The Nabatean King Aretas IV is mentioned in 2 Cor. The Nabataeans held a monopoly on the Frankincense trade, amassing considerable wealth from the sale of it from Petra. It is quite possible that the magi stopped at Petra to purchase the frankincense that they gave to Jesus, or at the very least, that it was Nabataean frankincense that was given. In New Testament times, the kingdom of Nabatea extended from Jordan to Saudi-Arabia. The rock-hewn city of Petra is arguably the most famous archaeological landmark in the country. Photo Credit: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 /Ĥ) The Nabateans – No discussion of biblical people in Jordan would be complete without mentioning the Nabateans. The Edomite stronghold of Sela, located near modern-day Borzah, Jordan, is mentioned at least four times in Scripture and may be the place where Amaziah, King of Judah, slaughtered 10,000 Edomites as described in 2 Ch 25:12 and 2 Ki 14:7 ( ) The Treasury of the Nabatean city of Petra. King Saul fought against the Edomites, and King David subjugated them, establishing military garrisons in Edom. However, the Edomites regularly attacked Israel, and many wars were fought as a result.
“Because they were close relatives, the Israelites were forbidden to hate the Edomites ( Deuteronomy 23:7). Photo credit: ģ) Edomites – The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother and at one time their kingdom covered parts of both southern Israel and southern Jordan. The Edomite mountain stronghold of es-Sela. The inscription of King Mesha of Moab, tells the story from Moab’s perspective.
Discovered in 1868 in Dhiban, Jordan, the Moabite Stone (or Mesha Stela) confirms the events of 2 Kings 3 – the account of how Moab was subject to Israel, but rebelled. One of the most famous archaeological artifacts is the Moabite Stone. Both David (2 Ch 18:2) and Jehoshaphat (2 Ch 20:1) both fought against the Moabites. Later, during the time of the kings the nations of Moab and Judah were enemies. In Ruth 1:1 we read, “In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.” Ruth herself is perhaps the most famous Moabitess in the Bible. At times there appeared to be a peaceful coexistence between those from Moab and Judah. Photo credit: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 /
The remains of an Ammonite watch-tower can still be seen there today.Ģ) The Moabites – The Moabites were the descendants of Moab, the son of Lot by his The Moabite Stone or Mesha Stela. During the Iron Age, their capital city was Rabbah (modern-day Amman, Jordan). They were the frequent enemies of the Israelites, and Jephthah delivered Israel from their oppression in Judges 11. Photo credit: Mrdrummond / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain /ġ) The Ammonites – The Bible describes the Ammonites as descending from the incestuous relationship between Lot and his younger daughter (Gn 19:38). So who were these ancient people who lived east of the Jordan River?Īn Ammonite watchtower in Amman, Jordan dates to the 7th Century B.C. Indeed Todd Bolen, of notes, “You’re missing half of the story by not studying the east side of the Jordan River.” When we read in the Bible about things that happened on “the east side of the Jordan,” we’re reading about events that took place in present-day Jordan.Įvery year many tourists flock to the Holy Land of Israel, without realizing that the Land of the Bible includes its neighbour Jordan. The answer is the modern-day kingdom of Jordan. Photo credit: Richardprins / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 / The Kingdoms of Ammon, Moab, and Edom ca. So which modern-day country did the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites inhabit? Archaeologists have learned much about these ancient peoples from the material remains they left. Unlike Tolkien’s fictional world of Middle Earth, the world of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites in the Bronze Age and Iron Age was very much a real world. It helps remind me of the historicity of the accounts that are recorded in the pages of Scripture. I find it helpful to contextualize the people and places I read about in the Bible by locating them on modern maps.
Sometimes reading about he Ammonites, Moabites, or Edomites in the Bible can seem to modern readers much like reading about people from Gondor, Rohan, or Mordor in The Lord of the Rings.
0 kommentar(er)
