Ahab – Journey to Holy Land

Biblical City of Samaria

webmaster — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 06:21:38 +0000

Samaria is shaped like a watch tower. Located in the heart of the mountains of Israel, a few miles northwest of Shechem, stands the “hill of Shomeron,” a solitary mountain, a great “mamelon.” It is an oblong hill, with steep but not inaccessible sides, and a long flat top. Omri, the king of Israel, bought this hill from Shemer its owner for the price of two talents of silver, and built on its broad summit the city to which he gave the name of “Shomeron”, i.e., Samaria, as the new capital of his kingdom instead of Tirzah (1 Kings 16:24). As such it possessed many advantages. Here Omri resided during the last six years of his reign. As the result of an unsuccessful war with Syria, he appears to have been obliged to grant to the Syrians the right to “make streets in Samaria”, i.e., probably permission to the Syrian merchants to carry on their trade in the Israelite capital. This would imply the existence of a considerable Syrian population. “It was the only great city of Palestine created by the sovereign. All the others had been already consecrated by patriarchal tradition or previous possession. But Samaria was the choice of Omri alone. He, indeed, gave to the city which he had built the name of its former owner, but its especial connection with himself as its founder is proved by the designation which it seems Samaria bears in Assyrian inscriptions, Beth-khumri (‘the house or palace of Omri’).”, Stanley.

Samaria was frequently besieged. In the days of Ahab, Benhadad II. came up against it with thirty-two vassal kings, but was defeated with a great slaughter (1 Kings 20:1-21). A second time, next year, he assailed it; but was again utterly routed, and was compelled to surrender to Ahab (20:28-34), whose army, as compared with that of Benhadad, was no more than “two little flocks of kids.”

In the days of Jehoram this Benhadad again laid siege to Samaria, during which the city was reduced to the direst extremities. But just when success seemed to be within their reach, they suddenly broke up the seige, alarmed by a mysterious noise of chariots and horses and a great army, and fled, leaving their camp with all its contents behind them. The famishing inhabitants of the city were soon relieved with the abundance of the spoil of the Syrian camp; and it came to pass, according to the word of Elisha, that “a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barely for a shekel, in the gates of Samaria” (2 Kings 7:1-20).

Shalmaneser invaded Israel in the days of Hoshea, and reduced it to vassalage. He laid siege to Samaria (B.C. 723), which held out for three years, and was at length captured by Sargon, who completed the conquest Shalmaneser had begun (2 Kings 18:9-12; 17:3), and removed vast numbers of the tribes into captivity. (See SARGON.)

This city, after passing through various vicissitudes, was given by the emperor Augustus to Herod the Great, who rebuilt it, and called it Sebaste (Gr. form of Augustus) in honour of the emperor. In the New Testament the only mention of it is in Acts 8:5-14, where it is recorded that Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached there.

It is now represented by the hamlet of Sebustieh, containing about three hundred inhabitants. The ruins of the ancient town are all scattered over the hill, down the sides of which they have rolled. The shafts of about one hundred of what must have been grand Corinthian columns are still standing, and attract much attention, although nothing definite is known regarding them. (Comp. Micah 1:6.)

In the time of Christ, Western Palestine was divided into three provinces, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. Samaria occupied the centre of Palestine (John 4:4). It is called in the Talmud the “land of the Cuthim,” and is not regarded as a part of the Holy Land at all.

It may be noticed that the distance between Samaria and Jerusalem, the respective capitals of the two kingdoms, is only 35 miles in a direct line.

“Samaria,” Easton’s Bible Dictionary, paragraph 6312.

Flavius Josephus relates (Ant. 11:8, 2-4) that Sanballat built a temple for the Samaritans on this mountain, and instituted a priesthood, as rivals to those of the Jews at Jerusalem. This temple was destroyed after it had stood two hundred years. It was afterwards rebuilt by Herod the Great. There is a Samaritan tradition that it was the scene of the incident recorded in Gen. 22. There are many ruins on this mountain, some of which are evidently of Christian buildings. To this mountain the woman of Sychar referred in John 4:20. For centuries Gerizim was the centre of political outbreaks. The Samaritans (q.v.), a small but united body, still linger here, and keep up their ancient ceremonial worship.

“Gerizim,” Easton’s Bible Dictionary, paragraph 2874.

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

John 4:4–26 KJV

Jesus and the Samaritans People

And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

John 4:27–42 KJV

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Mount Gilboa

webmaster — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 19:25:34 +0000

This is where King Saul and his sons fell on Mount Gilboa in a battle between Israel and the Philistines. As David heard the sad news of the loss of his dear friend, he cursed the mountains of Gilboa, " “O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings of grain.” [2 Samuel 1:21].

Overlooking the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel, Mount Gilboa is a site worth seeing. A scenic route to hikes, picnic sites, bike paths and breathtaking views. Mount Shaul (Saul) has also become a well-known place for hang-gliders and windsurfers to take off from.

Gilboa, Mount gil-bō′a (הַר הַגִּלְבֹּעַ, “Mount of the Gilboa”): Unless we should read “Gilboa” for “Gilead” in Jgs 7:3 (see GILEAD, 2) this mountain is mentioned in Scripture only in connection with the last conflict of Saul with the Philistines, and his disastrous defeat (1 Sa 28:4; 31:1,8; 2 Sa 1:6,21; 21:12; 1 Ch 10:1,8). If Zer‘in be identical with Jezreel — a point upon which Professor R. A. S. Macalister has recently cast some doubt — Saul must have occupied the slopes on the N.W. side of the mountain, near “the fountain which is in Jezreel” (1 Sa 29:1). The Philistines attacked from the plain, and the battle went sore against the men of Israel, who broke and fled; and in the flight Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchi- shua, sons of Saul, were slain. Rather than be taken by his lifelong foes, Saul fell upon his sword and died (1 Sa 31:1 ff).

The modern name of the mountain is Jebel Faku‘a. It rises on the eastern edge of the plain of Esdraelon, and, running from Zer‘in to the S.E., it then sweeps southward to join the Samarian uplands. It presents an imposing appearance from the plain, but the highest point, Sheikh Burkan, is not more than 1,696 ft. above sea level. In the higher reaches the range is rugged and barren; but vegetation is plentiful on the lower slopes, especially to the W. The Kishon takes its rise on the mountain. Under the northern cliffs rises ‘Ain Jalud, possibly identical with HAROD, WELL OF, which see. In Jelbun, a village on the western declivity, there is perhaps an echo of the old name.

“Gilboa, Mount,” ISBE, paragraph 24000.

The battle Between Israelites and Philistines and the death of Saul and his sons on Gilboa

The end of 1 Samuel describe the dead of Saul and three of his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, at Mount Gilboa in the battle against the Philistines, it fact is describe in 1 Sam. 31:1-13. Their bodies were first hung on the wall of Beth-shan by Philistines and later brought to Jabesh by Israelites. After few days, David had the bones buried in the tribe of Benjamin territory, in the tomb of Kish, the Saul’s father, described in 2 Sam. 21:12-14

“Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together. And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan. And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

1 Samuel 31:1–13 KJV

The Fountain of Jezreel

Jezreel, Fountain of: where Saul encamped before the battle of Gilboa (1 Sam. 29:1). In the valley under Zerin there are two considerable springs, one of which, perhaps that here referred to, “flows from under a sort of cavern in the wall of conglomerate rock which here forms the base of Gilboa. The water is excellent; and issuing from crevices in the rocks, it spreads out at once into a fine limpid pool forty or fifty feet in diameter, full of fish” (Robinson). This may be identical with the “well of Harod” (Judg. 7:1; comp. 2 Sam. 23:25), probably the ‘Ain Jalud, i.e., the “spring of Goliath.”

“JEZREEL, FOUNTAIN OF,” Easton’s Bible Dictionary, n.p.

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Jezreel, israelite kingdom city and fertile valley

webmaster — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 07:03:09 +0000

The biblical city of Jezreel is located in the valley of same name and not so far com the ancient city of Megiddo, the town was connected right there to the ancient roman road from Caesarea Maritime and the region of Syria, Babylon and Assyria and also not so far from Beit Shean, another biblical city.

The ancient Jezreel is easy to be visited and visitors can walk along of scenery way to unique and complete two valleys, the Valley of Jezreel and Valley of Beit Shean and also to the Mount Gilboa, the scenario of Saul, Jonathan and Philistines battle.

The future mourning of Israel over her Messiah is likened, in the second place (cf. v. 10), to the weeping on the day when godly King Josiah, the last hope of the fading Judean nation, was slain by Pharaoh Neco II, at Hadad Rimmon, traditionally identified as a village near Jezreel, in the plain of Megiddo (cf. 2 Chron. 35:20-27). Thus the greatness of the mourning at this final outpouring of the Holy Spirit can be compared only to the weeping of a most extreme individual (Zech. 12:10) and to corporate (v. 11) catastrophes of the nation.

F. Duane Lindsey, Zechariah (The Bible Knowledge Commentary; ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck; Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 1:1567.

The Valley of Jezreel

The valley of Jezreel, the eastern section of the broad valley separating Galilee from Samaria. From the pass between the hill of Moreh and Mt. Gilboa, where the town of Jezreel was located, the valley descends eastward to the Jordan, with Beth-shan commanding its eastern entrance. The broader plain to the west is known as Esdraelon — though sometimes Jezreel and Esdraelon are used interchangeably.

The valley of Jezreel comprised a rich and fertile growing area as well as one of the few routes to the Jordan Valley and the east. The famous Carmel Pass was used by traders and armies alike from Egypt, the east, and the Palestinian coast.

The Canaanites controlled the valley with chariots of iron when the Israelites entered the land (Josh. 17:16), and here Gideon met the Midianites and Amalekites in battle (Judg. 6:33-7:23). According to Hosea (Hos. 1:5) this valley was where the battle would take place that would bring an end to the kingdom of Israel.

The City of Jezreel

A town on the southern border of Issachar (Josh. 19:18), often identified with modern Zerʿîn/Tel Yisreʿel (181218), ca. 80 km. (50 mi.) N of Jerusalem near the foot of Mt. Gilboa. Jezreel was associated with a fountain (Josh. 29:1); a fountain, ʿAin Jalud, is located near Zerʿîn.

Jezreel figured prominently in Israel’s history. The Israelites encamped there before their battle with the Philistines (1 Sam. 29). Ishbosheth, son of Saul, briefly reigned over Jezreel (2 Sam. 2:9), here possibly designating more than simply the city. Jezreel was a city of Solomon’s fifth administrative district (1 Kgs. 4:12). Ahab had a royal residence there (1 Kgs. 18:45-46). The city was the site of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kgs. 21; 2 Kgs. 9:24-26), and there Jezebel and the rest of Ahab’s household died as prophesied (2 Kgs. 9:30-10:11).

“JEZREEL,” Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, 714.

The Fountain of Jezreel

Jezreel, Fountain of: where Saul encamped before the battle of Gilboa (1 Sam. 29:1). In the valley under Zerin there are two considerable springs, one of which, perhaps that here referred to, “flows from under a sort of cavern in the wall of conglomerate rock which here forms the base of Gilboa. The water is excellent; and issuing from crevices in the rocks, it spreads out at once into a fine limpid pool forty or fifty feet in diameter, full of fish” (Robinson). This may be identical with the “well of Harod” (Judg. 7:1; comp. 2 Sam. 23:25), probably the ‘Ain Jalud, i.e., the “spring of Goliath.”

“JEZREEL, FOUNTAIN OF,” Easton’s Bible Dictionary, n.p.

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