Jacob and Bilhah's 2nd and Last Child, Naphtali but 6th Son For Jacob

Nadene Goldfoot                                                      

Naphtali was the 6th son of Jacob, but the 2nd and last child by Bilhah.  Her first was Dan.  Most children in olden days were born 2 years apart which was the time they would need to nurse a child and then stop.  During nursing, a woman cannot get pregnant.  

Their count on the first census of the Exodus was 53,400 men.  At the last census, it was down to 45,400, a loss of 8,000.    

After Joshua led the people of Israel into the Promised Land, he divided the new territory among the 12 tribes, assigning a region northwest of the Sea of Galilee to the tribe of Naphtali.

The inheritance of the tribe descended from him was in the Northern part of Canaan, including the entire Eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee and the mountains of Galilee.  it was a large section of land.  

The tribe was active in the war against General Sisera of Jabin, a Canaanite king who lived in Hazor. (I have a friend who lives there, ever since about 1983) and Gideon's campaign against the Midianites.  Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh, and he defeated the Midianites near En Harod using a group of picked volunteers.  The Midianites were a Beduin tribe related to  Abraham (Gen. 25:2).  

At the end of the Exodus, Naphtali belonged to the northern kingdom of Israel after the split-when Solomon died in920 BCE.  This was the group attacked by the Assyrians in 721 BCE who took them away as slaves.   

Before in 743-2 BCE, the Aramean states in Syria had been overthrown  and turned into Assyrian dependencies, rebellions  being punished by the deportation of the inhabitants to distant countries.  Naphtali was overrun by the Arameans in  the time of King Baasha of Israel (908-885 BCE) , while a large section of its inhabitants was exiled by Tiglath-Pileser III; King of Assyria (745-726 BCE). He introduced the policy of exiling hostile inhabitants from conquered country.  In 743 BCE he invaded N. Syria and levied tribute on King Menahem of Israel(744-735 BCE).  In 734 BCE he also invaded Philistia (Philistia was a confederation of cities in the Southwest Levant. Its appearance follows the invasion of Egypt by the foreign sea People, of which Philistines or Peleset are part, and their alleged relocation to the southern abandoned coast of Canaan by Ramesses III following his victory over them., conquering Damascus in 733 BCE and seized a large part of the kingdom of Israel, banishing the population of Galilee to Transjordania.  He then exacted tribute from King Ahaz of Judah (735-720 BCE) (who had appealed to him for aid against Israel and Aram"Syria") and from Ammon, Moab, and Edom.  Later, he gained control of Babylon where he ruled under the name of Pul.                                             

                              Painting by Francisco de Zurbarán (from Jacob and his twelve sons, c. 1640–45)

From the survivors were derived many of the Jews living in Galilee (N. Israel), occupied by the tribes of Naphthali and Asher, it was separated from Israel by Tiglath-Pileser II of Assyria in 732 BCE but remained largely Jewish in population in the 2nd Temple times.   Much later the Galilee became the main center of Judaism in Palestine.

The 2nd Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar who also took this group away, but to Babylon. Some were able to return by 538 BCE because of the king at that time who was most interested in them rebuilding the Temple.               

 Jacob's prophecy about Naphtali was that he said Naphtali is a hind let loose who delivers beautiful sayings.  He said this after having blessed Zilpah's  sons.  Jacob then blessed Bilhah's younger son, Naphtali, and thus concluded the blessings of the sons of the maidservants.  According to the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Naphtali was a swift runner, though this appears to have been inferred from the Blessing of Jacob, which equates Naphtali to a hind. However, Biblical scholars believe this to actually be a description of the tribe of Naphtali.  Naphtali is listed in Deuteronomy 34.2 when God takes Moses up to the mountain of Nebo and shows him the extent of the land which he had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  This happened before 721 BCE.  

Militarism is featured in Naphtali's history. In the ancient Song of Deborah, Naphtali is commended, along with Zebulun, for risking their lives in the fight against Sisera; in the prose account of the event, which Arthur Peake regards as a much later narrative based on the poem, there is the addition that Barak,son of Abinoam,  the leader of the anti-Sisera forces, hails from the tribe of Naphtali. Bar is Aramaic/Hebrew for son, like ben.  Also, Barak was a ruler of Ancient Israel. As military commander in the biblical Book of Judges, Barak, with Deborah, from the Tribe of Ephraim, the prophet and fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, defeated the Canaanite armies led by Sisera.

In the Gideon (aka Jerubaal) a Judge of Israel for 40 years of tribe of Manasseh, defeated Midianites near En Harod using a group of picked volunteers)   narrative, Naphtali are one of the tribes which join in an attack against Midianite invaders,(Beduin tribe related to Abraham (Gen. 25;2)  who traveled with caravans of incense from  Gilead to Egypt, and later to other countries.; closely connected with the Israelites.  though Arthur Peake regards the Gideon narrative as being spliced together from at least three earlier texts, the oldest of which describes only personal vengeance by Gideon and 300 men of his own clan, not a battle in which the rest of the northern tribes join him. 

The territory allotted to the tribe in Canaan was in the extreme north, and was bordered on the north by the Litani River, on the east by the River Jordan until it was 12 miles (19 km) south of the Sea of Galilee, on the west by the tribes of Asher and Zebulon; and on the south by the tribe of Issachar. The symbol of the tribe is a gazelle-a very quick animal. The people of Naftali is traditionally thought of as swift (swift runners).

As part of the Kingdom of Israel, during one of the several wars between King Asa (915-875 BCE) of the kingdoms of Judah and King Baasha (908-885 BCE) of Israel, the tribe of Naphtali was persecuted by Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram-Damascus, on behalf of Asa, the king of Judah, and desolated. 

Again, in the reign of King Pekah (735-730 BCE) of Israel, possibly of Gileadite origin,  this tribe was among the first to feel the iron hand of Assyria and to suffer the deportation of many captives (1 Kings 15:20; 2 Kings 15:20). In a reference to this incident (Isaiah 9:1–2) the prophet Isaiah anticipates that the same region will see the dawn of the Messianic deliverance. Naphtali, one of the most northerly tribes, became one of the first to be conquered. With the land taken, the tribe was exiled; the manner of their exile led to their further history being lost. One of the famous battles of the Maccabean war was fought near Kedesh-Naphtali about B.C. 150, when Jonathan defeated Demetrius, King of Syria (1 Maccabees 11:63–73; Josephus, "Ant." xiii. 5, § 6).There has been speculation that the Bukharian Jews of Central Asia are the descendants of the Naphtali tribe.

Nordisk Israel identify the Tribe of Naphtali with Norway.

Others have speculated that Pacific Islanders (Samoan, Hawaiian, Tongan, Fijian etc) are descended from the lost Tribe of Naphtali.^[21]

According to Genesis 46:24, Naphtali had four sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. The name of his wife/wives are not given. He and his family migrated to Egypt, with the rest of the clan, where they remained until the Exodus.  

Israelites who were deported into slavery and those who remained behind were gradually assimilated by other peoples. The tribe of Naphtali thus lost its identity and became known in Jewish legend as one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Resource:

Tanakh, Stone Edition

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naphtali

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Naphtali-Hebrew-tribe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barak

Life for Israelites From Assyrian Days to Pashtuns of Today

Nadene Goldfoot
                                                                         

It seems like Israel had very few peaceful days.  They were fighting against Damascus who held control of them on and off throughout the years.  Assyria had taken all the land, even Damascus.  Note Haran in the north.  Canaan would be all the land from Damascus down to Jerusalem.

                                                                         

Assyrian soldier marching off the Israelites

The people who inhabited Assyria belonged to the great Semitic race.  In stature the Assyrians were of average modern European height, and were powerfully built. Their complexion was dark, forehead high,nose prominent, hair, eyebrows, and beard were black thick and bushy and the lips were full. 

They rarely intermarried with neighboring peoples.

 The prisoners of war were forced to become "people of restricted freedom" and to work in the temple or palace once they reached their destination.   The palace was considered the household of the king while the temple was a household of their god, and their god had to be clothed and taking care of. It was usually the slaves who actually tended to the needs of the god. The palace and the temple were highly organized and the whole Mesopotamia society contributed to its maintenance, whether it was through taxation, property, trade or war.

They were very superstitious and had rules about good and bad days with omens.  ""On the first day he shall not expose himself to the gale on the field. He must not eat garlic, otherwise a scorpion will sting him. He must not eat white garlic, otherwise he will suffer a heart attack. On the second day he must not climb upon a roof, for Ardat Lili (an evil demon)would find him. He must not eat roast meat, otherwise he will be covered with sores. On the third day he shall have no sexual intercourse with a woman, for the woman will rob him of his virility. He shall not eat fish; it is disrespectful and a crocodile would attack him. He shall not eat dates, for they would give him a stomach illness. He shall not irrigate a sesame field, for the sesame caterpillar would overcome him…"

The prophet Hosea of Israel in 726 BCE was into politics as well.  He was a man who felt immense national pride of the Kingdom of  Israel very much nationalist, comparing his love for his country with a man in love with a woman who saw her go astray  in her ways but never stopping his love for her.   He lived and prophesied in the kingdom of Israel from the reign of King Jeroboam II in 744 BCE, but was involved chiefly in the last years of the kingdom up to the year 722 BCE.
                                                            Baal Peor                 

The prophets tried to end the attraction of Baal worship which had taken hold of the Israelites and Judeans.  They had first encountered it while on the exodus in the desert.  Baal Peor was a local Canaanite deity they met up with when they entered the Promised Land that the local Canaanites worshiped with sexual orgies on Mt. Peor in Moab.  The Israelites had been temporarily attracted to this cult and were punished for it during their wanderings, but found it fascinating them again.   He had forcasted Israel's exile, due to the battle with with the  irreligious beliefs of Baal, but comforted his people with the vision of restoration after the people's repentance from becoming involved with other gods of Baal. Practicing Baal, the leading  religion of Canaan with the whole area's other inhabitants was taking over the monotheism that Moses had presented to them. 
                                                                             

Priests instructed the people that the bright sky god Baal was responsible for droughts, plagues, earthquakes and other calamities. People were often worked up into great frenzies at the prospects of displeasing Baal. In times of great turbulence human sacrifices, particularly children, were made to this father of the gods!  King Ahab of Israel (876-853 BCE) was one of the most notoriously wicked king’s of the bible. Under the influence of his wife, Jezebel, Ahab built altars to Baal.  Common enough in the Canaan of biblical times, these rituals sacrificed humans, typically children, to the patron God of the city. The bodies of these victims were placed under the foundations or in the walls of the structure.

Baal Zebub was another Canaanite deity adopted by the Philistines.  His shrine was at Ekron, and when Ahaziah,(853 BCE)  king of Israel, fell sick, he sent messengers to consult this oracle.  The name might come from Baal Zevul or the Lord of heavenly habitation.  

Baalbek was a Lebanese town and cult-center of the Phoenician sun-god Baal.  This was popular in the later Roman days as well.  
                                                                           

Hosea attempted to throw off the yoke they were under by 726 BCE and this led to Shalmaneser V's siege of Samaria, their capital,  and its capture in 721 by his successor, Sargon.  

It was way back in 835 BCE that Shalmaneser III had attacked Damascus whose leader was Ben-Hadad II.  King Ahab of Israel supported Damascus in an indecisive battle of Karkar.  Shalmaneser had made a 2nd attack in 848 which failed.  However, the House of Ahab (876-853 BCE) in 842 was liquidated by their enemy and King Jehu(843-816 BCE) , the next Israeli king, had to pay tribute.  All this time, Damascus was able to hold out against the attack and it was Damascus that controlled Israel at this time.
                                                                               

Damascus was captured in 806 BCE and this freed up Israel from their control.  Then again from 803 to 802 BCE  Adad-Nirari II compelled the submission of Ben-Hadad III of Damascus  from 810 to 783 BCE.  

It was time for some successes for Israel.  Jehoash (800-785 BCE)  of Israel and his son Jeroboam II (785-745 BCE) fought against Ben-Hadad II with success.  Possibly they were successful now was because of Shalmaneser IV (782-772 BCE)  was so passive about the fight as he was under the pressure of the kings of Ararat and of Ashur-DanIII (772-759 BCE).  

Then Jeroboam II of Israel died, and Judah's King Uzziah 780-740 BCE)  became head of the Western anti-Assyrian alliance.  The Assyrian decline which made this possible was ended by Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 BCE) who overthrew the Syrian confederacy.  
                                                                               

British Museum display of Assyrian Days

Unfortunately, Assyria came out of their decline because of Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 BCE) who was able to overthrow the Syrian confederacy.  By 735, Ahaz, who was attacked by Pekah of Israel in alliance with Damascus, Philistia and Edom, had appealed for help from Tiglath-Pileser.
                                                                           

As a result of this, Israel lost its territory in Transjordan and Galilee, while Philistia, Tyre, Moab and Edom became Assyrian provinces.  The blue land above Judah is Israel and Tyre would be above that and on the coast. 

All this fighting led to Shalmaneser's siege of  Samaria and its capture in 721 BCE by Sargon who annexed the country and deported 27,290 Israelites to Assyria and Media and replaced them with Syrian and Babylonian prisoners.  

This resulted in returning Israelites to Assyria whence they came from in the first place.  The Israelites were the Ivrim (Hebrews). They had been living in Ur "Kasdim." They had left to go to the land of Canaan and settled in Haran.  Former Syrians now were living in Israel as their replacements.  People were taken away and later returned or almost returned  

Aram-Dammesek was the most important Aramean kingdom in Syria till the 8th century BCE, called after its capital, Damascus.  It was a constant danger to its neighbor, Israel which it often exploited in its many disputes with Judah after 933 BCE when Solomon died and the kingdom split.  It joined the kings of Israel, Judah and Syria in opposing the Assyrians in 853, 848, and 845 BCE.  In 805, the Assyrians took Damascus and forced the king to pay a heavy tribute.  The kings of Israel then took the opportunity to win back land conquered by Aram- Dammesek and even to annex  it for  a time.  In 738 BCE, Dammesek allied itself with Israel against Assyria.  During the following campaign conducted by Tiglath-Pileser from 733 to 732 BCE, the Aram-Dammesek was plundered, its population exiled, and its existence as an independent state ended.  
                                                                 

Sennacherib II-Sargon-the same person
Sennacherib was the king of Assyria from 705 BCE to 681 BCE. He is principally remembered for his military campaigns against Babylon and Judah, and for his building programs – most notably at the Akkadian capital of Nineveh. He was assassinated in obscure circumstances in 681 BCE, apparently by his eldest son.

The city of Ashdod revolted and this was supported by King Hezekiah of Judah but the whole affair was suppressed in 715 BCE.  On the accession of Sennacherib in 705 BCE, an uprising broke out throughout the Assyrian Empire. Hezekiah reasserted his independence.  Sennacherib marched south and subdued the Phoenician cities one by one and defeated the Egyptian forces at Eltekeh in 701 BCE.   He took Ascalon and Joppoa, sacked Lachish and invaded Jerusalem in 700 BCE.  

The Kingdom of Judah was ravaged, but Hezekiah held out and obtained moderate terms by paying tribute and ceding some territory.  Later, Sennacherib was forced by a plague in his army to go back home.  King Manasseh (692-638 BCE) of Judah was exiled to Assyria in 652 BCE as a result of complicity in a plot against Ashurbanipal (669-626 BCE).  After this time, Assyria went into a decline quickly and was succeeded by Babylon.  

   WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 27,290 ISRAELITES TAKEN BY THE ASSYRIANS? 
         MANY EVENTUALLY WOUND UP IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN

How did the Pashtuns come from Israel?  We know that Pashtuns of Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India have been practicing remnants of the Israelite culture, even knowing of their connections of being the sons of Israel. So yes, many of us feel that the lost 10 tribes of Israel have been found to be the Pashtuns, at least some of them are the descendants of some of those tribes.   
                                                     

In 2011, Afghanistan had 28,395,716 population
   Pakistan had 172,800,000
Both are Islamic States

The Pashtuns, historically known as ethnic Afghans and Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group who mainly live in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They speak the Pashto language and adhere to Pashtunwali, which is a traditional set of ethics guiding individual and communal conduct.(Wikipedia)  Some speak of being descended from King Saul.  Other tell of coming from the tribe of Benjamin.  Those who claim descent all say they are sons of Israel. "The book, "Afghan and Pathan" by A. Scott, says that the Abdullis, Saub-Zai and Barukh- Zai belong to the Sons of Israel from the Kingdom of "Gur." He further notes that the Ghilzais, Kurianis, Shinwaris, and Muhamandis are said to belong to the Sons of Israel.  The Jajis and Lewanis also live n Kandahar.  Mr. Khardim heard that the king considers himself to be of the tribe of Benjamin."  

"The tribes marry only among themselves. Moseh Khardim, an Israeli student who traveled to Afghanistan in the summer of 1975 and an Amishav emissary, saw and photgraphed a beautiful 1,000-2,000 year old pillar with a Shield of David on it.  Three years ago, one of the Shinwaris came to the synagogue in Kabul and recounted that his grandmother lit candles.  He continued coming for 6 months on Sabbaths and New Moons, and then stopped coming.  

Pakistan: 30,699,037 (2008)

Afghanistan: 13,750,117 (2008)

Iran: 110,000 (1993)

India: 13,000 (2009)

Germany: 37,800 (2012)

Russia: 9,800 (2002)

Afghanistan's civilization also began as early as 3,000 BCE which would take us right to 721 BCE when Assyria carried away our Israelites.  At the time, Zoroastrianism was the religion in the area.  Later, Buddhism and Hinduism emerged there due to the closeness of those countries involved and left their mark in the region.  Gandhara was an ancient kingdom from the Vedic period (1500-500 BCE) with its capital city between the Hindukush and Sulaiman Mountains of Solomon.  
                                                         

Zorastrian Temple 

Zorostrianism practiced before the 6th century BCE,  was closer to Moses's teachings than Baal certainly was.  It is more of an Iranic religion.  The descendants of Zoroastrian Iranian (Persian) immigrants are known as Parsis, or Parsees.
Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest religions that remains active. It is a monotheistic faith, centered in a dualistic cosmology of good and evil and an eschatology predicting the ultimate destruction of evil.
                                                        

  Zoroaster, the Greek form of his name)—is traditionally regarded as the founder of the religion. Zoroastrianism contains both monotheistic and dualistic features. It likely influenced the other major Western religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It wasn't as monotheistic as they are today, but  it does represent an original attempt at unifying under the worship of one supreme god a polytheistic religion comparable to those of the ancient Greeks, Latins, Indians, and other early peoples. Although the "burning of fire" was a key element in Zoroastrian worship, the burning of "eternal" fire, as well as the presence of "light" in worship, was also a key element in many other religions.  It served as the state religion of the pre-Islamic Iranian empires for more than a millennium, from around 600 BCE to 650 CE.                                                             

                                                 

Pashtun warrior
Most of the Pathans have sidelocks and beards;  all the Afridis have beards.
Some of the Pathan children have strings on their clothes like a small tallit.  The Pathan tribes that a Mr. Betzalel feels are descended from the 10 Tribes are Afridis-Ephraim, Lewani-Levites, Rabbani-Reuven, Shinwari-Shimon, Daftani-Naftali and Jajis-Gad;  all living in the PeshHibur area.  

                                                            

Of course, in 642, Afghanistan became Islamic.  Afghanistan at that period had a number of different independent rulers, depending on the area. Ancestors of Abū Ḥanīfa, including his father, were from the Kabul region.   The early Arab forces did not fully explore Afghanistan due to attacks by the mountain tribes. Much of the eastern parts of the country remained independent, as part of the Hindu Shahi kingdoms of Kabul and Gandhara, which lasted that way until the forces of the Muslim Saffarid dynasty followed by the Ghaznavids conquered them.

Pashtuns have for centuries been the dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan. Tensions between them and other groups, such as the Tajiks and the Hazaras, burst into the open during the country's civil war in the 1990s.  Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan.

                                                                           

  The exile of the Ten Tribes remained in populated concentration in the region in which they were places, in the general direction of the exile cited in the Bible, NORTHEAST OF ISRAEL.   ISRAEL WILL BE REDEEMED ONLY WHEN THEY BECOME REUNITED AS ONE.  It seems that the kings of Assyria exiled the 10 Tribes to the kingdom of Assyria, itself and across the Euphrates river.   That's where Abraham and his family originally came from!  

Resource: The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heresy_of_Peor
http://www.ancientdestructions.com/baalbek-temple-human-sacrifice-worship-baal/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zoroastrianism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Afghanistan
THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL-THE LOST AND THE DISPERSED by Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail
https://www.bible-history.com/assyrian-social-structure/assyrian-social-structure_social_organizations.html

Those Moabites, People of Southern Transjordan, Now Jordan and Connection to Israelites

Nadene Goldfoot                                          

Moab was an ancient county in what became Southern Transjordan.  It was bounded by the Heshbon River in the North and the Zered River in the South, the Jordan River and Dead Sea to the West, and the Syrian Desert on the East.  OMRI was king of Israel from 887 to 876 BCE.  He subdued Moab.  The Assyrians called Israel not by its name, Israel, but Omri.  Omri founded a dynasty.
                                                                         Descendants of Haran

1   Haran
. 2   Lot
..... 3   Ammon
..... 3   Moab
..... 3   Daughter 1
..... 3   Daughter 2
. 2   Iskah
. 2   Milcah b: in Ur of Chaldees d: in Haran
..... +NAHOR II b: in Ur of Chaldees d: in Haran
..... 3   Uz
..... 3   Buz
..... 3   Kemuel
..... 3   Chesed
..... 3   Hazo
..... 3   Pildash
..... 3   Jidlaph
..... 3   Bethuel
. 2   Sarai-Sarah d: in Hebron
..... +Abram-Abraham b: in Ur of the Chalees d: in Hebron
..... 3   Isaac b: in Negev
......... +Rebekah b: in Aram

Moabites of c2,000 BCE were related to the Israelites  by being descended from Lot as told in Genesis 19:37. Moab was Lot's son.   Their language was like biblical Hebrew.  The Israelites were instructed to not engage in conquering or even to battle with the Moabites.  The Torah forbids intermarriage with a Moabite. (Deut.23:4.)  However, the Talmud interpreted this meaning that only males could not marry a Moabite woman, and the prohibition was abolished in the Mishnaic Period.  RUTH WAS A MOABITE.  

 The Ammonites were another people like them from Lot.  Originally, the Moabites were divided into small tribes, and tribes were usually a group of a family male line, like son sons of Jacob were, with each son the leader of his descendants who banded together into one tribe.  The Moabites then united into a single kingdom like Israel.
                                                                     

Tel Heshbon with iron-age pool in Jordan
It lay on the border between Reuben and Gad, the latter tribe seems eventually to have occupied it (Jos 13:26). It was later assigned, as a town of Gad, to the Levites (Jos 21:39; 1 Chr 6:81). The Moabites reconquered the city in the period of the divided kingdom and occupied it in the time of Isaiah and Jeremiah (Is 15:4; 16:8, 9; Jer 48:2, 33, 34). However, during Jeremiah’s lifetime it seems to have changed hands again, since he refers to it as an Ammonite city in one of his later oracles (Jer 49:2, 3). The Ammonites seem to have taken it during an invasion of the Moabite territory referred to in Ezekiel (ch 25:9, 10). It was in the possession of Alexander Jannaeus in the time of the Maccabees, and was later ruled by Herod the Great (Jos. Ant. xiii. 15. 4; xv. 8. 5), who fortified it and made it into a garrison city called Esbus.

In the Patriarchal Era of c2,000 BCE to c1500 BCE, The Moabites  had settled in their land which had been captured from the Rephaim or Emim, told in (Deut. 2:10-11).  These were an ancient people that lived in what had later become Transjordania but was in the time of Abraham as  told in Gen. 14:5.  Some of the Moabites settled near Jerusalem in the Valley of Rephaim.

In the Exodus Period of c1579 BCE to c1539 BCE , part of this territory, between the Jabbok and Arnon Rivers,  came under the rule of the Amorite monarch, King Sihon whose capital was Heshbon.  Sihon had taken much of this area from the Moabites as in Num 21;21, but after his defeat by the Israelites, their land was occupied by Israel and this became the cause of contention between Israel, Moab and Ammon.  Sihon had made the mistake of refusing the Israelites passage across his territory during the Exodus and the Israelites defeated and killed him.  His land was then partitioned between the tribes of Reuben and Gad, 2 of the twelve tribes of Jacob.
                                                                             

Heathen Balaam on his ass that will speak to him
telling him where he was wrong.  

 
It was during their 2nd ruler, King BALAK, that we have this Shabbat's story to read from the Torah  listed under Numbers 22:2 to 25:9 entitled, BALAK.  Balak had summoned Balaam, a heathen Moabite prophet to curse the Israelites.  He was divinely inspired and instead had uttered blessings instead of curses as in Num 22:5.  Balaam possessed the characteristics of a Mesopotamian priest and soothsayer but as it turned out, also appeared as a faithful servant of G-d.  On the one hand, Balaam had done evil to Israel.  He had told the Midianites to invite the Israelites to worship Baal Peor and then was killed by the Israelites on the battlefield as in Num. 31:16 and Josh 13:22.  He had caused Israel's lapse into immorality.   He had a vision, explained Maimonides, of Balaam's ass who reproofed him in his own language.
                                                                       

King Eglon of Moab, celebrating taking Jericho

Naomi, the Judean and Ruth, the Moabite
Ruth was Naomi's daughter in law
Ruth had just become a widow, and they are gleaning for wheat to make bread.

      King Eglon  of the 12th century BCE was a king of the Moabites.  Under him, they had extended their territory to the Jericho region until Eglon was killed by the Judge, Ehud, of the tribe of Benjamin.  By doing this, Ehud had saved Israel from the oppression of King Eglon  as told in Judges 3.  Talmudic legend shows Eglon as the father of RUTH.

Judges were tribal leaders the Israelites used before they turned to choosing their first king, who would be Saul.  Saul lived in the 11th century BCE and was also from the tribe of Benjamin, being the son of Kish.   The people felt they also needed a king when they were facing the threats of the Philistines and the Ammonites.  The prophet, Samuel, stepped up and chose Saul.  Saul was an organizer and managed to organize an army and trained them and they managed to defeat their enemy.  They had a great victory at Michmash, stopping the Philistines.  Then they took on an expedition against the Moabites that punished their enemy and also took on the Ammonites and Arameans as well.
                                                                           

King David 

King David, born in Bethlehem,son of Jesse from the tribe of Judah, King  of Israel ruled from c1010 BCE to 970 BCE  and conquered the Moabites.  (II Samuel 8:2) The land stayed under the rule of the Northern Kingdom of Israel  down to the rebellion of Mesha of Moab.  David's great grandmother was RUTH, THE MOABITE. David's father was Jesse, son of Oved, son of Boaz, Ruth's 2nd husband, relative of her 1st husband, Mahlon whose mother was Naomi.  Now, Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin and David became Saul's armor-bearer when he was 25 years old,  and was best friends with Saul's son, Jonathan.  He also married Saul's daughter, Michal.   David was from the tribe of Judah.  His mother was Ithra's daughter.  Ithra was his grandfather, an Ishmaelite,   and  father of Amasa, commanding general in the rebel army of Absalom, 3rd son of David. Amasa led a charmed life because David appointed Amasa as his general after Absalom's rising against him.  So Amasa would have been his uncle, an uncle who rebelled against his kingship but who kept his seat of power as a general when it was over.

Another king of Moab was MESHA.  He had the honor of setting up the Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone)  at the Moabite capital, Dibon.  It was a stone that he set up and inscribed the story of his successful revolt against King Joram (Jehoram from 853BCE -843BCE) of Israel as told in II Kings 3:4.  The Israelite king was the son of King Ahab of Israel.  Jehoram had united with King Jehoshaphat (875BCE -851BCE) of Judah against their common enemy, Mesha, .  The outcome was that Moab regained its independence.
                                                                           

In the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III, (745-726 BCE) Moab became an Assyrian province.  Tiglath reformed Assyrian administration and started the policy of exiling hostile people of conquered countries.  He invaded N Syria in 743 BCE and levied tribute on King Menahem of Israel.  In 734 BCE he invaded Philistia, conquered Damascus in 733 BCE and took a large part of the kingdom of Israel and banished the people of Galilee to Transjordania (Moab).  Then he exated tribute from Ahaz of Jodah and from Ammon, Moab and Edom.  Laer he gained control of Babylon and ruled there under the alias of Pul
                                                                          

During the Persian Period,c538 BCE, caused by the Babylonian Empire's Cyrus conquering  Israel.  Arabs entered the country and assimilated with the inhabitants.  Jews were in exile for 2 centuries in Mesopotamia.  The Book of Esther was written about this period.  Moab was conquered by the Hasmoneans and was later incorporated by the Romans in Arabia. The Hasmonians Dynasty was founded by a priestly family, Mattathias of Modiin.  He had 5 sons, Judah, the Maccabee, Jonathan, Simon, John and Eleazar who directed the revolt against the hellenizing policy by the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes.  from 166 to 164 BCE, the Hasmoneans fought a number of successful battles against the Syrians and Judah captured Jerusalem in 164 BCE and rededicated the Temple (Chanukah).  
                                                                               

Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein has been King of Jordan since the 1999 death of his father, King Hussein. According to Abdullah, he is a 41st-generation direct descendant of Muhammad as he belongs to the Hashemite family—who have ruled Jordan since 1921

Abdullah I bin al-Hussein, former King of TransJordan, born in Mecca, Hejaz, Ottoman Empire, was the second of three sons of Hussein bin Ali, Sharif and Emir of Mecca and his first wife Abdiyya bint Abdullah. He was educated in Constantinople and Hejaz. Today his grandson, Abdullah is king of Jordan.

The population of the land of TransJordan, which was to become the eastern part of Israel according to the League of Nations, was from the  Muslim empires starting in the 7th century, partial crusader control in the mid-Middle Ages (country of Oultrejordain) and finally, Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) since 13th century and the Ottoman Empire from the 16th century until World War I. The people from these eras were the staff of the empires.  It was never populated by any of them or turned into a separate state.  In 1880 when the first aliyah of Jews came from Russia, they had to deal with the Turkish administrators.  

Black September was a Palestinian terrorist organization.  "The group's name is derived from the Black September conflict which began on 16 September 1970, when King Hussein of Jordan declared military rule in response to fedayeen attempting to seize his kingdom  — resulting in the deaths and expulsion of thousands of Palestinians fighters from Jordan.  Since then, Abdullah II has married a Palestinian girl.  Many Palestinians live in Jordan.  This is why many consider Jordan as Palestine.  They have their state already, almost, but Abdullah II wants to have no part of it.  He will not accept anymore Palestinians in his state.  

Update: 7/9/17 "Consider for a moment, that if Jordan agrees to grant citizenship to all Palestinians, as their law currently provides, and invites the return of all of them to live and work in Jordan, the conflict would soon be ended. While King Abdullah isn’t about to do so, the Jordan Opposition Coalition (JOC) would. This coalition represents all opposition groups in Jordan that back a secular state. The JOC since its creation six years ago has supported good relations with Israel. It does not include groups that support terrorism. This alliance has agreed to work together in order to form the government of Jordan should King Abdullah abdicate. Although at least 75% of Jordanians are Palestinians, the King has disenfranchised them to a great extent in favor of the ethnic Hashemites and Bedouins. " I want to point out that the 1.7 million Palestinians living in Israel are full citizens in every way except compulsary service in the IDF.  That is voluntary for them.  

Again, there is no way to say that Palestinians are Moabites, an extinct people.  Most all were immigrants from surrounding lands, coming in to find work.  They were the poorer of the neighbors.  Those few that had owned land had sold it to the Jews, who found they were only too happy to sell it to them at exorbitant prices and enjoy the fruits of the sale in better places like Damascus or Beirut and Paris.  They had been taken advantage of by the Ottoman Empire as it was, hardly able to stay above water financially, and many hadn't.  

  Resource:  The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM2aByYM1cM
https://amaicjudgesera.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/eglons-jericho/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_September_Organization
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Jordan
http://www.israpundit.org/the-ultimate-alternate-israel-palestine-solution-3/?utm_source=phplist3392&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=ISRAPUNDIT+DAILY+DIGEST++JULY+9%2F17#more-63625330*****update