Biblical

Israel Enters Canaan

c. 1406/1220 b.c. After crossing the Jordan River and entering Canaan, the Israelites set up camp at Gilgal. From there they continued to move westward, first destroying the imposing city of Jericho and then defeating the smaller town of Ai. Later the Gibeonites (also called Hivites) deceived the

Biblical

Preparing to Enter Canaan

c. 1406/1220 b.c.Joshua prepared to enter Canaan by sending two spies from Shittim to scout out the land and the city of Jericho. The spies spent the first night in Jericho at the house of Rahab the prostitute, who hid the men and sent away the soldiers

Biblical

The Setting of Joshua

c. 1406/1220 b.c. The book of Joshua recounts the Israelite conquest of the land of Canaan under the command of Joshua. The book opens at Shittim with Joshua’s commission from the Lord as the leader of the Israelites, progresses through his victories over the Canaanite kings and

Biblical

Renewing the Covenant at Mount Ebal

c. 1406/1220 b.c. Looking ahead to the day when the Israelites would occupy Canaan, Moses commanded the people to renew the covenant after they entered the land by placing a new copy of the terms of the covenant on Mount Ebal and reciting the blessings and curses to

Biblical

Israel Defeats Og and Sihon

Deuteronomy reviews how the Israelites defeated King Sihon when he refused them passage through his land and attacked them at Jahaz. Soon afterward, the Israelites spied out Jazer and captured it. As they headed north from Jazer, the Israelites were attacked by King Og’s forces at Edrei, but they

Biblical

The Setting of Deuteronomy

c. 1406/1220 b.c. The book of Deuteronomy recounts Moses’ words to the Israelites as they waited on the plains of Moab to enter Canaan. Moses begins by reviewing the events of Israel’s journey from Mount Sinai (or Mount Horeb) to the plains of Moab.

Biblical

The Boundaries of the Promised Land

The original boundaries of the Promised Land as defined in Numbers 34 are somewhat different from the boundaries of the land that the Israelites eventually occupied. The original boundaries included the mountainous area north of Sidon and Damascus, but the Israelites never occupied this area during the settlement period. Conversely,

Biblical

Balaam Blesses Israel

Concerned that the vast number of Israelites would overwhelm his land, King Balak of Moab summoned Balaam to come and curse them. Balaam traveled from the region of the Euphrates River, and Balak went out to meet him at a city on the Arnon River at the border of his

Biblical

Israel Defeats Og and Sihon

As with Edom and Moab, the Israelites asked permission to pass through the territory of King Sihon, but he refused. When Sihon attacked the Israelites at Jahaz, the Israelites defeated him and captured his land. Later, Moses dispatched troops to capture Jazer, and then they turned north and were met

Biblical

The Journey to Canaan

After many years of wandering in the wilderness as a consequence of their sin, the Israelites set out from Kadesh-barnea toward the Promised Land. It is difficult to know for certain the exact route they took from Kadesh-barnea to the plains of Moab, but it is possible that they followed

Biblical

The Failed Entry into Canaan

After the Lord had condemned the people for refusing to enter Canaan, a group of Israelites changed their mind and tried to go up, even though neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant went with them. When they reached the hill country, they were beaten back by the Amalekites

Biblical

The Journey of the Spies

When the Israelites first arrived at Kadesh-barnea, Moses dispatched 12 spies to scout out the Promised Land of Canaan. For 40 days the spies traveled throughout Canaan, from the Negeb to Rehob and back again—a distance of over 500 miles (805 km).

Biblical

Journeys in the Wilderness

c. 1446/1260 b.c. The book of Numbers details the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness as they journeyed from Mount Sinai to Canaan. As with the exodus, it is difficult to establish the exact route that the Israelites took, but it is generally believed that they headed east from

Biblical

The Setting of Leviticus

c. 1446/1260 b.c. The book of Exodus finishes with Moses and Israel having constructed and assembled the tabernacle at the base of Mount Sinai. The book of Leviticus primarily records the instructions the Lord gives to Moses from the tent of meeting, but also includes narrative of a

Biblical

The Journey to Mount Sinai

1446/1260 b.c. Among the many theories regarding the route of the exodus, the traditional route to Jebel Musa is considered by many scholars to be the most plausible. Beginning at Rameses, the Israelites journeyed to Succoth, but these two sites are the only ones on the route identified

Biblical

Egypt at the Time of Joseph

c. 1900/1730 b.c. Joseph arrived in Egypt during the reign of the Twelfth Dynasty, arguably the zenith of Egypt’s power. Shortly before this era, Upper and Lower Egypt had been unified under one ruler, and now Egyptian influence expanded south and east. The regular flooding of the

Biblical

Joseph and His Brothers

c. 1900/1730 b.c. Jacob sent Joseph from Hebron to Shechem to find his brothers, who had been pasturing their father’s flock. When Joseph arrived, he learned that his brothers had gone on to Dothan, so he went there and found them. His brothers threw him into a

Biblical

Jacob Returns to Canaan

c. 1976/1810 b.c. After acquiring wealth in Paddan-aram, Jacob returned to Canaan. He came to Mahanaim, where he sent his household ahead of him and crossed the Jabbok alone. There he wrestled with a mysterious man until morning and named the place Peniel (also called Penuel). Jacob then

Biblical

Journeys to Paddan-aram

c. 2026/1860 b.c. When Isaac was 40 years old, Abraham sent his eldest servant back to Paddan-aram, the land of his relatives, to obtain a wife for Isaac. The servant found Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor, and brought her back to Isaac, who was living

Biblical

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

c. 2067/1901 b.c. At Abraham’s request, the Lord spared Lot and his family from the destruction that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Afterwards, Lot’s two daughters feared that their isolation would result in the end of their family line and they plotted to get their father

Biblical

The Battle at the Valley of Siddim

c. 2085/1920 b.c. When five Canaanite cities rebelled against their four Mesopotamian overlords, the four kings led a campaign to reassert their control over the region. The campaign culminated in a battle in the Siddim Valley, and Abram’s nephew Lot, who was living in Sodom, was captured

Biblical

Abram Travels to Canaan

c. 2091/1925 b.c. Abram was born in Ur, a powerful city in southern Babylonia. Abram’s father, Terah, eventually led the family toward the land of Canaan but decided to settle in Haran (see Gen. 11:27–31). After Terah’s death, the Lord called Abram to go

Biblical

Table of Nations

c. 2200 b.c. Many of the people groups mentioned in Genesis 10 can be identified with relative certainty. In general, the descendants of Ham settled in North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean coast, the descendants of Shem in Mesopotamia and Arabia, and the descendants of Japheth in Europe and

Biblical

The Garden of Eden

Genesis describes the location of Eden in relation to the convergence of four rivers. While two of the rivers are unknown (the Pishon and the Gihon), the nearly universal identification of the other two rivers as the Tigris and the Euphrates suggests a possible location for Eden at either their

Biblical

The Near East at the Time of Genesis

c. 2000 b.c. The book of Genesis describes events in the ancient Near East from the beginnings of civilization to the relocation of Jacob’s (Israel’s) family in Egypt. The stories of Genesis are set among some of the oldest nations in the world, including Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia,