Jezreel Valley, Israel: the Crossroad of History
An eight photo panorama. The original is one gig, and so detailed you can zoom in and easily see cars and houses. I'm building a website where, hopefully, I can make that available. This photo shows why the Jezreel Valley (“Jezreel,” God will sow) is a breadbasket, and a place for growing corn, sunflowers, and cotton, and for grazing sheep and cattle. The valley stretches from the Mediterranean all the way to the Jordan River. On the right, just out of view, is the city of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. Also out of view to the right and farther, is the town of Sepphoris (here), which was being built up at the time of Jesus' youth and likely provided employment for Jesus and his father.
The area in view has had a long and turbulent history. On the valley floor is the town of Jezreel, where Jehu ordered the heads of King Ahab’s 70 sons to be piled up at the gate (2 Kings 10:1-11). Jezebel, the evil wife of King Ahab, died when she was thrown from a window, and dogs ate her body–the ultimate degradation in the culture (2 Kings 9:30-35). Ahab murdered Naboth’s for his vinyard, after trumping up charges (1Kings 21:1-23).
Being a large, flat area that traverses the country, the valley is the ideal place of battles:
> In the 15th century BC Thutmose III of Egypt (possibly the Pharoah confronted by Moses) fought the combined forces of Megiddo and Kadesh.
> Barak defeated Sisera (Judges 4).
> Gideon defeated the chariot-armed Midianites, the Amelekites, and their allies (Judges 6:33-73). > Israel controlled the area by the reign of Solomon, who fortified Megiddo, in the valley (1 Kings 9:15).
> In the valley Jehu defeated the armies of Jezebel (2 Kings 9).
> The Philistines defeated Saul and his sons (1 Samuel 31).
> In 609 BC Egypt defeated King Josiah (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:20-35). Josiah, who was perhaps Judah’s best king, was killed at Megiddo attempting to keep Egypt’s army from moving north to aid the Assyrian army as it was trapped by the Babylonians (2 Kings 23:29).
>In a WWI battle in 1918, Allied General Allenby defeated the army of the Ottomans. Muslims held the region since the conquest by Saldin, following the disastrous defeat of the Crusaders at Hattin (here) in 1187.
>The valley is described in the Bible as the location of the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16).
It is not surprising that Jezreel and Megiddo became symbols for violence and judgement (Hosea 1:4-5). Har-Megiddo, the mountain of Megiddo, has been anglicized as Armageddon.
MAP by my colleague, Bill Schlegel: here.
Is15-Jezreel--PANO-HP-FLAT-C-19X95---4315-to-4322
Jezreel Valley, Israel: the Crossroad of History
An eight photo panorama. The original is one gig, and so detailed you can zoom in and easily see cars and houses. I'm building a website where, hopefully, I can make that available. This photo shows why the Jezreel Valley (“Jezreel,” God will sow) is a breadbasket, and a place for growing corn, sunflowers, and cotton, and for grazing sheep and cattle. The valley stretches from the Mediterranean all the way to the Jordan River. On the right, just out of view, is the city of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. Also out of view to the right and farther, is the town of Sepphoris (here), which was being built up at the time of Jesus' youth and likely provided employment for Jesus and his father.
The area in view has had a long and turbulent history. On the valley floor is the town of Jezreel, where Jehu ordered the heads of King Ahab’s 70 sons to be piled up at the gate (2 Kings 10:1-11). Jezebel, the evil wife of King Ahab, died when she was thrown from a window, and dogs ate her body–the ultimate degradation in the culture (2 Kings 9:30-35). Ahab murdered Naboth’s for his vinyard, after trumping up charges (1Kings 21:1-23).
Being a large, flat area that traverses the country, the valley is the ideal place of battles:
> In the 15th century BC Thutmose III of Egypt (possibly the Pharoah confronted by Moses) fought the combined forces of Megiddo and Kadesh.
> Barak defeated Sisera (Judges 4).
> Gideon defeated the chariot-armed Midianites, the Amelekites, and their allies (Judges 6:33-73). > Israel controlled the area by the reign of Solomon, who fortified Megiddo, in the valley (1 Kings 9:15).
> In the valley Jehu defeated the armies of Jezebel (2 Kings 9).
> The Philistines defeated Saul and his sons (1 Samuel 31).
> In 609 BC Egypt defeated King Josiah (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:20-35). Josiah, who was perhaps Judah’s best king, was killed at Megiddo attempting to keep Egypt’s army from moving north to aid the Assyrian army as it was trapped by the Babylonians (2 Kings 23:29).
>In a WWI battle in 1918, Allied General Allenby defeated the army of the Ottomans. Muslims held the region since the conquest by Saldin, following the disastrous defeat of the Crusaders at Hattin (here) in 1187.
>The valley is described in the Bible as the location of the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16).
It is not surprising that Jezreel and Megiddo became symbols for violence and judgement (Hosea 1:4-5). Har-Megiddo, the mountain of Megiddo, has been anglicized as Armageddon.
MAP by my colleague, Bill Schlegel: here.
Is15-Jezreel--PANO-HP-FLAT-C-19X95---4315-to-4322