The Hebrews

The Hebrews were originally a group of nomadic tribes that roamed Mesopotamia, Palestine, and northern Egypt. From about 1950 BCE to 1500 BCE they wandered around the ancient Near East. Around 1500 BCE they settled in the fertile land of northern Egypt called Goshen. It was here that these wandering tribes developed a national identity. In about 1200 BCE the Hebrews, now calling themselves "The children of Israel" left Egypt in an event called the Exodus. According to the Bible, Moses led them out. Moses also introduced a powerful single deity, "Yahweh" to the Hebrews. This new religion of Yahweh and the dramatic exodus from Egypt are perhaps the main unifying events that solidified the Hebrews into a nation.

The Hebrews traced their origin to a man named Abraham. They believed that God, (now called Yahweh), had told Abraham that he had chosen him to found a nation that would be his "Chosen people." They believed that Yahweh promised Abraham that his descendants would "inherit" the land of Canaan, which we know as Palestine or Israel. This belief took the Hebrews into hundreds of years of mostly unsuccessful attempts to dominate Canaan. The Old Testament records these campaigns.

The Hebrews enjoyed a brief time of glorious power and prestige. After a few hundred years of mostly unsuccessful attempts to oust the established populations, (Canaanites and Philistines) they established a monarchy. During this time Israel's three most famous Kings lived in succession. This small span of time (about 100 years) is known as "The golden age of Israel." The three kings, Saul, David and Solomon, unified the often-bickering tribes. During Solomon's reign, the Hebrews con trolled almost all of Palestine. Solomon also made the new capital, Jerusalem, into a splendid city rivaling those in the Assyrian and Chaldean empires.

The glory days were short lived. Soon after Solomon died, the northern ten tribes (Israel) separated from the south (Judah). With the Hebrews divided, they were in great peril from foreign powers. In 722, the Assyrians defeated Israel and scattered the Hebrews in that area throughout Mesopotamia. These Hebrews are referred to as the "lost tribes" because they were completely assimilated into Assyrian and other cultures. In 586, the Chaldeans conquered Judah and deported the Hebrew intelligentsia to the Chaldean capital, Babylon. These Hebrews were not scattered and lost. They remained a community in Babylon. About 50 years later they were allowed to return to Jerusalem. Except for a minor rebellion a few hundred years later, (the Maccabeen revolt), there would not be a Jewish state in Palestine for over two thousand years, till 1948.

Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on Hebrew culture.

If you are Hebrew, your feedback is much appreciated.

References:

http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/MiddleEast/AncientIsrael.html

http://http://www.biblemysteries.com/lectures/bible2.htm
Holy Bible: New International Version, Revised Standard Version

Written by: Karl Anderson