Who Were the Israelites?

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Who Were the Israelites?

• About 1200 BC empires around the Mediterranean
  Sea fell (collapsed)
• New people entered the region
• Around 1000 BC people called Israelites built a
  kingdom in Canaan
• Canaan lies along the far eastern shore of the
  Mediterranean Sea.

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Monotheism

• The Israelite religion believed in one God
• Their religion became known as Judaism
• Those who followed Judaism became known as Jews

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The First Israelites

• The first Israelites spoke Hebrew
• Earliest Israelites were herders
• According to the Hebrew Bible, they came from
  Mesopotamia and settled in Canaan
• Today Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan are where
  Canaan used to be

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Who Was Abraham?

• AbrahamIsraelites believed they all descended
  from Abraham
• The Hebrew Bible tells us that Abraham was told
  by God to leave Mesopotamia and travel to Canaan
• Once in Canaan, they were to worship one true God
• God promised the Israelites that Canaan would
  belong to Abraham and his descendents

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Who Was Jacob?

• Jacob was Abrahams grandson
• Jacob was also called Israel
• Descendents of Jacob called themselves Israelites
• Jacob had 12 sons
• When they grew up they separated to make The
  Twelve Tribes of Israel

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Into Egypt

• The Israelites lived in Canaan for about 100
  years
• Then a severe drought occurred and forced them to
  go into Egypt (..not a good idea!)

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From Slavery to Freedom

• In Egypt, Pharaoh needed slaves to build his
  Pyramidsso he enslaved the Israelites
• To prevent rebellion, Pharaoh ordered first-born
  baby boys to be killed
• One mother sent her baby, Moses, down the Nile in
  a reed basket
• Baby Moses was found by the Pharaohs daughter
  and raised as her own child

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Moses

• As an adult, Moses believed God wanted him to
  lead his people, the Israelites.
• With Gods help Moses tried to get Pharaoh to let
  the Israelites leave Egypt with their freedom
• God sent 10 plagues (great sicknesses) upon the
  Egyptians
• Eventually Pharaoh let the Israelites go

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On Their Way Back to Canaan

• The Israelites had to travel through the Sinai
  Desert
• On Mount Sinai God spoke to Moses and gave him
  The Laws of God, or the Torah
• As part of the Torah, God gave Moses Ten
  Commandments all should live by

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The Promised Land

• It took the Israelites about 40 years to return
  to Canaan
• Along the way Moses diedJoshua became their
  leader
• When they arrived in Canaan others were living
  there. The Israelites believed it was Gods plan
  that they should live there
• Joshua and the Israelites overtook the city of
  Jericho and regained Canaan

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After Joshua Died

• Israelites looked to judges for leadership
• The judges were all men, except for one Deborah
• Deborah arranged for one of the other judges
  soldiers to attack the Canaanite King Jabin
• Over time the Israelites drove them out
• The Israelites built walls around their towns

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The Phoenician Alphabet

• One group of Canaanites, the Phoenicians, were
  skilled sailors and traders
• While trading, the Phoenicians shared many ideas
  in other lands
• One of their best ideas was for a alphabet
• Their alphabet helped others to keep records and
  share ideas of their own

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Test Your Memory
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The End