During the Minoan period at about 2nd millennium BC an organized society -that would eventually become Greece – was created, particularly in Crete. It was at this period that there was great progress in the region, primarily when communication facilitated the interaction between East Mediterranean nations and the Minoans. Soon, there was a continuing exchange of ideas that had a huge impact on the Minoan culture, as well as the spread of government, religion and cultures throughout the Greek mainland and the vast Aegean islands. It was also in the Minoan period that Crete became popular for its craftworks and jewelry. They were also known as the leading importers of raw materials, oil, food and wine. Thus, the very first mercantile navy was also developed during this era in the region.
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When the Volcano Santorini erupted, there was mass destruction of Crete
The successful state of affairs flourished, although there was a disruption when Crete was greatly destroyed because of a natural catastrophe. The volcano of Santorini erupted during about 1500 BC, and this created much destruction to the region. When the Cretan culture collapsed, the Mycenaeans took advantage of the situation. They also positioned themselves as the primary force in the entire Aegean islands. The Mycenaeans established their cities including Athens, Lolkos, Thebes, Pylos and Tiryns as their bureaucratic centers. Greece can be found on the Bible Timeline starting 1500 BC. During this era in the Mycenaean civilization, the Greek society was largely based on warfare ruled by the elite classes. Nevertheless, the culture continued to flourish for about 400 years. The war-chiefs created cities that remained powerful, particularly in agriculture and art. There was no equal distribution of wealth, unlike in the early Minoan societies. Instead, only the warring chiefs became richer, and they spent their wealth on invasions and battles. The palace sites of the Minoans were under the control of the Mycenaeans beginning about 1420 BC, and they made use of the Linear A Minoan script to suit their own language. This was considered as a form of the Greek language. Overall, the Mycenaeans merely adapted the culture and art of the Minoan instead of destroying them. Although the Mycenaeans were in power during this period, there were clearly some traces of the existence of the Minoan culture as it was merely improved and adapted by the new rulers. The rule of the Mycenaean kings continued until about 1200 BC, as it was during this period that
Knossos
their power began to decline. Then, by the 12th century BC, they completely lost control of the region, specifically because of the invasion of the Dorian tribes coming from the northern portion of Greece.
At this time, Knossos was still regarded as the administrative center until the period of 1200 BC. The mountain site of Karfi became the last of the sites of the Minoan. This area also provided evidence of the Minoan civilization even up to the Iron Age.
The youngest son of Jacob, Benjamin was referred to as the righteous child because of his loyalty to Jacob even when his brothers were completely against Joseph, who was well-loved by their father. Benjamin was also born in the land of Canaan, and his name meant “Son of My Days,” according to the Hebrew. He can be found on the Biblical Timeline Poster around 1754 BC.
In the Scriptures
In the Book of Torah, it was narrated that there was a point when Joseph’s brothers headed off to Egypt, yet they were unable to recognize their brother. Thus, Joseph planned to test his brothers’ character and wanted to determine if they have already turned away from their evil way. So, he ordered his men to place secretly a silver cup inside the bag of his youngest brother, Benjamin.
The next day, there was a great search that was conducted, with the intention of finding the “lost” silver cup. After a
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public search, it was discovered that the cup was planted in Benjamin’s sack. As a punishment for the alleged theft, Joseph commanded that the young boy should be left in the palace and held as his slave because of what he had done.
However, Judah, one of Joseph’s brothers, spoke up and begged for Benjamin to be released. Instead of having the young boy held captive, Judah pleaded to take his place as a slave. He explained that his father Jacob would be left heartbroken if he learned that Benjamin was left in Egypt.
Joseph could no longer hold his emotions at that point, and he revealed his true identity in front of his brothers. Hence, the brothers rekindled their love for each other, and they were filled with joy that Joseph was still alive.
It is also worth noting that Benjamin was also Joseph’s favorite brother. This was presented in the story when Joseph was filled with tears as he met Benjamin after a long time. He even ordered that Benjamin should receive five times more food than what his other brothers were served.
Other Accounts on Benjamin
In the Hebrew Scriptures, It was mentioned that Joshua divided the land into twelve, which were supposed to be managed and owned by the twelve tribes of Israel. Benjamin was assigned to the land between Ephraim, and extending to Judah, Jordan River, and other cities including Gibeah and Bethel. There were also several towns in the Book of Joshua that were all the possession of Benjamin.
As for Jerusalem, it was under the control of the tribe Jebusites, despite the fact that it was a part of the territory that was given to the tribe of Benjamin. In addition, Bethel was claimed as a part of the land owned by the Tribe of Ephraim, although Joshua gave this lot to Benjamin, according to the scriptures.
Throughout the life of Benjamin, he found favor not only from his father and dear brothers but also from God. He was blessed with many gifts, and he continued to become a great leader of his tribe until his death.
Astarte is one of the names that was commonly linked with the female divinity of the people during the early Bronze Age. It is listed on the Biblical Timeline Chart around 1754 BC. It is also the Greek name of Ishtar, who is a Mesopotamian Semitic goddess. She is linked with war, sexuality and fertility. Among her symbols included the horse, dove, lion, star within a circle and a sphinx.
In Phoenicia, several states including Byblos, Tyre and Sidon were among the centers of worship for Astarte. For instance, there were coins in Sidon that included the symbol with a chariot where a globe or stone appears, and this represented Astarte. Moreover, Astarte had a temple that was shared with Eshmun, in Sidon. As in Beirut, some coins depicted Astarte, along with Poseidon and Eshmun being praised together.
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‘Book of Judges – The worship of Ashtaroth. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him. (Judges 10:6) ‘
Several other centers of worship were located in Malta, Eryx and Cythera. In Sicily, Astarte became popular as the Venus Erycina of the Romans. There were even Pyrgi tablets that contained bilingual inscriptions, which dated back to 500 BC. It was discovered that Astarte was linked with the Uni-Astre of the Etruscans. As for the land of Carthage, the goddess Tanit was worshipped along with Astarte.
According to Donald Harden, there was a statue of Astarte discovered in Tutugi, which was located near Granada, in Spain. The statue dated back as early as the 7th or 6th century, and Astarte was depicted as sitting on a throne. She was also flanked by several sphinxes, and there was a bowl held just underneath her pierced breasts.
The pantheon in Phoenicia was generally ascribed to the Sanchuniathon. In the description, it was presented that Astarte was the daughter of Epigeius and Ge, and that she was Elus’ sister. When Epigeius was overthrown by the god Elus, a virgin daughter was sent. This was a trick that Epigeius made to Elus, although it failed to work. Astarte, Asherah and Ba alat Gebal, who were sent to Elus, eventually became his wives.
The goddess Astarte bore Elus seven daughters (Titanides) and two sons (Pothos and Eros). Eventually, Astarte and Hadad were given the right by Elus to reign over the land. To show her sovereignty, Astarte decided to place a bull’s head on her own. She also wandered around the world, and she was noted to have picked up a fallen star or a meteorite and placed it at Tyre.
In the Hebrew scriptures, Astarte was referred to as Ashteroth Karnaim. It was a city that was situated in Bashan, which was in the eastern part of the Jordan River. This place was mentioned in the Book of Joshua and Genesis. When translated literally, Asteroth Karnaim means “Ashteroth of the Horns”. Moreover, Ashteroth was a fertility goddess from Canaan, and the horns were used as a symbol of the mountain peaks in the land. In Israel, several figurines of the goddess were discovered, and she was presented has having two horns. Hence, the goddess Astarte was commonly depicted as having horns or the crescent moon on her head.
There is more than one Abimelech in the Bible, but he is most commonly referred to as the King of Gerar. He was in power when Abraham was traveling through Kadesh and Shur inside Philistine territory.
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As they entered Gerar, Abraham proclaimed his wife Sarah as his sister so that he would not be killed; after hearing this, King Abimelech had Sarah brought to his palace. But God came to him in a dream and told the king that Sarah was married and that he would die upon taking her. Standing up for himself Abimelech responded saying that he was innocent, had not laid a hand on her and had been informed that she was Abraham’s sibling not his wife. God allowed Abimelech to live upon returning Sarah to her husband.
‘King Abimelech Restores Sarah to her Husband, Abraham, Flemish wool and silk tapestry by Frans Geubels, c. 1560-70, Dayton Art Institute’
First thing the next day Abimelech told his servants what he had dreamed and confronted Abraham for bringing ‘such great guilt upon his kingdom’. Abraham replied that he did not know there was any consideration for God here and that upon seeing his wife he would be killed to get her. He also condoned that he had not lied, ‘yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.’ (Genesis 20:12) Sarah was let go and Abimelech bestowed gifts to Abraham as compensation, also allowing him to live wherever he wanted in his lands. Abraham then prayed for Abimelech and his family.
A long time passed with Abraham and Sarah dwelling in the Philistine land when Abimelech and Phicol confronted Abraham with a violent disagreement at a well. Abraham approached Abimelech because of his servant’s attacks and the loss of his well. Abimelech pretended not to have known of the occurrences. After Abraham had given the king sheep and oxen along with providing proof of his ownership of the well an agreement was reached and they called the location of the well Beersheba.
In the Book of Genesis, Zebulun was the sixth son of Leah and Jacob. He was also the leader of the Tribe of Zebulun in Israel. Based on studies, his name was taken from “zbl”, which was a Northwest Semitic root, and it was commonly used in Ugaritic texts as a title given to the god Baal. He is located on the Bible Timeline Poster around 1704 BC.
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There are two etymologies or origins for Zebulun’s name, according to the Torah. The first etymology of his name was taken was zebed, or “gift”, as Leah considered the fact that having six sons was God’s gift to her. The name also originated from yizbeleni, which means “honor”. This means, Leah is hoping that she would soon obtain honor from Jacob for having given birth and raised six sons. Another etymology is possible for this name, based on the Book of Deuteronomy. The authors believed that the name has some relevance to the word zibhe, which means “sacrifice”. The basis for this etymology is the commercial activity that the tribe of Zebulun was familiar for. In particular, it pertained to the agreement that existed between some non-Israelites and the Tribe of Zebulun, at Mount Tabor. This agreement was called the zibhe-tzedek or “sacrifice to Tzedek”.
About the Tribe of Zebulun
The tribe was among one of the key figures in Israel’s early history. In fact, during the census that was held in the Sinai Desert, there were about 57,400 men in the Tribe of Zebulun. These men were also considered to be ready for battle because of the size and appearance of the Army. Eliab was the head of this army, and he ordered his men to encamp at the east portion of the Tabernacle, with Issachar and Judah. Also, Gaddiel was one of the spies who went to Canaan, as ordered by Moses. Gaddiel served as one of the representatives of Zebulun. Another census took place in Shittim, which was in Moab. This was after the slaying of 24,000 men, who were killed because of their crime. Based on the census, the Tribe of Zebulun already had 60,500 men fit for the war.
In the Book of Numbers, Elizaphan was appointed as the representative Zebulun during the division that existed in the Promised Land. There was another account of the tribe when it was mentioned in the Song of Deborah. According to the text, the tribe was described as courageous men who spared their lives in the Merom region. They were also praised for their bravery, and that they led the entire army to a battle. In the Book of Chronicles, there were at least 50,000 brave men from the Tribe of Zebulun, who all followed David to make him as the king. These men also brought along a good supply of meat and beverages to feast and be merry about the leadership of the newly appointed ruler. Eventually, the tribe’s territory was seized by the Assyrians. Thus, the Tribe of Zebulun was in exile, and that signaled the end of this mighty tribe in history.
Dan and Naphtali were the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant. When Rachel was barren during all the years that her sister Leah, co-wife of Jacob, had borne four children, she decided to give Bilhah to Jacob to act as a surrogate mother for her. You can read the account of Rachel’s jealousy and her subsequent decision to use Bilhah as her surrogate in chapter 30 of the Book of Genesis. They are listed on the Biblical Timeline around 1704 B.C.
There was a continual competition between Rachel and Leah to win the affections of their husband, Jacob. Though Rachel was his favorite and first chosen wife, Leah was Jacob’s first wife and produced the majority of his children. During this period, bearing children was the manner in which the women tried to win the favor of their husband.
Dan and Naphtali were both considered minor, or less important, Bible characters. However, both eventually became leaders of one of the very famous twelve tribes of Israel.
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The name Dan means “judgment” and Rachel used this name because she felt that God had vindicated her for the injustice of her inability to have children while her sister Leah had already produced four sons for their husband, Jacob. Dan was Jacob’s fifth son.
Genesis 46:23 tells us that Dan had one son named Hushim. As with all of his sons, Israel pronounced a final blessing over Dan in Genesis 49:17. “Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.”
Naphtali
Naphtali was son number six to Jacob, son number two of Bilhah, and the founder of the tribe of Naphtali. The first mention of Naphtali in the Bible is in Genesis 30:8. The name Naphtali means “my struggle” and again reflects on Rachel’s struggle with her sister over the affections of their husband.
According to Genesis 46, verse 24, Naphtali had four sons named Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. When Jacob, also known as Israel, pronounced a blessing over each of his sons before he died this was what he said about Naphtali: “Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.” (Genesis 49:21)
Dan and Naphtali traveled with their brothers to Egypt during a severe famine to find food. They were eventually reunited with their long lost brother Joseph that the brothers had played an important role in causing to be separated from the rest of the family. The journey led to events that caused Jacob and all of the tribes of Israel to settle in Egypt as can be seen in detail in chapter 47 of the Book of Genesis.
Elsewhere in the World
During this time, the following events at various locations around the world are recorded:
The Middle Kingdom of Egypt reestablished prosperity and stability. This brought about art, literature, and building projects reappearing on the Egyptian scene. Military and political security, agricultural and mineral wealth, and religion all flourished during this period.
Hittites take over the area now covered by Turkey. The Hittites were considered members of the Bronze Age, but forerunners of the Iron Age.
Bronze to Iron Age – During this period making items of bronze seemed to be migrating into the Iron Age. The manufacture of artifacts from iron was noted. Iron became a very valuable commodity and was used to produce goods.
In Greece – In Greece, the Middle Helladic Period was in full swing. During this time, settlements drew closer together and gravitated toward hilltops. During this period, rectilinear pottery was being influenced into curvilinear by the Minoans.
China – The first Chinese dynasty known as the Xia migrated into the Shang Dynasty around the 18th century.
The male name Aaron is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is “mountain of strength”. From the Hebrew “har-on” or it could be of Egyptian origin. The Biblical Timeline indicates that Aaron was born in 1574 B.C.
Aaron was the son of Jochebed and Amram of the tribe of Levi; older brother of Moses and younger brother of Miriam; predecessor and founder of the Israelite priesthood. He was married to Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav, sister of Nahshon, with whom he had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
Because Moses may have suffered from a nervous stuttering condition, God had Aaron accompany him to serve as his spokesman before both Pharaoh and the Hebrew nation. Many times the Bible indicates that Moses and Aaron are seen really as a pair of leaders. God had anointed Aaron to employ the staff given by Him, and it was he who cast the staff to the ground where it turned into a serpent before Pharaoh’s eyes. Quite a few of the ten plagues were brought about by Aaron brandishing the staff. Aaron’s role did a lesson, however, during the actual Exodus.
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Together with Hur, Aaron supported Moses’ arms during the battle with the Amalekites, on the journey to Sinai. While Moses’ hands were raised to God, the Israelites advanced into the battle, however when they dropped they began to lose. Israel eventually won the battle.
Worship of the Gold Calf
When Moses ascended Mount Sinai, it was Aaron and Hur together again who were left behind in charge of the people. The Hebrew people, becoming restless during Moses’ 40-day absence up on the mountain, beseeched Aaron to make them an observable God so they could worship it. Aaron, who should have known better, collected gold from the people, and melted it down to create a calf that the Israelites immediately began to dance lewdly around and worship as an idol. When Moses came down from the mountain, he was furious. Although the Hebrew people were punished, Aaron was let off with an admonishment.
Later, Aaron participated with Miriam in questioning Moses’ authority, suggesting that they too had been granted divine revelation. Once again, it seems as though Aaron escaped punishment, whereas Miriam was stricken with leprosy; although she recovered after only a week.
Aaron’s station of importance was officially established when God ordered Moses to consecrate him and his sons as priests. They were anointed and consecrated by Moses, and thereafter, Aaron, assisted by his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, officiated at Moses’ side. However, Aaron’s other two sons, Nadab, and Abihu, who were also anointed as priests, were killed by divine fire for making an offering that had not been commanded:
“And Aaron held his peace.” Leviticus 10:3 KJV
Imagine that. Flames devoured two of his sons, and Aaron, believing it was God’s righteous judgment, spoke not a word. Faithful silence in the face of personal tragedy. God’s ways are not our ways. To obey is better than to sacrifice, and these two sons, who should have known better, as priests, were not sacrificing in an obedient manner.
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22
During the uprising of Korah and his followers, Aaron stood by Moses. When the mutineers had been divinely punished, the Israelites accused Moses and Aaron of murdering God‘s people. The virulent disease, brought about by God in retribution for these atrocious accusations, was only halted when Aaron offered incense to conciliate God.
Along with Moses and Miriam, Aaron was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Aaron died up on Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, aged 123, which, according to Biblical timelines would have been 1451 B.C. His priestly robes were transferred to his son Eleazar as a sign of succession. He was buried on the mountain, and according to Bible timelines, the people mourned his passing for 30 days.
Important World Leaders and Events During This Time
Egypt is the undisputed world power during this time.
Egyptian bondage and oppression increase, especially towards the Hebrew people.
This period saw the beginning of the Hurrian conquests.
Hittite King Mursilis I fought the Hurrians on the upper Euphrates River.
Ÿ The Cretan palaces at Knossos and other centers flourish despite disasters.
Ÿ The city of Mycenae, located in the northeast Peloponnesus, comes to dominate the rest of Achaea, giving its name to Mycenaean civilization.
Ÿ Cecrops I builds or rebuilds Athens following the great flood of Deucalion and the end of the Golden age. He becomes the first of several Kings of Athens whose life account is considered part of Greek mythology.
Ÿ Cecrops I, legendary King of Athens, dies after a reign of 50 years. Having survived his son, he is succeeded by Cranaus.
Ÿ Egypt started to conquer Nubia and the Levant.
Ÿ The element Mercury has been discovered in Egyptian tombs dating from this period.
Ÿ Settlers from Crete, Greece move to Miletus, Turkey.
Ÿ There is evidence of the Mayan civilization developing in Belize.
Ÿ The Phoenicians develop an alphabet.
Ÿ King Cheng Tang of Shang of China, the first ruler of Shang Dynasty ruled China for 29 years beginning in 1600 B.C.
Ÿ The Edomites lived south of the Dead Sea and blocked the passage of the Israelites to travel through their territory on their way north.
Ÿ The rise of Assyrian power begins to be established.
Ÿ The Kassites rose to political power in Babylon.
Ÿ The Hyksos kingdom was centered in the eastern Nile Delta and Middle Egypt.
Ÿ In Greece, there was a group of people known as “The Pelasgi,” who lived in the region of the Aegean Sea before the coming of the Greeks.
Ÿ The historical, recognizable beginnings of Persia took place in this era.
Ÿ The ancient Chinese art of astronomy is recorded.
Ÿ China is recognized as implementing the first old-age pension plans.
Ÿ Lyrical poetry begins among the ancient Greeks, usually accompanied by a lyre or other stringed instrument.
Main Bible Characters
Ÿ Aaron, the older brother of Moses, was the first high priest of Israel.
Ÿ Moses, the younger brother of Aaron.
Ÿ Jochebed and Amram, the parents of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.
Ÿ Miriam, the older sister of Aaron.
Ÿ Elisheba, wife of Aaron, mother of their four sons
Ÿ Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the four sons of Aaron and Elisheba
Ÿ Hur was a leader of Israel during the wandering years in the desert. He, along with Aaron was left in charge of the people while Moses went up on Mount Sinai. Possible husband of Miriam.
Rachel was most well-known as the favorite wife of Jacob. She can be found on the Bible Timeline Poster around 1704 B.C. Rachel is also the younger sister of Leah, Jacob’s first wife, and Jacob’s first cousin. Her father is Laban, the brother of Rebekah. Rebekah is Jacob’s mother. Rachel is also the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, Jacob’s two youngest sons.
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Rachel Met Jacob In Chapter 29 of Genesis, Rachel met Jacob while watering her father’s sheep for she was a shepherdess. After Jacob introduced himself and revealed his relationship with Rachel’s family, Rachel reported his arrival to her father. Rachel was reportedly very beautiful (Genesis 29:17). While Jacob was staying with Laban, he fell in love with Rachel, according to Genesis 29:18. Because of this intense love, Jacob agreed to work for seven years for Laban in return for Rachel’s hand in marriage.
Racheal and Jacob
Jacob discovered the morning after the wedding night that he had been deceived. He had been married to and spent the night with Leah rather than Rachel (Genesis 29: 25). Laban’s excuse was that his people’s tradition is to marry the oldest off first. Jacob was assured that he could have Rachel as his wife as well after his marriage week to Leah was completed for another seven years of labor. Jacob agreed and was then married to Rachel a week later. Rachel’s Barrenness Rachel remained barren while:
Rachel’s sister Leah produced four sons for Jacob
Rachel’s jealousy of her sister’s ability to produce children for Jacob caused her to give her servant Bilhah to Jacob to have children for her. Bilhah bore two sons to Jacob.
The conflict between Leah and Rachel caused Leah to give her servant Zilpah to Jacob to have two more sons when she realized that she was no longer having children herself.
Leah had two more sons and a daughter.
Rachel’s Final Days Finally, after many years Rachel bore Jacob two sons, Joseph, was mentioned in Genesis 30:22-24. Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son (Genesis 37:3). Though Rachel bore Jacob a second son, Benjamin, she also died during his birth.
Rachel dies
You can read in Genesis, chapter 31, that after Joseph’s birth, Jacob took his family and left the area of Haran for his homeland of Canaan without announcing his departure to Laban expecting trouble from Laban. Upon leaving, Rachel stole her father’s false gods and hid them under her mattress. Laban soon caught up with them and demanded his gods. Jacob, not knowing that Rachel had them, permitted her father to search. Jacob pronounced a curse of death upon anyone that had them. Laban did not find them as Rachel was exempted from the search as she claimed to be unable to rise from her mattress because of her period.
However, it was not long after this occurrence that Jacob’s curse came true when Rachel died during the birth of Benjamin as revealed in Genesis 35:18. Genesis 35:19-20 tells us that Rachel died and was buried on the way to Bethlehem. Jacob set a pillar over her tomb that is still said to mark Rachel’s grave.
Elsewhere in the World
During this time on the Bible World History Chart the following events at various locations around the world are recorded:
Middle Kingdom of Egypt reestablished prosperity and stability. This brought about art, literature and building projects reappearing on the Egyptian scene. Military and political security, agricultural and mineral wealth, and religion all flourished during this period.
Hittites take over the area now covered by Turkey. The Hittites were considered members of the Bronze Age, but forerunners of the Iron Age.
Bronze to Iron Age – During this period making items of bronze seemed to be migrating into the Iron Age. The manufacture of artifacts from iron was noted. Iron became a very valuable commodity and was used to produce goods.
In Greece – In Greece, the Middle Helladic Period was in full swing. During this time, settlements drew closer together and gravitated toward hilltops. During this period rectilinear pottery was being influenced into curvilinear by the Minoans.
China – The first Chinese dynasty known as the Xia migrated into the Shang Dynasty around the 18th century.
Manasseh was the oldest son of Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel), his younger brother being Ephraim. His name means to make Forgetfulness. He was born in about 1700 B.C. or a little later where he is listed on the Bible Timeline Chart.
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His mother was Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, an Egyptian priest of the sun god. The Pharaoh had given her to Joseph as his wife. From Manasseh, the Jewish tribe of Manasseh was descended. In 1 Chronicles 7:14, Manasseh had a son Machir, by his Aramean concubine and he was the grandfather of Gilead. Both Matthew and Luke include his uncle Judah in the lists of Jesus’ ancestors.( Matthew 1 v 3 and Luke 3 verse 33.) Genesis 41 v 50-52 tells how he was born in Egypt before the arrival of his Canaanite family.
In Gen 37:5 the Bible tells how Joseph had a dream in which he and his brothers were binding sheaves and how all their sheaves bowed down to his. It was dreams such as these that caused the enmity between Joseph and his siblings. The obvious s interpretation would have been that Joseph and his offspring would be the inheritors of God’s earlier promise to Jacob.
Genesis 48 v 5 has the story of how Jacob adopted the two brothers so that Joseph’s sons would be able to share in the inheritance due to all his sons. Although he is the older Jacob set him as second to his brother Ephraim.( Genesis 48 v 14 -21.)
World History together with Biblical history
At about this time, the north of Europe was entering the Bronze Age.
In the Middle East meanwhile Assyria was climbing to a place as an important world power.
In some parts of the world, more and more nomads were becoming instead full-time agriculturalists. The Minoans on the other hand traded throughout the Mediterranean in a highly organized, often in tin. Which was then combined with the copper which gave Cyprus its name, into the main metal of the time – bronze, used by the Greeks for armor, swords and spears, though India was already using smelting and using iron and in Central America the Mayans were settled.. The language the Minoans used was written down in what is referred to as Linear A, which has not yet been deciphered, but it is thought it may represent an early type of Phoenician.
There was already an established Semitic alphabet, but most stories were still being transmitted orally. Laws though were written down the code of Hammurabi.
In Egypt, the Hykos invaders had arrived and taken over.
In 1720, the Euphrates had changed its course considerably, which led to the demise of some ancient cities
Ephraim was the second son of Joseph, so together with his brother older Manasseh could be considered to be the house or dynasty of Joseph. He was born in Egypt in about 1700 B.C. according to the Biblical Timeline or a little later, but before his uncles arrived from Canaan to stay (Genesis 48 v 5). His mother was Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of the sun god, whom Pharoah gave to Joseph as his wife according to Genesis 41 – 50-52. This means that the tribe of Ephraim was not one of those to be blamed for selling Joseph, but also means that they were not pure blooded Israelites. His Uncle Judah is cited by Matthew as an ancestor of Jesus ( Matthew 1 v 3 and Luke 3 v 33)
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The name means double fruitfulness, perhaps because he was a second child of this particular pair. In Genesis 48 v 14-21 the Bible records that though Ephraim was the second son of Jacob set him as being above his brother Manasseh, despite the intervention of his father, Joseph. His descendants include Joshua, one of the conquerors of Canaan, according to I Chronicles 7 v 20-27. When the Israelites first arrived back in Canaan they were just a loose confederacy of tribal groups, but later they decided to elect a king – Saul being the first. After Saul’s death, all the tribes except Judah remained loyal to Saul’s memory. And his son Ishbosheth, but when the latter also died Ephraim’s tribe joined with the others to accept David, then king of Judah, as their leader too.
Despite being all closely related it seems that the various tribes had distinct accents so when Jephthah and his men fought the Ephraimites they identified them by their pronunciation of the word ‘shibboleth’.
I King 11 v 26 records Jeroboam, an Ephraimite, as being the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. In about 723 B.C.E., the whole of the population of northern Israel was deported to Assyria and from that time onwards Ephraim is considered to be one of the lost tribes.
At the time Ephraim lived the neighbors of the Israelites, the Phoenicians, worshipped Baal, Moloch and Arestate. It was the Bronze Age in much of the world, and Assyria was becoming the largest world power. In Babylon, Samsu-ditana reigned as the last king of First Babylonian Dynasty, whereas Egypt was much more established. Greek city-states were beginning to emerge, and a new Minoan palace is built. The Tang Shang emperors ruled in China.
Meanwhile, the very last of the mammoths was being hunted to extinction; people had discovered such crafts as baking leavened bread and making beer and even how to make rubber balls. By 1600 BC in Babylon one of the oldest surviving astronomical documents had been created. It records the appearance of Venus, known as Nindaranna) in the night sky.
Also at about this time, according to Irish legend, Érimón, a Milesian from Spain, conquered Ireland and became one of its first high kings. It is after one of his wive’s, Tea, that the famous hill of Tara got its name.
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