Throughout the Old Testament, the land immediately east of the Dead Sea was home to the nation of Moab and also to the Israelite tribe of Reuben. The Moabites were distantly related to the Israelites through Abraham’s nephew Lot (Genesis 19; see “Sodom and Gomorrah Are Destroyed” map), and as the Israelites made their way […]
Category Archives: Divided Monarchy Period
Oases of the Arabian Desert
One of the most overlooked locations of biblical history is the desert region encompassing the oases of Dumah, Tema, Dedan, and Yathrib. While Dumah, Tema, and Dedan are mentioned by name only a few times in the Old Testament and Yathrib is not mentioned at all, the history of these cities often overlaps with biblical […]
The Land of Exile
When the northern kingdom of Israel was defeated by the Assyrians around 740 B.C. and 722 B.C., the Assyrians carried away many people to places along the Habor River (2 Kings 15:29; 1 Chronicles 5:26) and to cities in Media (2 Kings 17:1-6), and the nation essentially ceased to exist. Over a hundred years later, […]
The Final Days of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
2 Kings 16-17; 2 Chronicles 28; Isaiah 7-8 The final days of the northern kingdom of Israel were marked by a failed gamble and a desperate gambit. The failed gamble came as an attempt by Aram and Israel to compel neighboring states (including Judah) to form an alliance against the expanding Assyrian Empire around 735 […]
The Moabite Alliance Attacks Judah
2 Chronicles 20 After King Ahab of Israel died in 853 B.C., the nation of Moab revolted and reestablished their independence from Israel (2 Kings 1:1), and then they immediately formed an alliance with the Ammonites and the Meunites to attack King Jehoshaphat of Judah. By the time Jehoshaphat was informed of the situation, the […]