Quick Primer on Israelite History

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[No, you didn’t miss any posts from me—I’ve not written anything since 6/24.]

 

Psalm 78 draws on Israelite history, so here’s a quick primer:

  • God gives Jacob the name Israel—from now on in the Bible, Jacob/Israel is a shorthand way of referring to the people of God;

  • Jacob has 12 sons;

  • The 12 sons give their names to the 12 tribes of Israel;

  • The 12 tribes are enslaved in Egypt;

  • After the Exodus, the Israelites live in the Promised Land, but they constantly forsake the Lord and turn after foreign gods;

  • Saul is the first king of Israel—he’s from the tribe of Benjamin, but he’s a bad king;

  • David follows Saul around 1000 BC—he unites all 12 tribes under his leadership;

  • Rehoboam is David’s grandson, and during his reign the 10 northern tribes rebel and form their own country called—confusingly—Israel;

  • The 2 southern tribes—Judah and Benjamin—form the nation of Judah, with Jerusalem as their capital;

  • In 722 BC, the Assyrian Empire destroys the 10 northern tribes (“Israel”);

  • In 586 BC, the Babylonian Empire conquers Judah and destroys Jerusalem, carrying off the best and the brightest of Judean society into exile.