The Valley of Jezreel in Central -Israel and Its Importance to Israel

Nadene Goldfoot                                                  

                                 The little purple land mass above is Zebulun's land next to Issachar, one portion,'

                   Next to Issachar's border, from the eastern side to the western side-Zebulun, one portion

                                                                                 

Jezreel means “God will sow” – a hint at its fertility, although by modern times neglect had turned most of it into swamps. But beginning in 1911, Jewish pioneers drained the swamps, making the valley bloom again.               

Today it is Israel's breadbasket, sprouting wheat, cotton, sunflowers and even fish ponds.  The Jezreel Valley is a green fertile plain covered with fields of wheat, watermelon, melon, oranges, white beans, cowpeas, chickpeas, green beans, cotton, sunflowers and corn, as well as grazing tracts for multitudes of sheep and cattle. The area is governed by the Jezreel Valley Regional Council of the northern district of Israel. The Max Stern College of Emek Yizreel and the Emek Medical Center are located in the valley. In 2006, the Israeli Transportation Ministry and Jezreel Valley Regional Council announced plans to build an international airport near Megiddo but the project was shelved due to environmental objections.

Among its many attractions are historical and biblical treasures such as Tel Megiddo (Armageddon) national park, the mosaics at Beit Alfa and Tzippori national parks, the cultural mosaic represented by the Circassian village and museum in Kafr Kama and the pioneering and historical museums at Kfar Tabor and Kibbutz Ein Dor, family fun and hands-on learning at places like  the silk and honey farm at Moshav Shadmot Dvora.        

This is where the tribe of Judah's brother, Zebulun, the 6th son of Jacob and Leah, was told would be his land, and so his descendants, the tribe of Zebulun received territory from Joshua;  the Valley of Jezreel.  It lies next door to Issachar's land, the 5th son of Leah and Jacob. They entered the land with 60,500.  having increased by 3,100 during the Exodus of 40 years which started in about 1310 BCE-ending in 1271 BCE in Canaan.   

Archaeological sites in the Jezreel Valley are currently excavated and coordinated by the Jezreel Valley Regional Project. Excavations include the Ein el-Jarba site.     

           Israel before 1948.  

 Issachar, full brother to Zebulun, was the 3rd largest tribe with 64,309, increasing by 9,900 on the Exodus.    Their land was between Mt. Tabor and the  Jordan River, also  including much of the fertile Valley of Jezreel.  Apparently some of the tribe was saved from the Assyrian exile 722-721 BCE , and men of Issachar answered Hezekiah's summons to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. The total of all 12 tribes upon arrival in Canaan was 601,730 with a loss after the 40 Exodus of 1,620.   Before the date of May 14, 1948, Israel's birth in the 20th century, the population of Jews was 600,000.  

The central Jezreel Valley, roughly 380 square kilometers in size, or 146.719 sq miles,  is bounded on the north by the Nasareth mountains and Mount Tabor, on the east and south by Mount Gilboa and the mountains of Samaria respectively, and on the west by Mount Carmel.

The status of the tribe declined during the period of the monarchy, but it maintained its identity and its territory and is mentioned by Isaiah (8:23) and Ezekiel (48:26-27).  

The rabbis associated Zebulun with trade, and the scholarly descendants of Issachar were supported by the tribe of Zebulun.

According to the Tanakh, the valley was the scene of a victory by the Israelites, led by Gideon, against the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the Children of the East (Judges 6:3), but was later the location at which the Israelites, led by King Saul, were defeated by the Philistines (1 Samuel 29:1–29:6).                                      

    Oil and even natural gas has been found under this land and sea.  
   In this wide, flat valley, there is the ancient town of Megiddo.  This valley has also been called the “Plain of Megiddo” in Zechariah 12:11.

This ancient city of Megiddo  has also been mentioned in ancient Egyptian writings of 1478 BC. This strategic location is at the opening of a narrow pass on the ancient great highway connecting Egypt to the south and Assyria to the north. 

 According to the Hebrew Bible, the valley was the scene of a victory by the Israelites, led by Gideon, against the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the Children of the East (Judges 6:3), but was later the location at which the Israelites, led by King Saul, were defeated by the Philistines (1 Samuel 29:1–29:6). According to textual scholars, the account of an ancient Philistine victory at Jezreel derives from the monarchial source, in contrast to the republican source, which places the Philistine victory against the Israelites at Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 28:4,1 Samuel 31:1–31:6).

According to 2 Kings 9:1–9:10, after Jehu kills King Jehoram, he confronts Jezebel in Jezreel and urges her eunuchs to kill Jezebel by throwing her out of a window. They comply, tossing her out the window and leaving her in the street to be eaten by dogs. Only Jezebel's skull, feet, and hands remained.

Through this pass, in 1918, British forces were able to successfully invade and defeat the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezreel_Valley#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Hebrew%20Bible,1%E2%80%9329%3A6).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebulun#:~:text=Zebulun%20(Hebrew%3A%20%D7%96%D6%B0%D7%91%D6%BB%D7%9C%D7%95%D6%BC%D7%9F%E2%80%8E%2C,the%20Israelite%20Tribe%20of%20Zebulun.