The Bible Project

Dragons show up on page one of the Bible, named among the beings that feature in the seven-day creation narrative in Genesis 1. God creates dragons to inhabit the chaos waters, and we meet one early on that tries (and succeeds) to get the first humans to choose their own destruction. Why would God create these creatures? What is their purpose? Join Tim and Jon as they talk about the literary function of dragons in the Bible.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-8:29)Part two (8:29-19:38)Part three (19:38-35:05)Part four (35:05-47:49)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTSAdditional sound design by Tyler Bailey, Dan Gummel, and Matthew Halbert-HowenShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Pod

When we read the word “myth,” often what comes to mind is a fictional story. However, a myth is a way of exploring universal concerns of human existence, using symbols for things we may or may not have words to describe. The dragon is one such myth—a symbol humans have used for millennia to talk about chaos and death. Some might say it was one of the first worldwide memes. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss ancient Near Eastern literature about dragons.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-6:21)Part two (6:21-20:43)Part three (20:43-31:49)Part four (31:49-49:18)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTSAdditional sound design by the BibleProject teamShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey.  P

 Nahash, tanin, leviathan––the Bible is full of strange words describing a creature many modern readers can’t quite categorize. All these words are ways of referring to a monster of the deep, a dragon. In this episode, Tim and Jon kick off a brand new theme study, the chaos dragon, with a look at the language the Bible uses to describe this creature.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-4:27)Part two (4:27-20:25)Part three (20:25-31:13)Part four (31:13-46:03)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTSAll other musical compositions and sound design are original works by the BibleProject team.Show produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Podcast annotations for the BibleProject app by Hannah Woo.Powere

How could Abraham have anticipated a coming City of God, like the author of Hebrews said? What’s the connection between the shame of Adam and Eve and that of their son Cain? Was Genesis first an oral tradition, and how did it become a written account with so many literary hyperlinks? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from the first half of The City series. Thank you to our audience for your incredible questions!View more resources on our website →Timestamps How Could Abraham Have Anticipated the City of God? (2:05)What Are the Parallels Between Adam and Eve’s Shame and Cain’s? (12:50)Was Genesis First an Oral Tradition? (23:48)Is There a Connection Between the Tower of Babel and Jacob’s Ladder? (33:52)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTSShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Le

In the Bible, cities have a bad reputation as centers of immorality and unrighteous living. First-century followers of Jesus continued to live in cities, but they lived by an other-worldly ethic set by Jesus. Their way of living was so different that Jesus’ followers began to talk about their citizenship being primarily in a coming heavenly city, rather than the physical city in which they lived. In this episode, join Jon and Tim as they wrap up our theme study of the city.  View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-21:17)Part two (21:17-27:20)Part three (27:20-47:11)Part four (47:11-1:05:17)Referenced ResourcesNew International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, Willem A. VanGemerenThe Garden City, John Mark ComerInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Lost Love” by Toonorth“Acquired In Heaven” by Beautiful Eulogy

As the story of the Bible unfolds, the expectation for a city of God—a new Jerusalem where Heaven and Earth will be fully united—continues to grow. Yet the gospel authors seem to think this new Jerusalem is most fully realized in Jesus himself. So if Jesus is the new Jerusalem, what’s his relationship with the physical city of Jerusalem? In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss how Jesus and his followers become the new Jerusalem. View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-19:01)Part two (19:01-21:23)Part three (21:23-45:24)Part four (45:24-54:56)Part five (54:56-1:03:42)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Backyard Puddles” by Sleepy Fish“According to God” by Beautiful Eulogy“Passing the Time” by Tyler Bailey & Matthew Halbert-HowenShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Ed

Cities appear to be inherently bad in the story of the Bible. So when Jesus calls his followers a city on a hill, what does he mean? And why is the vision of the new creation a city instead of a garden? In this episode, Tim and Jon review some of the major motifs in the theme of the city so far and explore the concept of a city of God.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-22:02)Part three (22:02-33:57)Part three (33:57-44:17)Part four (44:17-54:52)Referenced ResourcesNew International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, Willem A. VanGemerenThe Garden City, John Mark ComerInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Goofy Nights in Tokyo” by Sam Stewart“Vivid” by Chromonicci“Can I Get a Cab?” by Tyler Bailey & Matthew Halbert-HowenShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Da

The city of Jerusalem, established by David to be the home of God, is a glimpse of what a divine city could look like, but even Jerusalem becomes corrupt. Is there any kind of city we can actually put our hope in? Jesus seemed to think so. He said he was the place where Heaven and Earth are fully united, allowing God and humanity to dwell together. Then he took it a step further to say his followers are a city on a hill, the city of God. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the new Jerusalem.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-11:08)Part two (11:08-25:46)Part three (25:46-33:32)Part four (33:32-47:31)Part five (47:31-1:02:52)Referenced ResourcesThe City We Became: A Novel, N.K. JemisinInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Traveling” by Anbuu“Sailing on a Flying Boat” by Enzalla (both middle breaks)“Mt. Elsewhere” by Mama A

Israel was meant to be a picture of the heavenly city of God, but over time, it began to look more like Babylon, Nineveh, and Sodom and Gomorrah. In the scroll of Isaiah, the prophet announces Yahweh’s coming judgment on Israel because of their oppression of other humans. Join Tim and Jon as they discuss the city of God in the scroll of Isaiah.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-13:05)Part two (13:05-28:38)Part three (28:38-36:29)Part four (36:29-51:00)Part five (51:00-57:33)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Thunderbird” by McKinley WilsonShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Podcast annotations for the BibleProject app by Hannah Woo.Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

When Jesus tells Nicodemus people must be born again of water and Spirit, is that connected to the anointing theme? Is Jesus’ anointing in the Jordan supposed to remind us of the flood story? Does an antichrist have to first be a christ (anointed one)? In this episode, Tim and Jon explore your questions about the theme of the anointed. Thanks to our audience for your incredible questions!View more resources on our website →Timestamps Is Jesus’ Teaching on Water and Spirit Part of the Anointed Theme? (01:25)Is Jesus’ Anointing in the Jordan Connected to the Flood Story? (09:10)What’s the Connection Between Oil and Blood in the Bible? (20:14)Does an Antichrist Have to First Be a Christ? (29:21)Why Was Jesus Anointed With Perfume Before His Death? (44:53)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTSShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associa

When we first read about Jerusalem in the Bible, it appears to be a golden city—founded by David, a center of victory, prosperity, and unity. But it doesn’t take long for the cracks to begin to show, and Jerusalem becomes a home for idolatry and oppression. What happened to the city David founded to cause the prophet Micah to accuse it of being a city founded on human bloodshed? In this episode, Tim and Jon talk about how even the so-called city of God can resemble the city of Cain.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-9:29)Part two (9:29-21:26)Part three (21:26-40:08)Part four (40:08-53:21)Part five (53:21-1:03:12)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Ah” by a contributor“Wonderful” by Beautiful Eulogy“New Babylon” by McKinley WilsonOriginal sound design by Dan GummelShow produced by Cooper Peltz with As

Jerusalem is the Bible’s image of what a city of God should be. But from the earliest moments of its founding, it's clear that even this city has problems. What will it take for a city to truly become like the garden of Eden? In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the founding of Jerusalem and what it will take for God and humans to dwell together.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-18:21)Part two (18:21-33:17)Part three (33:17-49:27)Part four (49:27-59:22)Part five (59:22-1:27:15)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Effervescent” by Toonorth“Everything is Yours” by Liz ViceOriginal sound design by Dan Gummel“Forgot It Was Monday” by Sleepy FishShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Pod

At last, there’s a positive example of a city in the Bible, the capital city of Egypt under the rule of Joseph. In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they explore how a city—usually a perpetrator of death and violence—can become a source of life under the leadership of a wise human image of God.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-10:55)Part two (10:55-34:49)Part three (34:49-49:38)Part four (49:38-59:35)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Onteora Lake” by McEvoy & Stan Forebee“Firefly Field” by Aso, Aviino & Middle School“Alone Time” by Sam StewartShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Podcast annotations for the BibleProject app by Hannah Woo.Powered and distributed by Simple

If Babylon is the worst city in the Bible, then Sodom and Gomorrah are a close second. The injustice and oppression in Sodom and Gomorrah are so pronounced that God sends a flood of justice to completely wipe out these two cities. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the theme of the city and the darkest parts of human nature.Content warning: Today's episode contains some mention of sexual abuse, rape, and incest.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-16:30)Part two (16:30-34:55)Part three (34:55-52:47)Part four (52:47-1:05:29)Referenced ResourcesIntroduction to Inner-Biblical Interpretation, Yair ZakovitchInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Two Thousand Miles” by Aviino“Covet” by Beautiful Eulogy“City Fades” by Tyler BaileyShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Edi

You may have heard that Babylon was the biggest, baddest city in the Bible, but where did that reputation come from? Who founded the city, and what made it so detestable to God? In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they explore the story of the half-human, half-god Nimrod and the city he founded.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-16:08)Part two (16:08-30:37)Part three (30:37-41:00)Part four (41:00-59:28)Referenced ResourcesThe Context of Scripture, William W. HalloInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Canary Forest” by Aso, Aviino, & Middle School“Winterrain” by tusken“Beaver Creek” by Aso, Aviino, & Middle School“Catching the Tube” by Sam StewartShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Podcast ann

As the story of the Bible unfolds, humanity grows more and more violent. Cain is more violent than his parents, and his descendants are more violent than him. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss Lemek, Cain’s far more murderous descendant, and humanity’s escalating violence that prompts God to flood the earth.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-18:31)Part two (18:31-36:18)Part three (36:18-51:52)Part four (51:52-1:14:37)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Organized Religion” by Beautiful Eulogy“She Won’t Say” by Psalm Trees & Guillaume Muschalle“Forever Tired” by Psalm Trees & Guillaume MuschalleShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Podcast annotations for the BibleProject

In the story of the Bible, cities are a bad thing. They’re a symptom of humanity’s violence and attempts to protect themselves instead of trusting God. In fact, in the second chapter of Genesis, God “builds” something for humanity’s protection. And it’s not a city—it’s a woman. In this episode, Tim and Jon explore the theme of the city and the first thing God builds.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-12:51)Part two (12:51-35:26)Part three (35:26-44:40)Part four (44:40-1:14:49)Referenced ResourcesTrees and Kings: A Comparative Analysis of Tree Imagery in Israel’s Prophetic Tradition and the Ancient Near East, William OsborneSymbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms, Othmar KeelWordplay in Ancient Near Eastern Texts (Ancient Near East Monographs), Scott B. Noegel Interested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (

The theme of the city in the Bible is a surprising one. When cities are introduced in the story, they’re depicted as “bad”—a human response to increasing violence and the need for self-protection—and gardens are depicted as humanity’s ideal setting. However, in the book of Revelation, the new creation Jesus brings is a city. What’s going on here? Join Tim and Jon as they start exploring the biblical theme of the city.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-20:11)Part two (20:11-32:09)Part three (32:09-50:30)Part four (50:30-1:06:53)Referenced ResourcesNew International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, Willem A. VanGemerenThe Garden City, John Mark ComerInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Kokon” by Plusma & Guillaume Muschalle“Long Lost Friend” by Sam Stewart“Just a Thought” by Tyler BaileyShow produced

“Jesus the anointed one” is the literal translation of the Greek title “Christ,” frequently applied to Jesus. In this podcast episode, Tim and Jon discuss both this title and Jesus’ baptism, which the gospel writers depict as his anointing ceremony. Listen in as we explore the theme of the anointed in the New Testament and how Jesus’ followers become anointed ones too.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-11:06)Part two (11:06-29:04)Part three (29:04-42:59)Part four (42:59-1:08:52)Referenced ResourcesThe Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, Ben WitheringtonInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Sailing on a Flying Boat” by Enzalla“CluB waVes” by Tyler Bailey“Along the Yarra” by Stan ForebeeShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and

Do the biblical authors consider women the second-born siblings of men? Were Joshua and Caleb rivals? Why is Korah, the disgraced rebel, honored in the Psalms? In this episode, Tim and Jon dive into your questions from the firstborn series. Thank you to our audience for your insightful questions!View more resources on our website →Timestamps Rijke from Japan (1:22)Ludy from the Netherlands) and Laura from Ireland (7:30)Craig from Australia (21:31)Daniel from Tennessee (25:02)Tara from Florida (30:19)Garrett from Texas (36:05)David from Massachusetts (40:32)Lizzie from Texas (48:38)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTSShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Podcast annotations for the BibleProject app by Hannah Wo