1. The Israelites
Unit # 3

2. Vocabulary Monotheism- belief in one God.
Torah- a set of laws handed down from God to the Israelites.
Covenant- agreement
Prophet: one who claims to be instructed by God to share words

3. Vocabulary Tribute: money or slaves given to a stronger ruler
Proverb: wise saying
Exile - forced life in a foreign land.
Sabbath- weekly day of rest & worship.

4. Vocabulary Synagogue- Jewish house of worship.
Diaspora – time when Jews were scattered outside Judaea.
messiah - a deliverer sent by God.
Rabbi - teacher of the Torah.

5. Beginnings of Ancient Israel
Israelites descended from Abraham
God told Abraham to leave Mesopotamia (Ur) and go to Canaan
God makes a covenant with Abraham
Will give Canaan to Abraham’s descendants
Will make Abraham’s descendants “number more than the stars.”
Modern-day Canaan is occupied by Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan.
II. Religion
Judaism: monotheistic, worship God
The Torah: 1st five books of the Bible containing the law

6. Abraham’s Descendants
I Abraham had two son’s
A. Ishmael with Sarah’s servant
B. Isaac with his wife Sarah
1. grandson, Jacob, had 12 sons.
a. These 12 sons and their descendants became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “one who struggles with God.”
Because of a drought, Israelites traveled to Egypt where they were enslaved by the Pharaoh to build pyramids.

7. Israelite Leaders
Use the textbook to find at 3-5 facts for each leader. Some leaders like Moses and David may have more information than that. Make sure you research and read each section in its entirety!
Abraham – pg. 141
Jacob (3) – pg. 142
Moses – pg
Joshua (3) – pg
Deborah (3) – pg. 146
Saul – pg
David – pg
Solomon (3) – pg. 150

8. Israelite timeline
1200 B.C. God gives land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants.
Israelites build a kingdom in Canaan.
Israelites move to Egypt to survive famine and become slaves to the Pharaoh
1290 B.C. Moses leads Israelites out of Egypt
1125 B.C. Deborah defeats the Canaanites
Moses receives the Torah on Mt. Sinai
1100 B.C. Israelites settle Canaan.

9. Israelite timeline 2
1020 B.C. Israelites ask the prophet Samuel to appoint a king - Samuel appoints Saul as king.
1000 B.C. David becomes king
Solomon, David’s son, becomes king
874 B.C. – 571 B.C. Time of the Prophets (Elijah, Amos, Hosea, etc)
722 B.C. Assyrians conquer Israel (lost tribes of Israel)
597 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar captures Jerusalem
586 B.C. Chaldeans destroy temple

10. Israelite Leaders Abraham Father of Israelite nation
God told Abraham to move from Mesopotamia to Canaan.
Abraham and his people should worship one God.
Jacob
Abraham’s grandson
God changed his Jacob’s name to Israel – “one who struggles with God.”
12 tribes of Israel are formed by Jacob’s sons (Judah, Benjamin, etc)

11. Israelite Leaders 2 Moses Raised as royalty on Pharaoh’s household
Led Israelites out of slavery in Egypt - Exodus
Received the Torah (10 Commandments) from God on Mt. Sinai

12. Israelite Leaders 3 Joshua
Took over when Moses died and led Israelites into Promised Land.
Led Israel in the Battle of Jericho. Marched around the walls for 6 days blowing their trumpets. On the seventh day the Israelites shouted and the walls fell.
Divided land among the 12 tribes
Deborah
One of the judges who led Israel before the kings
Helped the Israelites defeat the Canaanite king Jabin

13. Israelite Leaders 4 Saul
Appointed by Samuel the prophet as the 1st king of Israel
Defeated Israel’s enemies in many battles
Displeased God by breaking His commands, so God chose another king
David
Reigned from 1000 – 970 B.C.
Killed the Philistine giant Goliath
Served very successfully in Saul’s army

14. Israelite Leaders 5 David
Refused to take the kingship from Saul because Saul was appointed by God through Samuel
Became king after Saul’s death in battle
Author of many of the Psalms
Solomon
When David died, his son Solomon became king
Solomon built the 1st temple in Jerusalem

15. Israelite Leaders 6 Solomon
Solomon wrote the book or Proverbs. He was known for his wisdom and wise sayings.
Solomon was not well liked by many people he ruled over.
He made many young men in the north work the mines to increase Israel’s wealth.
After Solomon died, 10 of the 12 tribes set up their own country in the north – Israel. The other two tribes in the south set up a kingdom called Judah.
Judah’s capital was Jerusalem.

16. Israelite Leaders 7
After the kingdoms were split (Israel and Judah), neighboring people wanted to control the trade routes that ran through the kingdoms
This made the Israelites and Judah nervous
During this troubled time the Hebrew people began to forget about their God and religion. Corruption became widespread.
A series of prophets tried to lead the people back to God and following the law.
Some of the prophets were Elijah, Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

17. The Dead Sea Scrolls

18. The Dead Seas Scrolls

19. Jewish Holidays
Passover: April, 8 days, celebrates God’s passing over of the Jews during the final plagues in Egypt and Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Limited work, some foods are not allowed to be eaten or owned
Rosh Hoshana: September/October, 2 days, celebrate the Jewish New Year, synagogue services, shofar (horn) is blown
Yom Kippur: September/October: 25 hours, to make amends for sins of past year, no work, pray/fast
Hanukkah: December, 8 days, celebrate Maccabees victory and reclaiming of temple in Jerusalem, light menorah, play games, give gifts