it.

122. Ezra – A righteous priest and one of the exiles who returned under the sponsorship of the Persian government. Ezra helped Nehemiah to turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord.

123. Eve – The first woman, created from the side of the first man, Adam.

124. Gideon – One of the "Judges" of Israel, convinced to lead the army against the Midianites by two miracles involving a fleece and dew. At God's prompting, Gideon reduced his large army down to 300 men, and still won the victory.

125. Gomer – Wife of the prophet Hosea, whom he married despite her prostitution. Gomer's unfaithfulness to Hosea was symbolic of Israel's unfaithfulness to God.

126. Habakkuk – A prophet who struggled to understand how God could punish the wicked of his nation by the Babylonians, who were even more wicked. God's reply, to which Habakkuk complied, was simply to trust him.

127. Hagar – The slave of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. When Sarah remained childless after many years of trying to conceive, she gave Hagar to her husband--a practice common to the culture of that time. Hagar conceived and bore Abraham his first son, Ishmael.

128. Haggai – Worked closely with his fellow-prophet Zechariah to inspire the people returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile to finish rebuilding the temple of the Lord.

129. Haman – An advisor to King Ahasuerus whose arrogance and pride led him to plot against Mordecai, the righteous uncle of Esther. When Esther uncovered Haman's plot, the king ordered that he be hung on the gallows he had built to hang Modecai.

130. Hannah – Mother of Samuel who dedicated him to the Lord as soon as he was weaned.

131. Hezekiah – Righteous king of Judah who sought and received God's deliverance from the Assyrian army, reformed the worship of God, and brought about a second golden age similar to that of David and Solomon. Hezekiah benefitted greatly from having the prophet Isaiah for an advisor.

132. Hiram – King of Tyre who entered into a treaty and a close personal friendship with King Solomon. Hiram supplied the cedars for the building of the temple and Solomon's palace.

133. Hosea – Prophet of God who obeyed God's command to marry the prostitute Gomer, as a living parable of God's relationship to wayward Israel.

134. Isaac – Second son of Abraham but regarded as the firstborn, since he alone was son of Abraham's wife Sarah. Isaac also entered into covenant with the Lord and prospered under His blessing.

135. Isaiah – Prophet of God who advised King Hezekiah and, along with Micah, inspired the nation of Judah to return to the Lord.

136. Ishmael – First son of Abraham, by Hagar, the slave-woman of Abraham's wife Sarah.

137. Jacob – Also known as "Israel" (Prince of God), Jacob was son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, husband of Leah and Rachel, and father of twelve sons, who became tribal leaders of what would be known as "The Sons of Israel." Jacob also had a daughter named Dinah.

138. Jehu – The successor of Ahab as king of the northern nation of Israel. Appointed by the prophet Elijah, Jehu had Ahab's wife, Whose Site Is It Anyway?
     I spend a lot of time emailing with online business owners. Since that’s my specialty, I find a lot of people asking me questions about my success. What amazes me is that many of those people are asking the wrong questions!The questions I’m talking about come from site owners who want to know how to make themselves look good online. These site owners want to write copy that is all about *their* company. They want to have a flash home page because *they* like it. They want to use *their* favorite colors in the design. The problem is, it isn’t *their* site! Let me explain....Think about it a minute. Why do you believe most department stores now willingly offer refunds? Years ago they didn’t. In fact, it was a well-known fact that, if you bought it, you owned it for life. Yet, in just the last 15 years or so, that way of thinking has been completely reversed. The reason? Customer demand.Retailers recognized a customer need, and they filled it. They understood that customers were the ones who made the purchases and, therefore, the ones who kept their retail stores in business. The smart thing to do? Reverse the refund policy and keep customers happy.Was it the store’s idea to offer refunds? No. If it were up to the stores, no money would ever be returned. After all, it’s *their* store, isn’t it? They can do what they want. Yeah, right! Not if they want to stay in business.The same principle applies to your website. Sure, *you* may want to use certain colors on your site, but what would your customer prefer? Your favorite thing in the online world may be flash intros, but your customers might despise them. You may not like the idea of offering a guarantee, but what about your customers? Whose site is it, anyway? Yours? No, not really.Before you get too entangled in making your site everything you want it to be, consider your customers’ wants and needs.ACTION STEP 1Make Your Copy Customer Focused - Go back to your site and read your copy. Does it say anything similar to this? "Welcome to my website. My company does this, that, and the other thing. I am the best company of my type on the Internet. My site has been online since 1999. Buy from me." If so, you have some work to do.Focus on your customers. What are their needs/wants? Rather than copy that says, "Me, me, we, us, I, I, I," you want copy that acknowledges visitors, makes a connection with them, defines their needs, and offers solutions to their problems.ACTION STEP 2Turn Your Site Into An Invitation, Not An Eviction – Do you have a flash home page? If you check your stats, I’ll bet you’ll find more people who skip the flash intro of your site than people who actually view it.Flash is extremely popular with Web designers, but it is extremely unnerving to site visitors. Don’t force flash on your customers.ACTION STEP 3Check Your Navigation – Can your visitors find their way around your site easily? How would you know? The best way to find out for sure is to ask a few people who have never seen your site before to surf on over and take a look around. Ask them to spend 10 or 15 minutes browsing. Then ask them to tell you about their experiences.Paying due attention to your customers and their needs is one of the best things you can do to improve your online business. Put yourself in your customers’ place. When you turn your site into a welcoming environment specifically designed for your visitors, they can’t help but want to return again and again.Copyright 2005 Diane Hughesose arrogance and pride led him to plot against Mordecai, the righteous uncle of Esther. When Esther uncovered Haman's plot, the king ordered that he be hung on the gallows he had built to hang Modecai.

139. Hannah – Mother of Samuel who dedicated him to the Lord as soon as he was weaned.

140. Hezekiah – Righteous king of Judah who sought and received God's deliverance from the Assyrian army, reformed the worship of God, and brought about a second golden age similar to that of David and Solomon. Hezekiah benefitted greatly from having the prophet Isaiah for an advisor.

141. Hiram – King of Tyre who entered into a treaty and a close personal friendship with King Solomon. Hiram supplied the cedars for the building of the temple and Solomon's palace.

142. Hosea – Prophet of God who obeyed God's command to marry the prostitute Gomer, as a living parable of God's relationship to wayward Israel.

143. Isaac – Second son of Abraham but regarded as the firstborn, since he alone was son of Abraham's wife Sarah. Isaac also entered into covenant with the Lord and prospered under His blessing.

144. Isaiah – Prophet of God who advised King Hezekiah and, along with Micah, inspired the nation of Judah to return to the Lord.

145. Ishmael – First son of Abraham, by Hagar, the slave-woman of Abraham's wife Sarah.

146. Jacob – Also known as "Israel" (Prince of God), Jacob was son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, husband of Leah and Rachel, and father of twelve sons, who became tribal leaders of what would be known as "The Sons of Israel." Jacob also had a daughter named Dinah.

147. Jehu – The successor of Ahab as king of the northern nation of Israel. Appointed by the prophet Elijah, Jehu had Ahab's wife, Jezebel killed, as well as all of Ahab's sons.

148. Jephtha – A judge of Israel who delivered the nation from the oppression of the Ammonites (Judges 10 - 11). Jephthah foolishly vowed that if the Lord gave him the victory, he would sacrifice whatever came out to greet him upon his return home. Little did he know that it would be his only daughter (Judges 11:30-40).

149. Jeremiah – Called by God when very young and serving as a prophet for many years, denouncing Judah for its sin and predicting its fall to the Babylonians and a 70-year exile. Jeremiah lived to see his prediction fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

150. Jeshua – High priest for the Israelites allowed by Cyrus to return to Jerusalem. Along with Zerubbabel, Jeshua led the people to complete the reconstruction of the Lord's temple, in response to the prophetic ministry of Zechariah.

151. Jezebel – Princess of Sidon who married Ahab and led the northern nation of Israel into the practice of Baal worship. Jezebel tried to kill off all of the faithful prophets of the Lord, including Elijah. Among her other sins, Jezebel ordered the murder of Naboth in order to sieze his vineyard. She was killed at the order of Jehu.

152. Joab – The nephew of David who served as the general of David's army once David became king. Joab was a treacherous and violent man who nevertheless was fiercely loyal to David.

153. Joash – A righteous king of Judah contemporary with Jehu, king of Israel. Joash became king when he was only six years old, having survived the wrath of Queen Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Among his other righteous deeds, Joash repaired the temple of the Lord. He was assassinated at age 22.

154. Job – (pronounced "jobe"). A righteous man whose severe trials and enduring faith are the subject of the book that bears his name. The book is a series of dialogues between Job and his friends regarding the cause of his suffering.

155. Joel – A prophet the Lord sent to the northern nation of Israel, calling them to repentance on the occasion of a locust plague that happened during a drought. Joel describes the spiritual renewal that awaits those who heed his call.

156. Jonah – A prophet the Lord sent to warn Nineveh that the city was about to suffer destruction. Jonah tried to run from God but eventually delivered the message, prompting the city to respond in fear and repentance. Jonah was angry that the Lord spared the penitent Ninevites and received a rebuke from the Lord in the form of an object lesson.

157. Jonathan – As son of Saul, Jonathan was prince of Israel and should have been next in line for the throne. But the Lord had chosen David as Saul's successor, and Jonathan, who was David's best friend, was willing for David to assume the throne in his place. Jonathan lost his life in a battle against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa.

158. Joseph – As the favorite son of his father Jacob, Joseph provoked the jealousy of his 10 older brothers, who sold him into slavery. God blessed Joseph, however, so that he eventually rose to become the ruler of Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh. From this position of authority, Joseph was able to save his entire family from a famine after he had demonstrated to his brothers that he had forgiven them.

159. Joshua – The assistant of Moses who after the Lawgiver's death, became his successor and led the Israelites in their conquest of the land of Canaan. The book of Joshua relates the history of his life.

160. Josiah – A righteous king of Judah who led important religious reforms. Unfortunately, Josiah lost his life in a battle near Megiddo against Pharaoh Neco.

161. Judah – One of the sons of Jacob whose descendants became one of the most populous tribes of Israel. Judah's was the tribe of both David and Jesus.

162. Laban – Brother of Rebekah and father of Leah and Rachel, Laban

163. Leah – Wife of Jacob, sister of Rachel, and daughter of Laban, Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, during whose childbirth she died. Rachel was her husband's favorite wife.

164. Lot – Nephew of Abraham whom Abraham had to rescue from being a prisoner of war. After barely escaping from the destruction of Sodom, Lot fathered a son by each of his two daughters after they got him drunk on two successive nights. The descendants of the two boys became the nations known as the Moabites and the Ammonites.

165. Malachi – Prophesied during the period after the return from Babylonian exile. Malachi predicted the coming of both John the Baptizer and Jesus.

166. Manasseh – Succeeded his father, righteous Hezekiah, to the throne of Judah, Manasseh was one of the most wicked, responsible, according to tradition, for stuffing the prophet Isaiah into a hollow log and then sawing the log in half. After being punished by the Lord by going into exile, Manasseh turned back to the Lord at the end of his life.

167. Meshach – One of the three friends of Daniel who refused to bow to the image of Nebuchadnezzar and were thrown into a fiery furnace. The Lord rescued the three from martyrdom as a testimony to Nebuchadnezzar of His greatness. "Meshach" is the name the Babylonians assigned to him; his Hebrew name was Mishael.

168. Micah – A prophet of the Lord who prophesied to the nation of Judah. Micah was an older contemporary of the prophet Isaiah.

169. Michal – Daughter of Saul given in marriage to David. When David fled from the wrath of Saul, Michal's father gave her in marriage to another, who was forced to return her to David when David became king. Later on in their marriage, Michal came to despise her husband. She died childless.

170. Miriam – Sister of Moses and Aaron and a prophetess. Miriam led the women in their song of rejoicing after the Lord drowned the Egyptian army in the Red Sea (Exod. 15:20-21). Miriam was temporarily struck with leprosy as punishment for joining with Aaron in questioning Moses' unique authority (Num. 12:1-15).

171. Mordecai – Uncle of Esther who raised her as his own daughter. Mordecai enjoyed a position of favor in the court of Ahasuerus after exposing a plot against the Persian ruler. Esther rescued him from a plot against his life by wicked Haman

172. Moses – Used by God to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. Among the men of the Old Testament Moses was unequaled as a prophet and the lawgiver for the Israelites. His life is recorded in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. He is believed to be the author of Genesis, and Psalm 90 is also ascribed to him. Moses was brother to Aaron and Miriam.

173. Naaman – Syrian military leader who sought a healing of his leprosy from the prophet Elisha. The Lord healed his leprosy after he dipped seven times in the Jordan River, as Elisha directed him.

174. Naomi – The mother-in-law of Ruth, who brought the young widow with her when she returned to Bethlehem from Moab after the death of her husband and both of her sons. It was Naomi who advised Ruth to seek protection from Boaz, resulting in Ruth's eventual marriage to the rich kinsman.

175. Nahum – A prophet of the Lord who predicted the fall of Nineveh. His predictions were fulfilled in 612 B.C. when the Babylonians conquered the Assyrian capital.

176. Nathan – Faithful prophet of the Lord who served as David's trusted spiritual advisor. Nathan had the honor of announcing to David that his dynasty would last forever (2 Sam. 7), a prophecy ultimately fulfilled in the eternal reign of Jesus Christ. To Nathan also fell the unpleasant task of confronting David with his sin of adultery and murder and announcing that his infant child would die (2 Sam. 12).

177. Nebuchadnezzar – King of the Neo-Babylonian empire, who deported nobles from Judah, including Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, better known as Shadrach, Meshach, and

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