If I had to give one downside to the Bible, it might be its inclusion of hundreds of different people. Covering thousands of years, the Jewish Bible tells the history of the Jews, but which ones? Sure. Everyone knows Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Jacob, Ruth, and more. But, what about the hundreds of other people named in the Bible that few remember?

While working on creating the Which Jewish Bible Character Are You? Facebook quiz, I found myself consulting the JPS book, Who’s Who in the Jewish Bible. I immediately fell in love. The book is amazing! It provides detailed information about each person mentioned in the Bible, something that was super helpful when creating the Facebook quiz. Even though I was focusing on some of the more major Biblical heroes/heroines, I couldn’t help but notice all the forgotten people – the people you might hear about once a year in a specific Torah portion or during a certain holiday but who often get overlooked.

So, in an attempt to discover new information, I spent some quality time perusing the pages of this JPS guide. In the end, I discovered tons of interesting people. But, since I can’t name them all, here are the five greatest forgotten characters from the Jewish Bible:

1. Mordecai – a central figure in the story of Purim, he is usually overshadowed by the characters of Esther and Haman. Still, Mordecai plays a pivotal role in the story, giving Esther information about a plot to assassinate the king. This information creates trust between Esther and the king, something that helps her thwart Haman’s plan and save her people!

2. Ishmael – even though he wasn’t Jewish, Ishmael was Abraham’s first son. While Judaism favors Isaac as Abraham’s true heir, do not forget that Ishmael went on to become the ancestor of many great religious nations, including Islam.

3. Dinah – the only daughter of Jacob’s thirteen children, she had to contend with a lot of testosterone and undoubtedly led an interesting life. Unfortunately, her main story involves her being raped and her brothers murdering the culprit, along with all the other men in the city . However, if you want a different spin on the tale, I suggest reading The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.

4. Samson – while most know the story of Samson and Delilah, I couldn’t help but give Samson a place in my list. For one thing, what’s cooler than a guy who derives strength from his hair? It seems so strange. Not to mention, it never ceases to amaze me that a man would tell a woman who has repeatedly tried to trick him the secret to his strength. It’s not like Delilah was trustworthy…

5. Boaz – A member of the tribe of Judah, Boaz married Ruth (who followed her mother-in-law after the death of her husband and converted to Judaism). I always thought of Boaz as a really great character of the Bible. He seems kind, and he certainly had some impressive descendants – he was King David’s great grandfather!

Enjoy some of these forgotten characters, and feel free to discover more! Happy hunting!

-Sarah