Hebrews

The Hebrews were the ancestors of the Jews. They lived in the land of Canaan (later called Palestine) and their belief in one God gave rise to the religion of Judaism. The Hebrews became known as Israelites.

Canaan was a crossroads on trade routes. According to the Bible, a shepherd named Abraham led his people to Canaan from southern Mesopotamia. His grandson Jacob had 12 sons, after whom the 12 Hebrew tribes or Israelites were named. The bible tells how the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt, but were led to freedom around 1200 BC by Moses, whose successor Joshua took them back to Canaan.

From about 1029 BC, the Hebrews united to fight their enemies under a strong king, Saul. Saul’s successor, David, formed the kingdom of Israel and made Jerusalem, King Solomon built the first Temple. After Solomon died, his kingdom split into Israel and Judah. Both kingdoms fell to invaders from Assyria, Babylonia and Persia. Many Israelites became slaves or went into exile. In 167 BC, the Jews rebelled and set up an independent kingdom, named Judah, but in 63 BC the Romans conquered Judah, and later drove out most of the Jews.