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Old Testament Bible Maps

OLD TESTAMENT Bible maps depict different routes taken by Moses during the Exodus. A highly controversial event in the modern era of archaeology and science, this remarkable Exodus from Egypt took place during the reign of an unnamed Pharaoh, probably from the 18th or 19th Dynasty.

OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE MAPS PAGE CONTENTS

Click on a link to view that Old Testament Map.

Moses moves camp to Paran

Spies Scout Canaan

The Land of Giants

Kingdoms of Og & Sihon

Jericho During the Conquest

The Battle of Jericho

The Battle of Hazor

The Northern Tribes of Israel

The Southern Tribes

David & Goliath in the Valley of Elah

THE EXODUS After the miraculous crossing, helped by a strong Eastern wind sent by God Almighty, the Israelites escaped into the Sinai. Old Testament Bible maps depict various routes as being taken by the Israelites. A Byzantine tradition claims Jebul Musa, in the southern Sinai, is Mt. Sinai. A monastery was built on the site. This site, however, is unlikely the Mt. Sinai of Moses. Old Testament Bible maps differ on the location of Mt. Sinai as well.

A map of the Exodus out of Egypt & the possible route taken by Moses.

A map of ancient Egypt during the time of the Exodus.	Possible routes of Moses' Exodus out of Egypt.
Routes of the Exodus according to the Rose Bible Guide.	A map of the setting of the Exodus out of Egypt.

Moses sent spies throughout the land to gather intelligence on the people and cities of Canaan.

MOSES moved the Israelites northward from Hazeroth to the Wilderness of Paran, as told in Numbers 13. Previously, in Hazeroth, "the anger of the Lord burned" against Miriam and Aaron for speaking against Moses. From their camp in Paran, God instructed Moses to send 12 spies into the land of Canaan. One spy was to come from each tribe, and they were to scout out the land, obtaining samples of produce, and assessing the size and fortifications of the cities. Joshua was one of the spies, representing the tribe of Ephraim . Caleb was another spy, representing the tribe of Judah. These two great men would play instrumental roles in the upcoming Conquest. Their tribes were blessed because of their faith in God.

NUMBERS 13:21 tells how the Israelite spies searched out the land as far as "Lebo-hamath", which translates as "the entrance of Hamath". The spies are said to have cut down a cluster of grapes in the valley of Eshcol, a single cluster which they had to carry on a pole between two men. Eshcol was also the name of an ally of Abraham, in Genesis 14:13. Abraham dwelt near the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol.

The spies of Israel searched all of the land of Canaan. What they found was a land full of giants.

Near Hebron, the spies encountered the sons of Anak, reported in Numbers 13:33 to be a part of the Nephilim . All but two of them reported; "the land through which we have gone in spying out, is a land that devours its inhabitants...". Only Joshua and Caleb remained faithful, and encouraged the people to go up and take the land God will give them. As a result, God gave Caleb the land of the Anakim. It was during the campaigns of Caleb the Anakim were driven to the Coastal Plain.

THE LAND OF GIANTS may sound somewhat fantastical when describing the ancient land of Canaan. However, the Bible paints such a picture. The sons of Anak, the Anakim, are said in Numbers 13 to have been occupying Hebron, and likely the Central Highlands north of Jerusalem. In Deuteronomy 2 the land of Ammon is said to belong to the Rephaim , a people as great as the Anakim, and also connected to the Nephilim giants in Genesis. Og, the giant king of Bashan, was the last of the Rephaim, and king of the Amorites.

The Promised Land was a land of giants prior to Israel's conquest.

Deuteronomy 3:11 gives the dimensions of Og's bed as over 14 feet long, and over 6 feet wide! I Samuel 17:40 depicts the battle between David and Goliath, the giant Philistine from Gath. Caleb drove the sons of Anak from their land, and forced them to migrate west, where they merged and assimilated with the Philistines. I Chronicles 20:6-7 speaks of another Philistine giant, "a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot - twenty-four in all."

The brothers Og & Sihon ruled much of the Transjordan, land east of the Jordan River. They were defeated by Moses and Israel before they fought and defeated Jericho.

OG & SIHON were the "kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan" (Josh. 2:10). The Israelites encountered these two Amorite kings in Numbers 21. Moses sent messengers to Sihon, king of Moab, seeking permission to pass through his land. Moses assured Sihon the Israelites would not disturb the land nor the people. Sihon, however, refused and gathered his troops for battle. This proved a fatal mistake, as God gave the Israelites victory over Sihon.

Scripture records his brother, Og, king of Bashan, then gathered his troops. The Lord assured Moses victory, and handed Og over to the Israelites. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh asked Moses for this land east of the Jordan. These tribes became known as the Transjordan Tribes of Israel.

JERICHO As Moses died, and Joshua rose to leadership, God was ready to advance His people into the Holy Land. Old Testament Bible maps attest to the importance Jericho played in the Conquest. The city was not chosen randomly. If Jericho were taken, the Israelites would control three routes leading into Canaan. After the battle of Jericho , Joshua would move northwest and take Ai. Thus began the Southern Invasion of Israel.

A map of the setting of ancient Jericho and the surrounding area.

A map detailing the Israelite conquest of Jericho. Bethel & Ai can be seen in the distance background.

THE BATTLE OF JERICHO Old Testament Bible maps shed light on the strategy involved with taking Jericho first. Joshua encamped at Abel-shittim, a natural spot to camp before crossing the Jordan. It was from Abel-shittim the spies were sent out to Jericho. There they encountered Rahab the harlot. After the spies returned safely back to camp,

Joshua sent spies ahead into Jericho to gather intel. They were harbored by Rahab the harlot, who also helped them escape down the city walls.

Joshua moved the Israelite camp to the shores of the Jordan. For three days the Israelites camped here. God, then, stopped the flow of the Jordan in Adam, north of the Israelites, and provided a miraculous crossing on dry ground.

The walls of Jericho and the Upper & Lower cities.

A Google Earth map of the battle of Jericho. In the forefront of the picture one can see a section of wall that has collapses.

After crossing the Jordan, Joshua moved the Israelites to Gilgal. Before going into battle, however, the Israelites had to consecrate themselves to God, thus, they were circumcised as a nation for the first time in forty years. It was also in Gilgal Joshua encountered a visitor, an angel of the Lord's, perhaps the archangel Michael.

Jericho lie at the doorstep into Southern Canaan. By taking Jericho, Joshua obtained a foothold and entryway into Canaan. Jericho became the launch point for Israel's conquest of the Promised Land.

From Gilgal, the Israelites marched on Jericho. The city fell to Joshua, and opened up the way into Canaan.

Old Testament Bible maps, such as the one below, portray the importance of roads such as The Central Ridge Route. Shechem, Bethel, and Jerusalem all rested on this route, and control of this route was essential.

THE BATTLE OF HAZOR The ancient city of Hazor was a key Canaanite city in the north of Canaan. Joshua 11 depicts the Israelite victory over the Canaanite forces at the nearby Waters of Merom. Hazor, according to Joshua 11:10, was the "head of all those kingdoms".

A map of the biblical Battle of Hazor. This was the only city Joshua razed to the ground via fire.

This victory severely crippled the Canaanite ability to resist the Israelite invasion in the north, and opened up this territory for occupation. The Bible records Joshua and the invading army of Israelites burned Hazor with fire. Excavations have shown that shortly before 1200 B.C., the Upper and Lower cities of Hazor were violently destroyed by fire. Old Testament Bible maps make mention of the Battle of Hazor due to its significance in the Northern Campaign of the Conquest.

THE NORTHERN TRIBES OF ISRAEL would eventually constitute the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Old Testament Bible maps clearly show the size and scope of the Northern Kingdom surpassed that of the south. After the death of Solomon, the Northern Tribes split from the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The southern throne remained with the tribe of Judah in the south, and was headquartered in Jerusalem. The Northern Tribes elected Jeroboam I as their king.

A map of the Northern Tribes of Israel - which would form the Northern Kingdom of Israel when the nation split in two.

Israel tended towards idolatry more so than their southern brethren. The Northern kings set up places of worship at Dan and Bethel, profaning the name of the Lord. Though much larger and more powerful than the Southern Kingdom of Judah , Israel fell to the Assyrians nearly two hundred years before the kingdom of Judah would fall to the Babylonians.

A map of the tribal allotments for each of the 12 Tribes of Israel.

THE SOUTHERN TRIBES OF ISRAEL were centered around the tribe of Judah, by far the largest and most prestigious of the three tribes. The tribes of Benjamin and Simeon rounded out the remaining tribes. Old Testament Bible maps sometimes group these three tribes under the Southern Kingdom of Judah. In a remarkable testament to longevity, the throne of the southern kingdom never passed from the family of David, in the tribe of Judah. For nearly five centuries the house of David sat on the throne of Judah. The Southern Kingdom fell to Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 B.C.

A map of the Southern Kingdom of Judah - which was comprised of the tribes of Judah & Benjamin.

VALLEY OF ELAH Old Testament Bible maps track the exploits of David from his youth to the days of his kingship. It was in this region many conflicts took place between the Philistines and the Israelites. The Israelite and Philistine armies were encamped across the valley from each other, perhaps the intersection between Azekah and Socoh. Goliath would emerge each morning from the Philistine encampment and stand in the valley shouting his challenge to the Israelite army cowered on the opposite hillside.

The armies of Israel & Philistia met in the Valley of Elah. The two armies never battled, as David killed the champion Goliath and set the Philistine army running.

I SAMUEL 17 records the encounter between David and Goliath. The young shepherd boy David rose to meet Goliath's challenge. He slew the giant from Gath with a slingshot. His victory inspired the Israelite army, and they set out in pursuit of the fleeing Philistines. Scripture records the Israelites pursued the Philistines as far as Ekron. Old Testament Bible maps capture the geography of these stories, and shed a light of understanding on the Biblical narrative.

A map of the showdown between David & Goliath in the Valley of Elah. David killed Goliath and set the Philistine army into retreat.

Old Testament Bible maps help shed light on the events and people found throughout the Old Testament. It is difficult to understand the Old Testament at times, and the different place names and locations are often hard to pronounce in their English translations. We hope these maps help shed light on the Old Testament, and the power of God. Feel free to print off any of these Old Testament Bible maps for your use. Www.israel-a-history-of.com hopes to illuminate and shed light on the mighty, and oftentimes mysterious, power of God found in the Old Testament.

RESOURCE

Old Testament Maps - Generationword.com