Goliath
1Samuel 17, 21:9, 22:10, 21:19, 1Chronicles 20:5
Goliath was a Philistine giant. The Bible states he was at least 9 feet 3 inches tall (2.82 meters). In battle he wore a protective coat that weighed at least 78 U.S. pounds (35.4 kilograms) and threw a spear that was 26 feet (7.9 meters) long. He was considered the Philistine's greatest fighter when a young David fought and killed him. He is one of three people in Scripture who have the mark of 666 as one of God's adversaries!
Habakkuk is one of the Old Testament's Minor Prophets who wrote his book in 626 B.C.. He gave prophecies concerning the destruction of the Chaldeans and condemned greed, graft, idolatry and aggression among God's people.
Hagar
Genesis 16, 21, 25:12, Galatians 4:24 - 25
Hagar was Sarah's Egyptian handmaid she gave to her husband Abraham in order to produce a child and heir. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael who was not considered Abraham's firstborn heir when God healed Sarah's womb and allowed her to produce Isaac. Hagar lived with the couple until Ishmael was about 14 years old.
Haggai
Ezra 5:1, 6:14, Haggai 1:1 - 13, 2:1 - 20
Haggai was another of the Bible's Minor Prophets. His book, written in 520 B.C., discussed how the restoration Temple points to the Church. He also gave prophecies concerning the restoration of Jerusalem's temple and the neglect of those rebuilding it.
Ham
Genesis 5:32, 6:10, 7:13, 9:18 - 22, 10:1 - 20, etc.
Ham was the youngest of Noah's three sons who survived the great flood in Noah's ark. Ham's sons were Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan (from which the land of Canaan gets its name). Please see our chart showing the descendants of Ham for more information.
Hannah
1Samuel 1:2 - 22, 2:1, 22
Hannah was a barren woman who prayed to God for a child and promised to dedicate him to His service. She miraculously gave birth to Samuel, one of the most important prophets in the Old Testament.
Heber
Genesis 46:17, Numbers 26:45, Judges 4:11 - 21, etc.
Heber is also referred to as Eber. As the great-grandson of Shem he lived from 2276 to 1812 B.C. It is believed that from his name the term "Hebrews," first used in reference to Abraham (Genesis 14:13), is derived. His righteous descendants can be seen in our chart showing the genealogy of Shem to Abraham.
Hezekiah
2Kings 18:13 - 14, 17, 19, 29 - 30, 2Chronicles 30:1 - 2, Isaiah 38:1 - 2, 5, etc.
Hezekiah was one of only a few righteous kings who ruled over the Kingdom of Judah. He reigned from 715 to 686 B.C. Please see our dedicated article on Hezekiah for more information.
Hiram
1Chronicles 8:5, 2Chronicles 2:3 - 13, 4:11 - 16, etc.
Hiram, as the King of Tyre, assisted King David in building his house. He also greatly aided King Solomon in building Jerusalem's temple by sending him craftsmen as well as materials such as wood, precious gold and silver.
Hosea is one of the Bible Minor Prophets. His book, written from around 792 to 715 B.C., warned Israel about their adultery, idolatry and drunkenness.
Hoshea
2Kings 15:30, 17:1 - 41, 18:1 - 10
Hoshea, as the last king of the northern ten tribes of Israel (the Kingdom of Israel), ruled from 732 to 723 B.C. The people he ruled, when Samaria fell to Assyrian King Shalmaneser V, were taken out of the land as captives of Assyria.
Isaac
Genesis 17:19 - 21, 21:3 - 12, 22:2 - 9, 24:4 - 67, etc.
Isaac was the only child produced by Abraham and Sarah. He was miraculously born after Sarah was healed of being barren. God tested Abraham's faith by commanding he sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). Isaac's wife Rebekah born him two sons, Esau and Jacob. He lived longer, at 180 years, than his father Abraham (175) or son Jacob (147).
Isaiah
2Kings 19:2 - 20, 20:1 - 19, 2Chronicles 26:22, etc.
One of the Bible's major prophets. Isaiah served during reigns of kings Azariah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. He is known for fortelling the coming and suffering of Jesus (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12). Christ began his ministry by quoting Isaiah 61's words related to the Biblical year of Jubilee (Luke 4:16 - 21). Learn more about this prophet in our detailed study of Isaiah's life!
Ishbosheth
2Samuel 2:8 - 15, 3:7 - 15, 4:1 - 12
Ishbosheth was one of King Saul's sons. After Saul is killed in battle (1010 B.C.) one of his generals, named Abner, begins a campaign to convince the tribes of Israel to make Ishbosheth their king. While David is made king over the tribe of Judah (2Samuel 2) in 1010, it takes Abner several years to get the other tribes to accept Ishbosheth as their ruler.
Ishbosheth starts to reign over most of Israel roughly around 1005 B.C. In about 1003 he is murdered in his bed by two of his captains. David, after Ishbosheth dies, is crowned the king over all Israel.
Ishmael
Genesis 16:11 - 16, 17:18 - 26, 25:9 - 17, 28:9, etc.
Ishmael was Abraham's son by Hagar, Sarah's maidservant. Ishmael grew up to be a "wild man" (Genesis 16:12). He was cast into the wilderness with his mother when he mocked Isaac. God made him into a great nation and gave him twelve sons who were princes of their tribes (Genesis 17:20).
The Old Testament records a man named Jabez making a simple and short prayer to God. He asked the Lord the following.
Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and make my border larger, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, so that it may not grieve me (1Chronicles 4:10, HBFV).
God's response to this simple request was, "And God granted him that which he asked." Please see our dedicated article on Jabez for more information.
Jacob (Israel)
Genesis 25, 27:6 - 46, 28:1 - 20, 29:1 - 28, etc.
Jacob was the son of Isaac and twin-brother to Esau. He bought Esau's birthright blessing for bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29 - 34) but later felt it necessary to steal it by pretending to be Esau in front of their Father Jacob. Jacob flees Esau by traveling to a relative named Laban, where he will work fourteen years in order to marry Rachel. Jacob also wrestles with a man who is actually a pre-incarnate Jesus and has name changed to Israel (Genesis 32:22 - 32). Please see our dedicated article on Israel for more information.
Jacob's sons, which represent the tribes of Israel, are Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Gad, Isaachar, Judah, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, Zebulon. Levi, though a son, is usually not listed as a tribe due to their being made priests of the Eternal. Although Joseph was also a son of Jacob his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, whom Jacob gave the birthright blessing (Genesis 48), are listed as tribes instead of him.
Japheth
Genesis 5:32, 6:10, 7:13, 9:18, 23, 27, etc.
Japheth was (likely) the oldest of Noah's three sons who survived the great flood in the ark. Japheth's sons were Gomer, Magog, Javan, Tubal and others. See our map showing where Japheth and his descendants lived after the flood!
Jehoiachin
2Kings 24:6 - 15, 25:27, 2Chronicles 36:8 - 9, etc.
Jehoiachin, one of the last kings over the Kingdom of Judah, ruled for only 3 months from 598 to 597 B.C. After Jerusalem fell at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar he was captured and taken prisoner to Babylon.
Jephthah
Judges 11 - 12, 1Samuel 12:11
Jephthah, the son of a whore, was one of Israel's Judges who saved the people from the oppression of the Ammonites. He served as Judge from 1087 to 1081 B.C. The belief that Jephthah murdered his daughter in order to fulfill a vow made to God is not true. Please see our article on Jephthah for more information.
Jeremiah
2Kings 23:31, 24:18, 1Chronicles 5:24, 12:4, 10 - 13, etc.
Jeremiah, who wrote from 627 to 585 B.C., is considered one of the Old Testament's three major prophets. He was destined to be a prophet before he was born (Jeremiah 1:4 - 5). He foretold, and lamented at, the desolation of Jerusalem and Judah. He was imprisoned by Judah's King Zedekiah but released by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He prophecies foretold the suffering of Jesus. Learn more about this prophet in our detailed study of Jeremiah's life!
Jeroboam
1Kings 11:26 - 40, 12:2 - 32, 13:1 - 34, etc.
Jeroboam was the first king of the newly created northern ten tribes of Israel (Kingdom of Israel). He reigned over a divided Israel, whose capital was originally Shechem, from 930 to 909 B.C. He set up a pagan golden calve god in Dan and Bethel to keep people from worshipping in Jerusalem (1Kings 12). He set a precedence of idolatry and leading Israel to sin that the Lord would reference many times (1Kings 16:2, 19, 31, etc.)
Jesse
Ruth 4:17, 22, 1Samuel 16:1 - 22, 17:12 - 58, 20:27 - 31, etc.
Jesse was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth. He was the father of King David, who was his youngest of eight children.