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Bible maps - Judah and Jerusalem

Bible overview
Maps of Jerusalem and the surrounding area.
1
Judah and Its Towns. <br/>The land of Judah in southern Israel was home to many important leaders throughout Israel’s history. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all lived in the hill town of Hebron for a time (Genesis 13:18; 35:27; 37:12-14). Likewise, David was born in the Judean town of Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16-17), and while he was on the run from Saul, he travelled from throughout Judah (1 Samuel 19-26). When David first became king, he reigned over Judah from the town of Hebron and moved to Jerusalem only after he gained control over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:1-5). Hundreds of years later Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 2:1-20). – Slide 1
2
Jerusalem during the Early Old Testament. <br/>When King David captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5:6-10; 1 Chronicles 11:4-9), it was a relatively small fortress positioned next to the Gihon Spring–-a dependable source of water that later enabled the city to withstand various sieges (2 Kings 18:13-19:37; 2 Chronicles 32; Isaiah 36-37). King Solomon built the Temple of the Lord on a threshing floor north of the city (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21King Hezekiah eventually expanded the walls to encompass a much larger area and replaced the old Jebusite tunnel with another tunnel to the Lower Pool (later called the Pool of Siloam). Many years later in 586 B.C. the Babylonians attacked the city, destroyed the city and the Temple. – Slide 2
3
Judea under Persian Rule. <br/>In 539 B.C., King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon, and announced that any exiled Jews who wanted to return to their homeland could do so (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-2). A contingent of Jews under the leadership of Zerubbabel did return (Ezra 1:3-2:70) and established the minor Persian province of Judea. This small province was much smaller than the kingdom of Judah before the exile, partially due to the migration of Edomites (now called Idumeans) into the region just south of Judea, where they too formed a new province. – Slide 3
4
Jerusalem during the Later Old Testament. <br/>The Babylonians destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord in 586 B.C. Several decades later (539 B.C.), King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon and declared that the Judean exiles were free to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4). A small portion of the exiles did return and rebuild the Temple (Ezra 1:5-6:15; Nehemiah 7:5-65), but it wasn’t until about 445 B.C. that they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah. – Slide 4
5
Jerusalem during the New Testament. <br/>Just prior to Jesus’ birth, Herod the Great completely renovated and expanded the Temple of the Lord, and he also built a lavish palace for himself, various pools (where Jesus occasionally performed healings), public buildings, and military citadels, including the Antonia Fortress, which overlooked the Temple. Wealthy residents, including the high priest, occupied extravagant houses in the Upper City, while the poorer residents were relegated to less desirable areas like the Lower City. The Essene Quarter was so named because many of its residents belonged to the Essenes, a strict religious sect. – Slide 5
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