Jezreel Valley
Categories: Geography of Israel | Hebrew Bible/Tanakh places
The Jezreel Valley (Hebrew: עמק יזרעאל; "Emek Yizrael", also known as the Plain of Esdraelon) is a large plain and inland valley in the north of Israel. It takes its name from the city of Jezreel, located on a low hill on the southern edge and overlooking the valley. Jezreel Valley is part of the Lower Galilee in the North District of Israel.
The Jezreel Valley is the location of a number of important settlements both ancient and modern. The ancient city of Megiddo is located in the south and west of the valley. The largest modern settlement in the Jezreel Valley is the city of Afula, also known as the "Capital of the Valley".
The Jezreel Valley is significant to Christian believers as the site of the future Battle of Armageddon.
In Biblical Times
In the Bible, the Valley of Jezreel lies to the north of Jezreel between the ridges of Gilboa and Moreh, an offshoot of Esdraelon, running east to the Jordan River (Joshua 17:16; Judges 6:33; Hosea 1:5). It was the scene of the signal victory gained by the Israelites under Gideon over the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the "children of the east" (Judg. 6:3). Two centuries after this victory, the Israelites were here defeated by the Philistines. Saul and Jonathan with the flower of the army of Israel fell (1 Samuel 31:1-6).
This name later grew to refer to the entire plain of Esdraelon. Only this plain of Jezreel and the one north of Lake Huleh were then accessible to the chariots of the Canaanites (compare 2 Kings 9:21; 10:15).
External links
- Jezreel Valley Regional Council Official website (In Hebrew)
- Jezreel Valley College (In Hebrew) (English)
- Emek Medical Center (In English)de:Jesreelebene
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