Israël and Egypt 2012

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Today we leave the Sea of Galilee and see Mount Tabor, Ein Harod, Beth-Shean, the Jordan Valley, Jericho, Qumran, the Judean Desert and then to The Grand Court hotel in Jerusalem.

Mount Tabor is mentioned with Mount Hermon in Psalms 89:12, attesting to its beauty and majesty. Judges 4:4-16 cites Mount Tabor as the site of an Israelite victory over the Canaanites.

Ein Harod is a kibbutz situated in the Jizreel Valley. It was the home of Yitzhak Tabenkin, one of the founders of the United Kibbutz Movement.

Beth-Shean was originally a Canaanite City situated at the entrance of the Valley of Jezreel from the Jordan Valley. It is about 120 m below sea level. Beth-Shean was under Philistine rule at the time of King Saul. After killing the king and his sons the victors hung their bodies on the wall of Beth-Shean. 1 Samuel 31:8-13 speaks of courageous Israelites who retrieved the bodies, and took them to Jabesh to burn and then bury them. The City was conquered by the Israelites during the reign of King David; and during the reign of King Solomon it was mentioned as one of the 12 royal supply districts. Archaeological excavations at Beth-Shean have revealed numerous strata of ancient ruins, as far back as the time of Abraham. At least 18 successive towns have been uncovered.

Jericho is believed to be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. It was also the lowest, being 400 m below sea level. It is prominent in Biblical history. Joshua 5:13-6:20 tells the famous account of the Israelite military forces circling Jericho each day for 6 days; on the 7th day they marched around the city 7 times and upon their blowing of horns, the walls of the city collapsed. Jericho also figured in Jesus' ministry. Near this city Jesus healed the blind man Bartimaeus and his companion (Luke 18:35)). It was at Jericho that Jesus met Zacchaeus and was a guest at his home (Luke 19:1-7)

Qumran is situated in the West bank about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. It is here that the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered during excavations from 1947-56. The scrolls were found in a series of 11 caves. There are many conflicting theories as to the original purpose of the site, and how the scrolls came to be there. The Dead Sea Scrolls include 972 texts, many of which are too damaged to identify. Of those that can be identified, 40% are copies of texts from the Hebrew Scriptures of the Bible, 30% are texts from the Second Temple period that are not included in the canon of the Bible, and 30% are sectarian manuscripts that shed light on the beliefs and customs of various Jewish sects of the time. One of the scrolls contains the entire book of Isaiah, dating from the 2nd century B.C.E. What is remarkable is that there are very few differences between the text of this scroll, and the more recent ones used to produce translations in English and other languages spoken today.

We arrived at the Grand Court hotel in Jerusalem in time for dinner....then could not resist exploring. Jerusalem is fascinating by day....and magical by night!

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Photos

May 5
yes, it is a desert