Israel, Judah capture land
Land grab
Israel and Judah take land from Syria and Edom
Israel, Judah, and Moab are the big winners in a land grab. Each nation fought for control over their individual corners of the region.Assyria weakens Syria
Assyria attacks Syria, leaving it too weak to defend itself against an opportunist like Israel's King Jeroboam. Jeroboam II recovered territory Israel lost to Syria. He restores Israel’s border from Lebo-hamath in the north (about 50 miles/80 km northwest of Damascus), to the Dead Sea in the south. A prophet named Jonah, son of Amittai, said it would happen. Jonah came from the town of Gath-hepher.God helped make it happen
The LORD helped Jeroboam do these things because he saw how desperate the people had become. There was no one else willing to help them, free or slave. One more reason the LORD helped is because he promised not to let anyone erase them from the world. Those are the reasons he helped Jeroboam II, son of Jehoash.Edom and Judah gain land, too
Edom can't stop the young king of Judah, Amaziah, still in his early 20s and ambitious. After taking Edom, he challenges Israel to a battle. He loses, gets captured, and for punishment, Israel's soldiers knock down part of Jerusalem's city walls. Many citizens are taken as slaves.Moab's last stand
As for Moab, the combined armies of Judah and Israel can't break through the defenses of Moab's capital city, Kir-hareseth. Moab’s king saw he was losing the city. So, he took 700 swordsmen and tried to punch through Edom’s line and scatter the enemy. He failed and had to retreat.King sacrifices his son on city wall
Then he killed his oldest son, who would have succeeded him as king. He burned the body on top of the city wall as a sacrifice for everyone to see. Israel saw it, too. Angry and disgusted, they went home.Where to find more Bible maps
The Casual English Bible® has more than 900 Bible maps, many in 3D style. You can search for maps by place name, such as "Sea of Galilee."Dedicated Bible map search engine
But you can also search for maps by Bible book, such as searching for all the maps in the book of Joshua. In addition, you can search by country, region, or era on a timeline, such as when Israel had kings or when Jesus was on earth. Here's a link to the dedicated Map Search Engine.For more Bible features
Israel and Judah grab land
Headhunting in northern Israel
Headhunting in northern Israel
David's army takes home a rebel's head
David's army was looking for the right man to behead. They had to travel about a week's march north of Jerusalem—about 100 miles/160 km—to the borderland of northern Israel, to the town of Abel.David's enemy was a rebel trying to pull the northern tribes of Israel away from the united kingdom. He was recruiting walled cities to join the cause. Walled cities are harder to attack without an overwhelming force.
The rebel was Sheba, from the tiny tribe of Benjamin, Judah's neighbor on the north.
David sent his new general and part of the army on the headhunt. The former general went along, Joab, whom David had demoted. Mistake on David's part. Joab had already killed one competing general, Abner, and David's own son, Absalom. He murdered this general, too, and took back his old job. He led the chase to Sheba.
David's army lays siege in northern Israel
From 2 Samuel 20
14Sheba went recruiting throughout the northern tribes of Israel. His extended family clan, the Bichri’s, followed him one day into the walled city of Abel Beth Maacah.15Joab’s army surrounded the city. Some men started building a siege ramp to the top of the wall. Others used a battering ram to try breaking through the walls. 16A wise woman inside the town called out to the attacking soldiers. “Hey listen! Listen! Tell Joab I want to talk with him.”
Negotiating a peace
17Joab came over and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He said, “Yes, I am.” She said, “Please listen to me.” He said, “Go ahead, I’m listening.” 18She said, “There’s an old saying in Israel, ‘Ask it in Abel.’ After that, people would work out their differences. 19I’m one of the peace-loving people in Israel. And I’m watching you destroy one of the mother cities of Israel. You’re tearing into the heritage of the LORD himself. Why would you do this?”20Joab said, “That’s the last thing on my mind. No way would I want to destroy this place. 21That’s not my plan. But there’s a man inside who has launched a rebellion against King David. The man comes from the hills of Ephraim. His name is Sheba, a son of Bichri. Give him to me and we will leave your town.” The woman said, “We’ll toss his head over the wall.”
Sheba loses his head
22The savvy woman pitched her survival plan to others in town. They cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it over to Joab. He ordered his trumpeter to blow the ram’s horn signal to stand down and withdraw. The soldiers went home. Joab went to see the king in Jerusalem.For other Bible versions see Bible Gateway.
Northern Israel
Map of Exodus route
Map of Exodus route
Map of Exodus route out of Egypt, which Hosea compares to Israel's future return from exile, led by God.
Map of Samaria, city and territory
Map of Samaria, city and territory
Samaria, capital of Israel
And territory in northern Promised Land
Map of Samaria: Samaria was one of the capital cities of the northern Jewish nation that took the name of Israel when it parted company with the tribe of Judah in the south. Samaria also became the name of the territory in and around the city. In time, it became a nickname for the northern tribes. King Omri built the city of Samaria and made it his capital. He was the father of the infamous King Ahab who married the Baal-worshiping Jezebel. Omri bought a hill from a man named Shemer and paid about 150 pounds of silver for it. Omri built a new capital city on that hill. He named the town Samaria, after the former owner.Attacking Samaria
Syrian King Ben-hadad mobilized all the armies in his region. He combined the infantry, cavalry, and chariot corps of 32 kings of kingdom territories and towns. Then he took them to Israel’s capital city of Samaria and attacked. Israel’s elite corps of guards stepped forward, creating a first line of attack. Ben-hadad’s scouts saw them coming and reported back, “Men from Samaria are advancing onto our position.”Standoff then counterattack
For seven days the two armies eyed each other from their camps. Then, on day seven, they fought. Israel killed 100,000 Syrian infantrymen on that first day. The rest fled into the walled city of Aphek for protection. But the walls collapsed, killing another 27,000 of them. Ben-Hadad hid in the back room of a house. His officials said, “Listen, we’ve heard Israel’s kings show mercy. Let’s go to their king dressed in humble cloths, in sackcloth with rope belts.” He may let us live. So, wearing sackcloth with rope belts, the leaders presented themselves to the king of Israel.Invader surrenders
They said, “Ben-Hadad sends this message: “I am Ben-Hadad, your servant. Please let me live.” Ahab said, “Ah, he’s still alive? And he’s my brother now?” The captives took that as a hopeful sign. So, they said, “Yes. Yes he is. He’s your brother, Ben-Hadad.” Ahab said, “Then bring him here.” When Ben-Hadad stepped up, Ahab told him to step into his chariot with him. Ben-Hadad said, “I’m giving you back the cities my father took from your father. And I’m offering you a marketplace in Damascus, just as my father once had a market in Samaria.” Ahab said, “Agreed. Because of this peace treaty, I’ll set you free.”For more Bible features
Map of Samaria territory