Bible map Assyrian Empire 750 BC
Bible map Assyrian Empire 750 BC
Assyrian Empire 750 BC
On the verge of overrunning Middle East
Assyria, based in what is now northern Iraq, began to push west, bullying city-state kingdoms into paying them taxes or tribute. They would conquer Syria first and kill the king in Damascus. Then, in 722 BC, they would erase Israel from the world map and deport the Jewish survivors. They would try to destroy Jerusalem, but didn't make it past the walls before something mysterious drove them away, possibly a bubonic-like plague, some scholars theorize.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
Assyrian Empire 750 BC
Solomon’s Galilee
Solomon's Galilee
SOLOMON GIVES AWAY 20 CITIES IN GALILEE
From 1 Kings 9:10- 14. Solomon spent 20 years building two houses. One house for God, the Temple. One house for himself, the palace. 11King Hiram of Tyre supplied Solomon with all the wood he needed for these building projects. Hiram sent gold along with cedar and cypress from the Lebanon forests. In return, Solomon gave him a bonus gift of 20 towns in Galilee, along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.Hiriam's reaction: "Worthless"
12But when Hiram saw the 20 villages he got as a gift for his 20 years of trouble, he felt cheated. 13He told Solomon, “My friend, you call these cities?” Hiram decided to call them “Worthless.” And that’s what he named the region. 14But Hiram felt obligated to give Solomon a gift in return. He sent a little less than four tons of gold.Tallying the gold
Four tons of god would be about 720 gold bars today, weighing a total of 9,000 pounds or 4,000 kilograms. In ancient Hebrew measurement, it was 120 talents, at an estimated 75 pounds or 34 kilograms per talent. The weight of a talent varied by era and location. To haul that much gold today, it would take about five of the half-ton pickup trucks or seven well-built minivans or 60 Radio Flyer classic red wagons. When the writer used the word "worthless" he wrote it in Hebrew, the language of the Israelites. And in Hebrew the word is Cabul. It seems that the name stuck. There’s an Israeli city called Kabul, near the northwest border with Lebanon. The population is mostly Arab. Some scholars suggest this was one of the 20 cities Solomon gave to Hiram. Israel captured the city in 1948 in Operation Dekel, an offensive that also led to the capture of Nazareth and about 30 other Arab towns in western Galilee.Good Galilee
The fertile part of Galilee is south, at the Jezreel Valley. Solomon kept that for himself.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
Bible map Gilead
Bible map Gilead
Bible map Gilead. God promises to bring exiled Jews home. He says they'll fill up the region of Gilead and overflow into Lebanon.
Bible Map Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, Sidon
Bible Map Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, Sidon
Bible map of Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, and Sidon, which are cities and kingdoms doomed to fall, according to Zechariah's prophecy in Zechariah 9.
Bible map of Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, Sidon