Twelve Tribes of Israel
Twelve Tribes of Israel, In the Bible, the Hebrew tribes that settled in the Promised Land after the Exodus. The tribes were named after Jacob’s offspring. Ten were named after his sons, Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Dan, Naphtali and Benjamin. Two were named after his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh. (See also Lost Tribes of Israel.)
History- Jerusalem
There was a fortified city on the site of old Jerusalem at the beginning of history. It was destroyed and rebuilt under the rule of Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, and Rome. David, king of the Israelites, captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites in about 1000 BC. King Solomon, his son, extended the city and built the great temple that stood until 586 BC when it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. In the 50 years of their Babylonian captivity the Israelites remembered Jerusalem and sang the songs of Zion: “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.”
Rome conquered Jerusalem in 63 BC. From 40 to 4 BC its Roman ruler was King Herod the Great.
Judah
Judah, Southern part of the kingdom of Israel, a separate Israelite kingdom after the northern part seceded (c933 BC). The tribes of Judah and Benjamin had originally settled this southern region of the kingdom of Israel. In the unstable period after King Solomon’s death, the north revolted against King Rehoboam and broke away. Jerusalem then became the capital of Judah. Judah became the sole Jewish national state after the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom (c721) and dispersed many of its inhabitants. Judah also came under Assyrian domination, then passed to the Egyptians and finally to the Babylonians. Revolts against the Babylonians brought harsh reprisals by King Nebuchadnezzar (586), marked by the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem and the Babylonian Captivity (q.v.). After the Persians conquered Babylon, the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple (516). Alexander the Great’s conquests ended Persian rule and Judah, after a short rule by the Ptolemies, subsequently passed to the Seleucids. The Jews successfully rebelled (168-142) against the Seleucids (see Maccabees), and a new independent Jewish kingdom, Judaea, was established (142). Independence was short-lived, however, and after a period of religious strife between Pharisees and Sadducees Judaea came under Roman control (from 63). Revolts against Roman rule led to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. (See also Palestine.)
Samaria
Sa-mar-ia mar-e- 1. Region, ancient Palestine, in cen. part, extending from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River and lying S of Galilee and N of Judaea; name of territory originated from town of Samaria; in first millennium B.C. also a province of Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia; in 6 A.D. made by Roman Emperor Augustus a division of the Roman prov. of Judaea.2. Ancient city, capital of Samaria; its ruins at Sa.bas.ti.yah bos-te-now in region of Jordan occupied by Israel 1967; the holy city of the Samaritans; built on a hill c. 880 B.C. by King Omri as new capital of Northern Kingdom of Israel; strengthened by his son King Ahab; taken by Assyrians Shalmaneser V and Sargon II c. 724-721 B.C. (2 Kingsxvii. 3-6); inhabitants transported into captivity; taken by Macedonian King Alexander the Great c. 332 B.C. and by Judaean John Hyrcanus I c. 110 B.C. , who destroyed it; rebuilt by later Judaean King Herod the Great.
Israel, kingdom of
Israel, kingdom of, Originally, the Old Testament kingdom of the Hebrews ruled by Saul, David, and Solomon. Following the rebellion (c933 BC) by Jeroboam I, the kingdom was divided. The northern part, which was thereafter called Israel, included lands of the 10 northern tribes. [1 Kings; 2 Chron] The southern part, called Judah
(q.v.), included the lands of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah. The kingdom of Israel was overrun (c721) by Assyrians (q.v.) under Sargon II, and many of the inhabitants were carried off. [2 Kings 17] They became known as the Ten Lost Tribes (q.v.)