Covers the time during the late 8^th century BCE when ancient Israel was run by the judges, who were not depicted as ideal leaders, which paved the way for the establishment of a monarchy, a more successful political institution.

Main Characters:  Joshua, Samson, Deborah

 Describes the transition from the rule of the judges to the monarchic system of government in ancient Israel in 11^th century BCE.

Main Characters:  Samuel, Saul

Tells the successful, monarchic reign of King David over the Ancient Kingdom of Israel in 11^th century BCE.

Main Characters:  David, Isbaal

Relates the history of Israel from the declining days of David, the beginning of the Babylonian exile, and Solomon’s ascent to the throne in a synchronistic, overlapping history of the kings of Judah and Israel until the northern kingdom was destroyed by Assyeria in 722.

Main Characters:  Solomon, Rehoboam, Jeroboam

Continues the stories of the kings of the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel until Babylonia conquered Judah, ruined Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and executed and exiled the people of Israel and Judah.

Main Characters:  Hezekiah, Josiah

means “writings” - the rest of the story of Israel after Torah

a Greek version of the five books - the significance lies in its divine commandments, which constitute the Torah, the divine Law or Teaching that defines a life of holiness.

Early (3300-2000)

Middle (2000-1550)

Late (1550-1200)

1 (1200-1000)

2 (1000-586)

the year Jerusalem was destroyed

Deborah

(Judges)

a prophetess and the only female Judge of pre-monarchic Israel

Gideon

(Judges)

 the son of Joash and one of the more significant judges who won a dramatic victory over the Midianites;

brought attention away from the worship of Baal and Asharah

Jephthah

(Judges)

a judge in Israel for 6 years between the Israelite conquest of Canaan and the first king of Israel, Saul

Samson

(Judges)

a Herculean figure and the third to last mentioned judge in Ancient Israel;

Nazerite – child given to God

Saul

(1 Samuel)

  the first king of the united monarchy ancient Kingdom of Israel who reigned from 1020-1000 BCE;

father of Jonathan

David

(2 Samuel)

the second and most famous king of Ancient Israel;

killed one of his brothers so he could have Bathsheba;

punished for taking a census of his population commanded by God; won battle against the Philistines;

has idea of building Temple but God denies him from it

Solomon

(1 Kings)

  the son of King David and Bathsheba and the third king of the United Kingdom of Israel, which at that time also included the Kingdom of Judah;

built the temple

Nathan

(2 Samuel)

10^th century BCE Israelite prophet who lived during the time of King David; told David to proclaim Solomon king

Gad

(2 Samuel)

a prophet during the reign of King David;

David’s personal prophet;

tells David to return to the land of Judah

Jeroboam

(1 Kings)

the first king of the breakaway ten tribes of the Kingdom of Israel over whom he reigned for 22 years and was the founder of the northern Kingdom of Israel, which lasted until the Assyrian invasions and the exile of the Israelites in 722 B.C.E.

Rehoboam

(1 Kings)

the first king of Ancient Jerusalem (southern kingdom) in 10th century BCE after father Solomon and grandfather David and became the first king of the later Kingdom of Judah

Omri

(1 Kings)

the King of Israel (855-874) and founder of the capital city of Samaria;

is referred to in the Assyrian annals

Elijah

(1 Kings)

a 9^th century prophet who challenged the idolatrous ways of King Ahab; discouraged the worship of Baal

Elisha

(1 Kings)

a powerful prophet during mid to late 9^th century

Joash

(2 Kings)

the King of Judah at age 7 and encouraged strict worship of Yahweh.

Athaliah

(2 Kings)

was the only ruling Queen of Judah and was the daughter of King Ahab;

introduces the worship of Baal

Hezekiah

(2 Kings)

was the 13^th king of the independent Judah who reigned 29 years

Josiah

(2 Kings)

became ruler of Judah at age 8 and is proclaimed as the greatest of all kings who initiated a major religious reform that centralized the worship of Yahweh

Joshua

(Judges)

Moses’ personal aid and military captain who became a prophet and led the Israelites into Canaan

Samuel

(1 Samuel)

Isbaal

(2 Samuel)

Aram

(Damascus)

In the South (contemporary Syria)

Mention in the Annals of Assyrian King Shalmaneser. 9th century: Hazael, king of Damascus, conquered Israel. Domination from 830 to early 8th century.

superpower of the time.  8th century:  Sennacherib’s campaign.  Hezekiah resists and Jerusalem does not fall.  Hence the image of inviolable Jerusalem

6th century. Nabuchadnezzar’s campaign resulted in the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem and the exile in 586. Babylon then fell to the Persians in 539.  The exiles are allowed to go back to Jerusalem.

Located in current Iraq – meaning Mesopotamia

Earliest mention in the Merneptah Stele of the cities of Asheklon, Ekron.

The biblical stories of Samson, Samuel, Saul and David include accounts of Philistine-Israelite conflicts – which puts us presumably at the end of the 11th century, beginning of the 10th .

FYI – they were subjugated by the Assyrians in 736.

the capital of Israel and was the location where King David reigned and was also the location of the Jewish temple as described in the Book of Samuel; conquered by David;

(Earliest mention probably as Salem, ruled by Melchizedek, an ally of Abraham in Genesis)

MeMentioned in the Book of Joshuah (18:28) – it was then controlled by the Jebusite.

David sets out to conquer it and make it his capital, then Solomon builds the Temple. The capital of the United Monarchy becomes the capital of Judah after the division of the Kingdom.

the capital of the Ancient Kingdom of Israel and was residence of the northern Kingdom’s most famous ruler, King Ahab, and his infamous Queen Jezebel and remained the capital until it was captured by the Assyrian Empire; second capital of northern kingdom; founded by Omri;

Omri “bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer”. It is the capital of the Kingdom of Israel from then on.

(previously, it was Tirzah- mentioned in King 15;33 as the capital of the Northen Kingdom for a short period of time)

strip of land east of Jerusalem. Connection with the Israelites through Genesis 19:30- they have a common ancestor, Terah.  However, they have become enemies. The Mesha Stele, which describes the Moabite victory over an unnamed son of King Omri of Israel.

in Northern Sinai. In one of two buildings of the 9^th century, an inscription was found: “I bless you by the Yahweh of Samaria and his ashera”. (is it referring to the Goddess or the pillar?).

located on East Bank of Nile River in Egypt and contains an Egyptian archaeological site; texts from here describe the land in the 14th century, 150 years before Merneptah, and Israel is not there;

was the capital of Pharaoh Akhenatem (14th century). Clay tablets  were found in the beginning of the 20th century. Diplomatic correspondence between the administration and rulers in Canaan. There is a mention of a Near Eastern group referred to as the Habiru - possibley connected with the Hebrews, which remains debated. There is no other mention of the Hebrews – which raises the question of external sources backing up the Biblical story of Exodus (supposedly at the same time)

  Canaanite city then Philistines’ presence. Mentioned in the Merneptah stele

after Jerusalem, this is the most excavated site in Israel; history has seen various populations living and ruling there, such as the Canaanites who, according to the Bible, were conquered by Joshua and the Hebrews; first battle during the conquest in book of Joshua; : the city in which took place the first battle of the Israelites after they entered Canaan (Joshua 5;13-16). It has a religious significance: the priests sounded the rams’horn and the wall of the city collapsed. Archeologist debate the veracity of the episode

town mentioned in the Bible that was important during the early Iron Age because it was the center of what seemed to be a network of villages, one of five such networks that make up the Israelite settlement and is described in the First Book of Kings as the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel for a short time; town in Samaria

Place where fragments of a victory monument were found. Monument set up by the people of Damascus where they claim to have defeated the Judahite – mention of the House of David.

Bet av is the primary level of identification for the Israelites.

Hence X or Y from the house of David or Omri. in a patriarchal

society, the house of the father serves as self-identification. Every level of society replicates the household.