What happened at the Valley of Jezreel
Jezreel Valley
The Jezreel Valley, in Arabic Marj Ibn Āmir, also known as the Valley of Megiddo, is a large fertile plain and inland valley in the Northern District of Israel. It is bordered to the north by the highlands of the Lower Galilee region, to the south by the Samarian highlands, to the west and northwest b…
Jehu
Jehu was the tenth king of the northern Kingdom of Israel since Jeroboam I, noted for exterminating the house of Ahab at the instruction of Jehovah. He was the son of Jehoshaphat, grandson of Nimshi, and possibly great-grandson of Omri. His reign lasted for 28 years.
Jezebel
Jezebel was the daughter of Ithobaal I of Sidon and the wife of Ahab, King of Israel, according to the Book of Kings of the Hebrew Bible. According to the Biblical narrative, Jezebel incited her husband King Ahab to abandon the worship of Yahweh and promote worship of the deities Baal …
What was Jezreel Valley known for in the Bible?
But more shockingly, the Jezreel valley was well known as the location of much fighting and bloodshed ( 1 Sam 29:1 ; 2 Sam 2:8 ; 1 Kgs 21:1 ; 2 Kgs 9:24ff ). Lo-Ruhamah, Hosea’s second child, means “Not loved.”
What is the significance of the Battle of Jezreel?
Jezreel was also the scene of many biblical battles: Deborah's victory over Sisera ( Judges 4 ); the Israelites' victory over the Midianites and the Amalekites ( Judges 6—8 ); Saul and Jonathan's defeat at the hand of the Philistines ( 1 Samuel 31 ); Egypt's victory over King Josiah ( 2 Kings 23:29 ).
Who did Jehu kill at Jezreel in the Bible?
The only possible reference seems to be 2 Kings 9:24–10:17, where at Jezreel, Jehu kills Joram, Ahaziah, Jezebel, and Ahab’s descendants. However, this seems to be problematic when we compare 2 Kings 10:30:
What happened in the valley of Canaan in the Bible?
According to the Hebrew Bible, the valley was the scene of a victory by the Israelites, led by Gideon , against the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the Children of the East (Judges 6:3), but was later the location at which the Israelites, led by King Saul, were defeated by the Philistines (1 Samuel 29:1–29:6).
What does the Valley of Jezreel mean in the Bible?
The Jezreel Valley is a haven for adventure and outdoor enthusiasts, as well as drawing those interested in its religious importance. It is named for an ancient city which stood here and means “God sows” perhaps alluding to the fertile land in the valley. The beautiful and strikingly flat Jezreel Valley.
Why is Jezreel important?
Jezreel, Hebrew Yizreʿel, (May God Give Seed), ancient city of Palestine, capital of the northern kingdom of Israel under King Ahab, located on a spur of Mt. Gilboa in Israel. King Saul was slain there in a battle with the Philistines.
Why did Ahab go to Jezreel?
According to 1 Kings 18:45–46, following the prophet Elijah's victory over the prophets of Ba'al at Mount Carmel, Elijah instructs Ahab to return home to Jezreel, where he would be reporting on events to Jezebel, his wife, but "the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah" and he reached Jezreel ahead of Ahab (1 Kings 18:45–46 ...
What does the name Jezreel mean?
The word Jezreel comes from two Hebrew root words meaning “to sow” and “almighty.” Put together, the two root words mean “God will sow.”
What sins did Jezebel commit?
By manipulation and seduction, she misled the saints of God into sins of idolatry and sexual immorality. In particular, Christians associated Jezebel with promiscuity. The cosmetics which Jezebel applied before her death also led some Christians to associate makeup with vice.
Are Jezreel and Samaria the same?
Scholarly speculation has been rife: Jezreel was the winter capital and Samaria was the summer capital; Israel had two capitals, one for the Israelites and one for the Canaanites; Jezreel was only a gateway city to the Jezreel Valley and the hills of Samaria from the east.
How old was Jezebel when died?
59 years (900 BC–841 BC)Jezebel / Age at death
What tribe did King Ahab come from?
Shalmaneser III of Assyria documented in 853 BC that he defeated an alliance of a dozen kings in the Battle of Qarqar; one of these was Ahab. He is also mentioned on the inscriptions of the Mesha Stele....AhabConsortJezebel of SidonIssueAhaziah of Israel Jehoram of Israel Athaliah of JudahDynastyOmridesFatherOmri9 more rows
Are Jezreel and Samaria the same?
Scholarly speculation has been rife: Jezreel was the winter capital and Samaria was the summer capital; Israel had two capitals, one for the Israelites and one for the Canaanites; Jezreel was only a gateway city to the Jezreel Valley and the hills of Samaria from the east.
Is Jezreel a girl name?
The name Jezreel is boy's name meaning "God sows". This little-known Biblical name belonged to Hosea's first son. There is also a Jezreel Valley in Israel.
What does the word Jezebel mean?
Definition of Jezebel 1 : the Phoenician wife of Ahab who according to the account in I and II Kings pressed the cult of Baal on the Israelite kingdom but was finally killed in accordance with Elijah's prophecy. 2 often not capitalized : an impudent, shameless, or morally unrestrained woman.
What is the significance of Ramoth Gilead in the Bible?
Biblical events According to (1 Kings 4:13), Ramothgilead was the base of Ben-Geber, one of King Solomon's regional governors. He was responsible for ("to him belonged") the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead and the region of Argob in Bashan: sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars.
What is the valley of Jezreel?
The Valley of Jezreel is also called "The Valley of Megiddo" and some believe it may be the scene of the battle of Armageddon, according to a passage in Revelation that says "they assembled them at the place ...
What does the word "Jezreel" mean?
The word "Jezreel" is constructed of two Hebrew words meaning "to sow" and "mighty" or "Almighty" and in combination the meaning is "God will sow.". The city of Jezreel was situated in a beautiful valley, near Esdraelon, an area between Mount Carmel and the sea to the Jordan river. Jezreel is also called the Great Plain and the Valley of Esdraelon.
How did King Ahab's wife die?
The wife of King Ahab, Jezebel, died when she was thrown from a window of Jezreel's palace, and her body was eaten by dogs ( 2 Kings 9:30-35 ). Naboth was murdered in Jezreel when he refused to give King Ahab his vineyard ( 1 Kings 21:1-23 ).
What is the name of the city in the Bible?
Jezreel is also called the Great Plain and the Valley of Esdraelon. The city of Nazareth, Jesus' home town, was on the northern side of Jezreel. In the Bible, the city of Jezreel has a long, violent history.
Where is the Valley of Jezreel?
The Valley of Jezreel is an immense plain which stretches out from the eastern slopes of the Carmel Mountains towards the Jordan River Valley. Its strategic importance has been evident since the arrival of the area’s first inhabitants. The first great battle to be fought there took place around 1480 BC, when an expeditionary force from Egypt crushed a coalition of Canaanite kingdoms in what is believed to be the world’s first reliably documented battle. The Egyptians passed through the area again a few centuries later on their way to fight the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh.
What is the name of the hill that commands a wide view of the valley?
Megiddo technically refers to Tel Megiddo, a long-inhabited hill that commands a wide view of the valley. On a good day the city of Nazareth is visible from the peak. Tel Megiddo and part of the surrounding area have been incorporated into the Megiddo National Park.
What is the Jezreel in the Encyclopaedia Britannica?
Jezreel, Hebrew Yizreʿel, (May God Give Seed), ancient city of Palestine, capital of the northern kingdom of Israel under King Ahab, ...
What is the name of the valley in the book of Judith?
It was called Esdraelon in the book of Judith; to the crusaders it was Parvum Gerinum, or Le Petit Gerin, to distinguish it from Le Grand Gerin (Jenin). The Valley of Jezreel (ʿEmeq Yizreʿel), or Plain of Esdraelon , was an ancient trade route between the Jordan Valley and the coastal plain.
Who was the first son of Hosea?
The first son of the prophet Hosea was named Jezreel, as a reminder of the bloodshed at Jezreel by which King Jehu (ruled 842–815 bc) came into power. Jezreel. Quick Facts. related places. Israel. ancient Middle East.
What is the name of the valley surrounding Jezreel?
The area surrounding the city was also called the Valley of Jezreel. The word Jezreel comes from two Hebrew root words meaning “to sow” and “almighty.”. Put together, the two root words mean “God will sow.”.
Where is the valley of Jezreel?
The Valley of Jezreel is a beautiful, broad plain, stretching from west to east from Mount Carmel and the sea to the Jordan, which it reaches through two arms between the mountains of Gilboa, Little Hermon, and Tabor; and from south to north from the mountains of Ephraim to those of Galilee.
Why is Jezreel named Jezreel?
Jezreel is also the name of a son of the prophet Hosea, so named because God had declared that He would avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu ( Hosea 1:4–5 ). Today, the Jezreel Valley is a green, fertile plain, covered with fields of wheat, cotton, sunflowers, and corn, as well as grazing tracts for multitudes of sheep and cattle.
How did Ahab's queen die?
Ahab’s queen, Jezebel, met her death by being thrown from a window of the palace of Jezreel, and it was there that her body was eaten by dogs ( 2 Kings 9:30–35 ). Jezreel was the scene of the phony trial of Naboth, who owned a vineyard near Ahab’s palace and who was murdered by Jezebel for his refusal to give his land to Ahab ( 1 Kings 21:1–23 ).
What is the name of the city in the Bible?
Jezreel is also called the Great Plain and the Valley of Esdraelon. The city of Jezreel has a long and varied history and figures prominently in many Bible events, most of them violent. King Jehu ordered that the heads of King Ahab’s 70 sons be placed in heaps at the gate of Jezreel ( 2 Kings 10:1–11 ). Ahab’s queen, Jezebel, met her death by being ...
Why is Jehu's family going to be punished?
As this verse seems to indicate, Jehu’s family (and Northern Israel’s last dynasty) is going to be punished because of the bloodshed at Jezreel. The only possible reference seems to be 2 Kings 9:24–10:17, where at Jezreel, Jehu kills Joram, Ahaziah, Jezebel, and Ahab’s descendants.
Why did the LORD say to Jehu?
The LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”.
Is the house of Jehu being punished?
The house of Jehu is not being punished for what Jehu did at Jezreel. Rather, what happened at Jezreel will now happen to Jehu’s house. —. This post was originally published here. Peter Goeman (Ph.D) is the professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages at Shepherds Theological Seminary. He is a husband, father, and sports enthusiast.
Overview
Biblical and theological relevance
According to the Hebrew Bible, the valley was the scene of a victory by the Israelites, led by Gideon, against the Midianites, the Amalekites, and "the children of the East" (Judges 6:3). It was later the location at which the Israelites, led by King Saul, were defeated by the Philistines (1 Samuel 29:1–29:6). According to textual scholars, the account of an ancient Philistine victory at Jezreel derives from the monarchial source, in contrast to the republican source, which places the Philisti…
Etymology
The Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel (known in Hebrew as Yizre'el; יזרעאל; known in Arabic as Zir'ēn, زرعين) which was located on a low hill overlooking the southern edge of the valley. The word Jezreel comes from the Hebrew, and means "God sows" or "El sows". The phrase "valley of Jezreel" was sometimes used to refer to the central part of the valley, around t…
Geology
The valley once acted as the channel by which the Mediterranean Sea, at the north-western end of the valley, connected to the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan Valley and ultimately to the Dead Sea. About two million years ago, as the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan Rift Valley rose, this connection was lost, and the periodic floods from the Mediterranean Sea ceased. This resulted in the Dead Sea no longer having a connection to the ocean, and over time, due to greater
History
The valley formed an easier route through Israel than crossing the mountains on either side, and so saw a large amount of traffic, and was the site of many historic battles
Archaeological excavations have indicated near continuous settlement from the Ghassulian culture of the Chalcolithic Age (c. 4500–3300 BCE) to the Ayyubid pe…
State of Israel
The Jezreel Valley is a green fertile plain covered with fields of wheat, watermelon, melon, oranges, white beans, cowpeas, chickpeas, green beans, cotton, sunflowers and corn, as well as grazing tracts for multitudes of sheep and cattle. The area is governed by the Jezreel Valley Regional Council. The Max Stern College of Emek Yizreel and the Emek Medical Center are located in the valley. In 2006, the Israeli Transportation Ministry and Jezreel Valley Regional Cou…
Archaeological excavations
Archaeological sites in the Jezreel Valley are currently excavated and coordinated by the Jezreel Valley Regional Project.
In 2021, archaeologist from Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) led by researchers Tzachi Lang and Kojan Haku found in the village of Et Taiyiba an engraved stone from the late 5th century from the frame of an entrance door of a church, with a Greek inscription. The inscription reads “Christ born …
See also
• Battle of Ain Jalut, major battle in 1260 between the Mongols and the Mamluks.
• Dead Sea
• Jezreel Valley Regional Council