Map of ancient Israel
Boundary of Promised Land
Israel east of the Jordan River
Scouting Canaan
Balaam hired to jinx Israel
Canaan ahead
Map Jacob comes home to Canaan
Jacob’s not-so-fond farewell
3 herds for brother Esau
Map of Jacob leaving Shechem
Map Jacob’s journey
Map Jacob's journey
Map “I came to Canaan from…Paddan-aram.”
Map "I came to Canaan from...Paddan-aram."
Hill People, the Israelites
Map, King of Ammon: “Israel’s people stole my land”
Map, King of Ammon: "Israel's people stole my land"
Map King of Ammon: "Israel's people stole my land"
AMMON ATTACKS ISRAEL
4People of Ammon later attacked Israelites living in the area. 5Israelite leaders went to Tob and asked Jephthah to come back with them. 6They told him, “We want you to command the army that will fight the Ammonites."
7Jephthah said, “You do, do you? Don’t you remember that you’re the people who kicked me out of my father’s house. And now you have the nerve to ask for my help when you’re in trouble?” 8The leaders of Gilead said, “Yes, we know. But we're coming to you anyhow, asking you to lead us in the battle. If you do, we’ll appoint you ruler of Gilead.”
9Jephthah said, “Are you feeding me a line? If I come back with you, and the LORD lets me defeat the Ammonites, will you really do what you said—you’ll make me ruler?” 10The leaders of Gilead told Jephthah, “Yes. And we’ll make that promise with the LORD watching. Once you become our ruler, we’ll do whatever you say.” 11So Jephthah went back with the leaders, and they appointed him ruler of Gilead and commander of the army. He took the oath of leadership at a sacred site at Mizpah, with the LORD watching.
WORDS BEFORE THE WAR
12Jephthah sent a message to the king of Ammon, asking, “What’s the problem here? Why are you coming onto my land to fight me?”
13Ammon’s king sent a reply. “When Israel’s people came here from Egypt, they stole my land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River to the Jordan River. Give it back to me peacefully.”
14Jephthah answered the king. 15“This message is from Jephthah: Israel didn’t take land from the people of Moab or Ammon. 16When Israel came up here from Egypt, they traveled through barren wasteland and the Reed Sea, on their way to the Kadesh oasis. 17Israel sent messengers to Edom’s king, asking, ‘Would you allow us to pass through your land?’ The king would not. Israel asked the same of Moab’s king, with the same result. So, Israel stayed at Kadesh for a while. 18When they started traveling again, they circled around Edom and Moab. To take that bypass, they had to walk through desolate land again. They camped on the far side of the Arnon River, to the east. They didn’t step on Moab’s land because Arnon marked the eastern boundary. 19Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in his capital at Heshbon: ‘We would like permission to pass through your country.’ 20Sihon didn’t trust Israel enough to let them do that. So, he assembled his army and camped at Jahaz. That’s where he fought Israel. 21He lost. Because of it, the LORD gave Sihon and his people to Israel. So, Israel took the land and lived there.
Boundaries
22They controlled all the land you’re talking about, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert in the east to the Jordan River in the west. 23Israel’s God, the LORD, crushed the Amorites. Are you planning to step into this picture and pick up where they left off? 24Shouldn’t you be satisfied with what your god, Chemosh, gives you? And shouldn’t we be allowed to take everything the LORD, our God, gives us? 25Are you any better than Moab’s former king, Balak the son of Zippor? Did he argue with Israel about the land? Did he go to war with them? 26Let’s be clear, you want land that Israel has lived on for 300 years. This includes the cities of Heshbon and Aroer along with their outlying communities along the Arnon River. If this land belonged to you, why didn’t you take it earlier? 27I haven’t done anything wrong to you. You’re the one causing trouble. You’re starting a war against me. The LORD will have the final say about all of this.” 28Jephthah’s message didn’t change the Ammonite king’s mind.
Judges 11, Casual English Bible
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Map of 33 cities the Israelites conquered
Map of 33 cities the Israelites conquered
Map of Canaan cities
Bible map of cities in ancient Israel
Boss of Edom, Moab
Boss of Edom, Moab
Bosses of the Promised Land
Kings of Israel and Judah controlled their neighbor countries of Edom and Moab for part of the era of Israelite kings. Moab had apparently lived under the dominance of Israel since David conquered the nation (2 Samuel 8:12). This likely meant, in part, that they paid annual tribute to Israel’s king—essentially tax payments. This marks a turning point in the history of the northern Jewish kingdom, the beginning of the end of their empire.2 Kings 1-4, Israel's king, about to die
"1When King Ahab of Israel died, Moab decided to declare its independence from Israel. 2Israel’s King Ahaziah fell through the latticework of an upper window in Samaria. Injured, he wanted to know if he would recover. So, he sent messengers to ask Baalzebub, god of the people in the city of Ekron. 3But a messenger from the LORD told Elijah, a prophet from the town of Tishbe, to go and intercept the king’s people. Elijah was to say, “Tell me this, why are you going to Ekron to consult Baalzebub? Don’t we have a God here in Israel? 4Take this message as a reminder that we do. Tell the king the LORD says this: ‘You won’t leave your sickbed. You’ll die there.’” Elijah delivered that message."2 Kings 2:1-9, Moab declares independence
Israel declares war
Moab stops paying Israel
4King Mesha of Moab bred sheep. When King Ahab was alive and Israel was powerful, Mesha had to pay him to live in peace. Mesha gave Ahab 100,000 lambs and wool from 100,000 sheep. 5But Ahab was dead now. So, Mesha was done with that. He declared his independence by refusing to make those payments.Israel declares war
6King Joram mustered his army, pulling fighters in from all over Israel. They marched out of Samaria. 7Along the way, Joram sent a message to King Jehoshaphat in Judah: “Moab’s king has rebelled. Will you join the battle with me and fight Moab?” Jehoshaphat said, “I will. We are one. My people are your people. My horses are your horses. 8Which way should we go?” Joram said, “We’ll attack from the south, from Edom’s desert.”Moab's last city refuses to fall
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Jezreel Valley up close
Jezreel Valley up close
Israel's best farmland and frequent war zone
Josiah died here
A 3D-style map of Jezreel Valley up close gives us a better understanding of:- Why the valley is and always has been Israel's breadbasket
- Why Napoleon called it the perfect battlefield for his kind of warfare: stand, shoot, and die.
- Why King Josiah took his stand against the Egyptian army coming from the north. Think: Spartans at Thermopile.
- Why Judah's wounded King Ahaziah fled in his chariot to the Megiddo fortress to escape Jehu's coup
AI's view of the Jezreel Valley
"THE PERFECT BATTLEFIELD"
French General Napoleon saw this valley and declared it the perfect battlefield. Perhaps so, if you want two armies charging into each other with sharp objects. There's plenty of room to work up a speedy charge. it's the largest valley in Israel. It stretches out into a triangle about 20 miles by 20 by 12 (32km by 32 by 19).Bible-time battles
It rests at the foot of the Carmel mounts in the east and the Gilboa mountains in the southwest, where Saul and three of his sons died fighting an overwhelming force of Philistines. Gideon fought off seasonal invaders who made Jezreel they're staging center for raids on farms at harvesttime. Deborah, a prophetess with more courage than the nation's general, led the Israelite army to victory over an invading chariot corps. The general wouldn't go into battle unless she came, too. She took the Israelites up the steep slopes of Mount Tabor, where chariots couldn't go. She waited for a rainstorm, which seems to have trapped the chariots stuck in the mud by a flooding Kishon River. The invading army ran away, on foot.Jaw-dropping vistas
The Jezreel Valley, also known as the Valley of Megiddo, is a breathtaking expanse nestled in northern Israel. Its lush landscape is adorned with fields of vibrant crops, orchards, and quaint villages. Famous for its historical and biblical significance, the Jezreel Valley has witnessed countless pivotal events. It is often referred to as the site of the ancient city of Megiddo, an archaeological treasure trove showcasing layers of human civilization dating back thousands of years. The valley's strategic location made it a sought-after prize for conquerors and a stage for numerous ancient battles. Written part by AI Edited by MillerFor more Bible features
Jezreel insurrection
Jezreel insurrection
Chariot commander leads insurrection at Jezreel
The is what happened when one of Israel's chariot corps commanders, on a mission to crown himself king, leads an insurrection in the city of Jezreel, the king's getaway palace."At Jezreel, a guard in the city tower saw a group of people coming. He said, 'We’re about to get company.' ...
Joram said, 'Get my ride.' They brought his chariot and he rode out to meet Jehu. Judah’s King Ahaziah came, too, in his own chariot. The kings met Jehu on the property of Naboth, who lived in Greater Jezreel, outside the walls. Joram asked Jehu, 'Is it going to be peace, Jehu?' And Jehu said, 'Peace? How can there be peace when our people worship idols and practice sorcery, which your mother Jezebel brought here?'
ISRAEL’S KING SHOT IN THE HEART
Joram turned his horses around and yelled, 'Traitors, Ahaziah!' Jehu raised his bow and shot an arrow into Joram’s heart. The king collapsed in his chariot.Jehu told an officer named Bidkar, 'ump his body here on Naboth’s land. Remember back when we rode with his father Ahab, and we heard that prophecy from the LORD against him? ‘The LORD says that for the murder of Naboth and his sons, Ahab would pay for it on this plot of land.’ So, roll him out of the chariot and leave him here, since the LORD said it would happen this way.'
JUDAH’S KING SHOT DEAD
Judah’s King Ahaziah saw what Jehu did, and he raced away in the direction of Beth Haggan. Jehu followed and told his men, 'Shoot him, too!' They shot him as his chariot started to make the climb to Gur, near the town of Ibleam. Wounded, he rode to Megiddo and died there. Some of his soldiers carried his body back to Jerusalem in a chariot. His people buried him in the City of David among his ancestors.Ahab’s son Joram was in the eleventh year of his reign in Israel when Ahaziah became king of Judah." 2 Kings 9:14, 7-22, Casual English Bible
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Israel and Judah, one nation divided
Israel and Judah, one nation divided
CONSTANT WAR
Israel and Judah live in perpetual hostility toward one another. They are brothers in blood, united to their common and revered ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But they remain bitter rivals for as long as they exist...until one at a time, invaders from what is now Iraq, erase them from the world map. JUDAH AND SYRIA FIGHT ISRAEL War between Israel and Judah continued throughout the lives of King Asa and King Baasha of Israel. King Baasha reinforced the border town of Ramah. He wanted to shut the door on anyone trying to come or go between Israel and Judah.King ASA BUYS AN ALLY
Asa collected all the silver and gold in the Temple treasury. He told some officials to deliver it to King Ben-hadad at Damascus in Syria. Ben-hadad was the son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion. Asa sent this message to Ben-hadad: “Let’s become allies. King Baasha of Israel is trying to invade and defeat me. I need your help. Please accept this gift of silver and gold. Then walk away from your treaty with Baasha, join forces with me, and help me push Baasha back where he belongs.It's a deal
Ben-hadad agreed to Asa’s deal. Then he unleashed his commanders and their armies. They attacked Israel and captured the cities of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all the territory of Chinneroth and all the tribal land of Naphtali. When Baasha heard what Syria was doing, he stopped work on Ramah and retreated to the safety of his capital at Tirzah.Taking down Ramah
King Asa drafted all the men in Judah, no exceptions. He mobilized everyone to carry stones and timber that Baasha used to fortify Ramah. He used the material to fortify the town of Geba in the tribe of Benjamin, along with the town of Mizpah. (1 Kings 15:16-22)David’s kingdom of Judah
David's kingdom of Judah
David becomes king of his own tribe
The map of Israel and Judah changed after Philistines killed King Saul and most of his sons in battle. David's tribe of Judah crowned him king of the powerful tribe. The other tribes up north and east of the Jordan River stayed with Saul's son Ishbosheth. He was a weak king, easily intimated by his commanding general, who seems to have slept with one of the woman in the king's herem. Not kosher. Initially, the general, Abner, supported Ishbosheth. He even went to battle against David, to defend the crown for Saul's family. But Abner lost to David's forces, and would later broker a deal to join forces with David.Battle for Israel and Judah
That didn't work out so well, David's general, Joab, murdered him. It was revenge for Abner reluctantly killing Joab's brother in battle. After the battle, Joab's brother, Asahel, who "ran like a wild gazelle," targeted Abner, who was retreating for home.Asahel refused to fight anyone else. He kept eyes on his bullseye, the enemy commander running away. Abner looked back and yelled, “Is that you, Asahel?” He said, “You bet it’s me.” Abner said, “Go after one of these other men and take what you want.” Asahel kept gaining on him. Abner said, “Pick someone else. I don’t want to kill you. If I do, how could I ever face your brother Joab?” Asahel kept running. He ran right into the butt end of Abner’s spear. It bore through his stomach and broke through his back. Asahel, David’s nephew, dropped dead. When fellow warriors came to his body, they stood for a time in silence. (2 Samul 2:19-23)Before long, the map of Israel and Judah would change again. David would unite the tribes and use the force of his armies to pacify Israel's neighbors.
For other Bible versions see Bible Gateway. Website of Casual English Bible paraphraser and mapmaker, Stephen M. Miller.