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 ISRAELITES

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ISRAELITES

square miles, with a population of about four or five millions. It included eight tribes, viz., on the west of t he Jordan, Ephraim. one-half of Manasses, Issachar, Zabulon. Aser, Xephtali with the coast-line between Acre and Joppe; on the east of the Jordan, Ruben, Gad, and one-half of Manasses. Its vassal-states were Moab and so much of Syria as had remained subject to Solomon (III Kings, xi, 24; IV Kings, iii, 4). The Kingdom of Juda included that tribe itself together with that of Benjamin, and — at least eventually — a part, if not the whole, of Simeon and Dan. Its area is estimated at 3400 miles, with a population of about one million and three quarters. Besides this, Edom contmued faithful to Juda for a time. But while the Northern Kingdom was larger and more populous than the Southern, it decidedly lacked the unity and the seclusion of its rival, and was therefore the first to succumb, a comparatively ea.sy prey, to the eastern conquerors, when their

against Juda's imvasion of his territory, he built up strong fortresses on both sides of the Jordan. With regard to Jeroboam's early military expeditions, the BibUcal narrative imparts no distinct information: it simply represents as practically continual the war which soon broke out Ijetween him and Roboam (cf. Ill Kings, xiv, 30; xv, 6). From the Egyptian in- scriptions at Karnak, it appears that the Northern Kingilom suffered much in connexion with the in- vasion of Juda by Sesac, the first king of the twenty- second dynasty, so that it is not likely that this invasion was the result of Jeroboam's appeal to Egypt for help in his conflict with the King of Juda. The hostilities between the sister kingdoms con- tinued under Abiam, Roboam's son and successor, and in their pursuit, Jeroboam was, according to the chronicler's account, badly worsted (II Paralip., iii). Jeroboam's own line lasted only through his own son Nadab. wlio. after rriirninir two years, was slain

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■' iiiriittti-tii!

Relief from the P\l\le of Sen Representing .Sennacherib with w>.\ nan attendants

victorious march brought them to the western lands. The history of the newly formed kingdom may be conveniently divided into three great periods, during which various dynasties ruled in Israel, while the line of David continued in sole possession of the throne of Juda. The first period extends from Jero- boam to Achab (937-875 B. c). The kings of tliis opening pcrioil were as follows: —

IsR,\EL JUD.^

Jeroboam I. . .937-915 B.C. Roboam. . .937-920 B.C.

Nadab 915-913 " Abiam 920-917 "

Baasa 913-889 " Asa 917-876 "

Ela. 889-887 " Josaphat . .876-

Zambri a few days

Amri 887-875 b.c.

Of the twenty-two years of Jeroboam's reign, few details have come down to us. At first, the founder of the Northern Kingdom took for his capital the city of Sicheni, in which Aliinicleeh had once set up his kingdom, and in which the actual outbreak of the revolt against Juda had just occiu-red; he ex- changi I it for the betmtiful Thersa, eleven miles to the north-east. To offset the attracti\'eness of Jeru- salem and the influence of its Temple, ho extended his royal patronage to two ancient sanctuaries, Dan and Bethel, the one at the northern, and the other at the southern, extremity of his realm. To guard

V\CHERIB AT KnUlUMJIK (BRITISH MuSEUM)

and soldiers, ind before hiin Jewish prisoners of war

by a usurper, Baasa of Issachar (913 B. c), while Israel besieged the Philistine fortress of Gebbethon (probably Kilibiah, six or seven miles north-east of Lydda). After his accession, Baa.sa pushed the war so vigorously against Asa, King of Juda, that, to save Jerusalem from an impending siege, the latter purchased the help of Benadad I, of Damascus, against Israel. In the conflict with Syria which en- sued, Baasa lost much of the territory on the west of the Upper Jordan and the Sea of Galilee, with the fateful result that the controlling power in the west was now no longer Hebrew, but Aramean. Baasa was succeeded by his son Ela, whose reign lasted only a part of two years (SS9-S7 b. c). His mur- derer, Zambri, got himself proclaimed king, but perished after a few days, giving place to his mili- tary competitor, Amri (887-75 b. c), the skilful head of a new dynasty in Israel. Uiuler Amri, Samaria, admirably and strongly situated in Central Palestine, some twelve miles to the west of Thersa, became, and remained to the end, the capital of the Northern Kingdom. Under him, too, the policy of hostility which had hitherto prevailed between Juda and Israel was exchanged for one of general friend- ship based on common interests against Syria. In some directions, indeed, Amri suffered considerable losses, as, east of the Jordan, Ramoth and other cities of Galaad fell into the power of the King of