Page 95 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies - Textbook w videos short

interaction between the two cultures. Elijah escaped to Zarephath near Sidon (1 Kings 17:9) during the
drought he had foretold. Jezebel, the queen who opposed Elijah, was a Sidonian princess (1 Kings 16:31).
Solomon did a robust business with these coastal communities, and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Joel, Amos and Zechariah all spoke of the two cities. Some of them predicted the destruction of
Tyre and Sidon.

The connection between the people of Tyre and Sidon continue in New Testament times. People from
the area came to hear Jesus preach in the Galilee (Mark 3:8, Luke 6:17).

In response, Jesus visited the region himself (Matthew 15:21, Mark 7:24) and performed at least one
healing miracle there (Mark 7:25-30). Near the end of his ministry, Jesus used the faith of people from
Tyre and Sidon as a stark contrast to the doubt of those who heard him preach in Capernaum, Chorazin
and Bethsaida (Matthew 11:22).

In its prime, Tyre had been the capital of Phoenicia and a wealthy city. In addition to a harbor on the
mainland, Tyre had a fortified city on an island. In times of war, the island fortress seemed to be
impenetrable. When Alexander the Great made his military sweep across the area, he set siege to the
island for seven months and built a land bridge across the water. After Alexander conquered and
destroyed Tyre, it never regained its former glory.

Both cities had a long history of pagan worship. Ahab’s marriage to Jezebel meant that pagan worship
had completely infiltrated the northern kingdom. The prophets traced Israel’s destruction at the hand of
the Assyrians back to this intermarriage of cultures and religious beliefs.

Picture: (By Véronique Dauge - This place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed asTyre., CC BY-SA 3.0-igo,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58157850)

12.4 Let’s Practice…

1. What was the principal god that the pagans worship at Banias?

2. Why do you suppose Jesus took his disciples to Banias?

3. Why is Mount Hermon so important to Israel?

4. Why did the Danites basically die off as a tribe in Israel?

5. What happened in Tyre?

6. Why is the Jordan River important to Israel?

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