Children in Ancient Israel and Judah

Most studies of ancient Israelite families have taken children for granted. In recent years, a new emerging field of inquiry promises to enrich and expand our understanding of children and the family in ancient Israel. Utilizing text and archaeology, this Element explores how children had an impact on the family and its household.

Most studies of ancient Israelite families have taken children for granted. Scholarship assumed children were present but, thinking that children were invisible in the archaeological record, it did not pay much attention to them. In recent years, a new emerging field of inquiry promises to enrich and expand our understanding of children and the family in ancient Israel. Utilizing text and archaeology, this Element explores how children had an impact on the family and its household. It first considers why children were desired and explores the ways in which children entered the ancient Israelite household. The subsequent sections examine different aspects of a child's life within the family, including issues of gender and culture, household religion, death, and items used by children in their daily lives. What becomes apparent is that children were not overlooked by their families but were treated as a valuable component of the ancient Israelite household.