How Judah Aligned Itself with Egypt
This paper will show how Judah aligned itself with Egypt, who was in a bipolar struggle for power with Babylon and how it eventually led to their destruction. Small nations caught between two larger powers struggling for supremacy find it impossible to remain in a state of neutrality. They must choose a side to align with and hope they make the right choice in order to survive the struggle.
Judah’s downfall began in 609 B.C. when Pharaoh Necho II led his army through Judah on his way to assist the Assyrians in battle against the Babylonians. Necho sent word all he intended to do was pass through Judah. King Josiah (640-609 B.C.) ruler of Judah decided to attack Necho’s army on the plain of Megiddo. The Egyptians defeated Josiah’s troops and King Josiah was killed as a result of the battle. Josiah’s son Jehoahaz became King upon his father’s death, he did not remain in power long and was replaced by Jehoiakim a pro-Egyptian leader. Jehoiakim was a loyal ally to the Egyptians and formed an alliance between Judah and Egypt in 609 B.C. Judah failed to realize the shift in power four years later when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated the Egyptian army in the Battle of Carchemish. Judah surrender to the Babylonians in 603 B.C., after seeing the total destruction of Ashkelon a year earlier. In 601 B.C. Judah revolted against Babylonian rule after seeing the Egyptian army defeat the Babylonian army. King Nebuchadnezzar retaliated against Judah in the winter of 586 B.C. Judah surrenders in order to save Jerusalem from destruction and to avoid the status of a conquered army. Nebuchadnezzar deported 10,000 inhabitants to Babylon, and levied heavy tribute on the people. In 594 B.C. King Zedekiah of Judah attempted to form a league against Babylon, made up of the small states that form modern Jordan, Israel and coastal Lebanon. The states were so small and weak they posed no threat to Nebuchadnezzar. In 589/8 B.C. Judah was once again left to fight the mighty Babylonians alone. Judah held out against the Babylonians for a year and a half. The fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. signaled the end of Judah.
The film the Ten Commandments (1956) depicts is the cinematic interpretation of the book of Exodus. This essay in particular will focus on the difference between the movie and the book of Exodus. In particular it will focus on the issue of race between the Egyptians and the Hebrews. The movie shows the Egyptians living a lavish life while the Hebrew slaves were mistreated. This movie shows the sharp contrast the life the Egyptians lived compared to the life of Hebrews and how the Hebrews were mistreated. This essay will argue that the accounts of race in Exodus are over exaggerated compared to the Ten Commandments. This can be seen through the movie having an emphasis of violence towards the Hebrews, the disregard of protection laws for the Hebrews, and the overemphasis of the betrayal the Egyptians felt when Moses was discovered to be a Hebrew.
Though Darius died in the year after the revolt, Xerxes repressed the Egypt revolt in 486BC “year after Darius’ death, he sent an army against the Egyptian rebels and decisively crushed them” (Herodotus). Although this caused Xerxes to become unpopular in Egypt, the Egyptians were submissive and displayed loyalty to Xerxes “twenty-five years of tranquillity followed… Egyptians were submissive subjects of the Persian crown, and even showed remarkable courage and skill in the Persian military expeditions” (George Rawlinson). However, Xerxes had to punish Babylon revolted twice. This indicated to historians that the Xerxes wasn’t successful in punishing the Babylonians the first time they revolted. Babylon has been severely punished “Babylon had revolted and that the satrap Zopyrus had been killed… Babylon was terribly punished. The splendid city fortifications… were demolished... Esagila with its towering ziggurat was torn down, as were the other temples… statue of Bel Marduk… of solid gold, was carried off and melted down… priest of Esagila who protested the sacrilege was killed… estates of the merchant princes and citizens were confiscated and granted to Persians… Syria was detached from Babylon and made a fully independent satrapy. Babylonia itself lost its identity through incorporation with Assyria and was henceforth ferociously taxed"
They were set apart; they had no earthly king and their history was one filled with miracles and impossible victories. Yet Israel’s people were still human; their failures were nearly equal to their victories and their frequent disobedience towards God had cost them greatly. They were hardly a unified nation, and despite a history rich in God’s provision, they were rebellious.
The Nation of Israel was founded out of the eastern area of a British occupied (former Ottoman Empire) section of western Asia known as the “Mandate of Palestine”. There was an attempt in November of 1947 by the United Nations (UN) to partition the region into Arab and Israeli states with the Holy City Jerusalem as an international city. (United Nations, 1949) The Jews accepted this proposal while the Arab League and other groups did not. (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2006). What followed was an Arab strike that became violent and sent the Jews on the defensive. They rebounded and brought the civil war to an end, expelling over 250,000 Arabs. The day before the British mandate was set to expire; the region was invaded by four Arab States starting the yearlong 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Ultimately a cease fire and truce was reached with the establishment of bo...
This marked the beginning of the Palestine armed conflict, one of its kinds to be witnessed in centuries since the fall of the Ottoman Empire and World War 1. Characterized by a chronology of endless confrontations, this conflict has since affected not only the Middle East relations, but also the gl...
On the streets of Jerusalem, in the rubble of Ramallah, in synagogues, in mosques, in the hearts and minds of millions in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the remainder of Israel, Israelis and Palestinians are locked in a clash of civilizations. In his masterful work, The Clash of Civilizations, Samuel L. Huntington outlines a theory which approaches international politics on the scale of civilizations. However, he circumvents discussion about Israel. Huntington cautiously describes Israel as a “non-Western” (Huntington 90) country, but identifies the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as one along a fault line between civilizations (267). Though he chooses to avoid the issue, Huntington’s theory provides a groundwork for analyzing the conflict in Israel in terms of a clash of civilizations between Judaism and Islam. This is a dangerous and provocative idea. But if we dare examine its implications and explore its insights, we risk a more complete understanding of the conflict which has plagued relations between Palestinians and Israelis in particular, Muslim countries and Israel in general, for over fifty years.
Provan, Iain W., V. Philips Long, and Tremper Longman. A biblical history of Israel. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003. Print.
According to Ancient History Encyclopedia, Hammurabi was the sixth king of Babylon of the First Babylonian Dynasty from 1792 B.C.E. to 1750 B.C.E. Located in present day Iraq, Hammurabi is recognized with uniting this area, Mesopotamia (Hammurabi). While in power he pursued many military battles. The main purpose of these battles was to gain control of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. “This was essential as their agricultural productivity depended on it (Hammurabi)”.
Belshazzar is cited in the first verse of chapter seven (7) as the King of Babylon, however Belshazzar is noted as the last King of Babylon and the son of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter five. The last king of the Babylonian Empire was Nabonidus. It is believed that Nabonidus for inexplicable reasons moved to the town of Teima and abrogated the empire to his son Belshazzar. Therefore, Seow points out that the “literary setting of Daniel 7 is the beginning of the end of the Babylonian Empire” (Seow, p. 101). The literary chronology of the period set is correct, but it is generally agreed among scholars (Collins, Hartman, Di Lella) there is no historical value in the dating.
Correspondingly, other canonical prophetic books interpret Yahweh’s will during periods of social or political crisis.4 Many minor prophets wrote during one of the three critical periods: the Assyrian Crisis, the Babylonian threat, or the postexilic readjustment.5 During the Babylonian threat of the late-seventh century, Habakkuk served as a link between God and humanity. The Assyrian kingdom, led by Shalmanasar V, forced the people of Judah into harsh conditions through a heartless deportation. In time, political drama spread throughout the region. After 612 B.C.E. when Assyria fell to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Habakkuk wrote his prophetic book, focusing on the agony of humankind’s struggle to progress in such a wicked world. His message of faith and morality transcended the evil within society, ultimately revealing to the Israelites that justice would prevail.
Sørli, Mirjam, Nils Gleditsch, and Håvard Strand. "Why Is There so Much Conflict in the Middle East? ." The Journal of Conflict Resolution 49.1 (2005): 141-165. JSTOR. Web. 8 June 2011.
In 63 B.C. Roman power spread to Judea, the Jewish homeland. At the time King Herod was the ruler of Judea, he accepted Roman rule and angered many Jews by doing so. After the death of Herod many Jews revolted against Roman rule for 10 years. At this time there were two main factions of Jews, one group, the Zealots wanted to rid Judea of Roman influence. The other group was waiting for a messiah as scripture had prophetized. The Messiah, or Savior would restore the kingdom to the Jews.
For many centuries, Judaic and Arabian societies have engaged in one of the most complicated and lengthy conflicts known to mankind, the makings of a highly difficult peace process. Unfortunately for all the world’s peacemakers the Arab-Israeli conflict, particularly the war between Israel and the Palestinian Territories, is rooted in far more then ethnic tensions. Instead of drawing attention towards high-ranking officials of the Israeli government and Hamas, focus needs to be diverted towards the more suspect and subtle international relations theory of realism which, has imposed more problems than solutions.
The Hebrews are not only of undeniable historical significance but also a key factor and concern in contemporary politics. In order to begin to understand the nature of Israeli politics it is important to understand the rich history of the Hebrews and also the events surrounding and leading up to the formation of the nation of Israel. We will begin our investigation into the politics of the nation of Israel by reviewing key historical contributions and events pertaining to that nation and its people.
It is important to know the history of one’s past. Just where did we come from and why. By comparing and contrasting the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants, we can see a part of our history. These two covenants mark a grand time in the history of Christians. Both covenants can teach us a lesson in becoming a better Christian and to knowing God better if we pay attention to what God wants us to learn. The Abrahamic Covenant lays the foundation for how the Christian nation was formed. The Mosaic Covenant follows in later years as a reminder of what was promised in the Abrahamic Covenant to the Christian nation. Both covenants are important in understanding the Old and New Testaments as they give us the historical background of the Bible as well as set the stage for the coming of Christ.