The Early Israelites

I. The Early Israelites
a. The Israelites built a kingdom in Canaan, along the Mediterranean Sea in southwest Asia, in 1000 BC
b. Israelites believed in one God. This is called monotheism.
c. The Israelite faith became the religion of Judaism. Judaism influences Christianity and Islam and helped shape the beliefs of European and American societies.
d. Spoke Hebrew and wrote their history and beliefs in what later became the Hebrew Bible.
e. They believe they were descended from Abraham. They believe God told Abraham to settle in Canaan and worship the one true God.
f. Abraham’s grandson, named Jacob, raised 12 sons in Canaan. Their families became the 12 tribes of Israel
g. After 100 years in Canaan, the Israelites suffered a long drought. To survive, the Israelites went to Egypt.
h. The Israelites became enslaved by the pharaoh. The pharaoh ordered all baby boys to be thrown in the Nile River to avoid a rebellion.
i. When Moses grew up, he herded sheep in the hills outside Egypt. In those hills, he saw a burning bush and heard a voice. He believed it was God telling him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt
j. The Bible says that God sent 10 plagues to trouble Egypt. The last plague killed all first born children, except for those Israelites who marked their doors with lamb’s blood. This finally convinced the pharaoh to let Israelites leave Egypt.
k. On the way back to Canaan, Moses went to the top of Mount Sinai and received laws from God. These laws were known as the Torah, which became the first part of the Hebrew Bible. (10 Commandments: most important part of the Torah.)

II. The Promised Land
a. It took the Israelites about 40 years to reach Canaan. Along the way, Moses died, and Joshua took over.
b. When the Israelites arrived, they found a group of people called the Canaanites living there. They believed it was God’s will to conquer the Canaanites. Joshua led them into battle. They marched around the walls of the city of Jericho for six days. On the 7th day, the Israelites let out a great shout, and the walls of the city crumbled. There were three more wars that Joshua led the Israelites in. The land they seized was divided among the 12 tribes of Israel.
c. Eventually the Israelites won the hilly region of Canaan, and the Canaanites kept the coastal areas. The Israelites built walls around their towns to protect themselves. About 1000 BC, the city of Jerusalem became the capital of Israel.
d. The Phoenicians were a group of Canaanites who developed an alphabet. An alphabet is a group of letters that stands for sounds.