Judges 2-16 Under Joshua’s leadership the Israelites conquered and occupied most of Canaan, but Canaanites continued to occupy many parts of the land, particularly the valleys and the coastal areas. From time to time these Canaanites oppressed the Israelites, and the Lord raised up local leaders to help the Israelites fight against them. Often these […]
Category Archives: Old Testament
Jacob Returns to Canaan
As Jacob returned to Canaan from Haran, he likely crossed the Jabbok River at the King’s Highway and headed west into the hills of Gilead (Genesis 31). He sent messengers to Seir over seventy miles southwest (see “The Negev” map) to find his brother Esau and seek his favor. The messengers returned with news that […]
The World of the Patriarchs
Abraham, the father of the Israelites, grew up in the ancient city of Ur of the Chaldeans, but he moved to Haran with his father Terah, his wife Sarai, and his nephew Lot (Genesis 11:27-31). At this time in history the Chaldeans (Kasdim) inhabited the area east of Haran, making it unlikely that Abraham’s city […]
Samson’s Exploits
Judges 13-16 During the days when Israel was led by judges, Samson was born to an Israelite couple from the tribe of Dan near the border of Philistia. Samson was specially dedicated to God as a Nazirite (see Numbers 6:1-21), and the Lord foretold that Samson would lead the Israelites against the Philistines, who were […]
Judea under Persian Rule
In 539 B.C., King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon, and a year later he announced that any exiled Jews who wanted to return to their homeland could do so (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-2). A contingent of Jews under the leadership of Zerubbabel did return (Ezra 1:3-2:70) and established the minor Persian province of Judea […]