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"
Ezekiel lived in a time of international crisis and conflict. Assyria was the world power in the area under the rule of Tiglath-pilesar III. In 724 B.C Israel raged war upon Assyria, and Israel was no match for Assyria. In 627 B.C the last of the able Assyrian ruler, Ashurbanipal died. Right after the death of Ashurbanipal, Babylon under Nabopolassar wanted independence from Assyria. In 612 B.C the Assyrians under Nineveh surrendered to the rising Babylonians. In 605 B.C the Babylonians were at war against the Egyptians. The Babylonians won and they established themselves as the leading power in the area. During all of this Judea allied with the Babylonians and with this Judea kept her independence. During the last century before Judea was destroyed it was ruled by four rulers and of those rulers, all but Josiah were wicked. Josiah was committed to God and led Judea to him. All the others did not heed the warnings of Ezekiel and Jeremiah from God, and the rulers of Judea chose to rebel against God. God punished Judea by sending Nebuchadnezzar’s army to crush the nation of Judea and flatten the city of Jerusalem.
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)”.
When Jerusalem fell to the conquering Babylonians in 587 BC, most of what was important to the Hebrew people was gone. They lost their holy city, the Temple was destroyed, and the Davidic monarchy ended (Beasley 221). Following the destruction of Jerusalem, the Babylonian king, Nebuchadrezzar, deported most of the population to other cities, including Babylon. These exiles remained there for about fifty years until the Persian forces, under king Cyrus, took the city of Babylon in 539 BC. The Persian policies concerning captured and exiled peoples were quite different than those of the Babylonians, and because of this King Cyrus allowed the exiles to return to Jerusalem in 538 BC to rebuild the city and the Temple.
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...
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.
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.
Provan, Iain W., V. Philips Long, and Tremper Longman. A biblical history of Israel. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003. Print.
Since the inception of an Israeli nation-state in 1948, violence and conflict has played a major role in Israel’s brief history. In the Sixty-One year’s Israel has been a recognized nation-state, they have fought in 6 interstate wars, 2 civil wars, and over 144 dyadic militarized interstate disputes (MIDs) with some display of military force against other states (Maoz 5). Israel has been involved in constant conflict throughout the past half century. Israel’s tension against other states within the Middle East has spurred vast economic, social, and political unity that has fostered a sense of nationalism and unity in Israel not seen in most other states. Over the next several pages I will try and dissect the reasons for why the nation state of Israel has been emerged in constant conflict and how this conflict has helped foster national unity and identity among the people of Israel.
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.
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.
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.
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.