Quiz 2 - Week 4

Question 1

No nation in the Land Between was totally secure unless it held the regions of ___________, ___________ and ___________. These same regions lay directly in the path of imperial armies coming from the north.

Answer 1

Dan; Bashan; Damascus

Question 2

The commercial importance of Ammon, Bashan, Lower Gilead and ___________was painfully clear to Jewish Galileans in Jesus’ day. A group of Greek-type cities called the ___________ flourished throughout these areas and had close connections with Rome via ___________.

Answer 2

Beth-shan; Decapolis; Caesarea

Question 3

The route Abraham and Jacob followed between ___________and Canaan is not named, but it no doubt passed through Damascus, Bashan and ___________to Succoth, ___________and ___________.

Answer 3

Aram; Gilead; Shechem; Bethel

Question 4

Soon after the Israelites arrived, most of the tribe of ___________forsook their allotted territory in the south near Judah and moved north to subdue and settle Laish, which they called Dan.

Answer 4

Dan

Question 5

Israelite tribes settled in the hills of ___________as can be seen by the northern locations of Asher and Naphtali. ___________activities kept these settlers to the secluded parts of their allotted territories. When they did expand they incurred the wrath of Egypt’s pharaoh ___________and of Canaanite kings at ___________.

Answer 5

Galilee; Egyptian; Merneptah; Hazor

Question 6

Saul, Israel’s first king, rescued Israelites at ______________ from an imminent Ammonite threat. When Saul was killed by the ___________on ___________, the men of Jabesh-gilead took his body from Beth-shan and buried it.

Answer 6

Jabesh-gilead; Philistines; Mount Gilboa

Question 7

When northern Israel became independent from Judah, Jeroboam made ___________his capital but soon moved to ___________and ___________, centers on either side of the Jordan.

Answer 7

Shechem; Penuel; Tirzah

Question 8

The rebellion of the Northern Kingdom of Israel following the death of Solomon led to Israel’s defection from Judah. However, two decades later the new dynasty of ___________ruled Israel from the ‘backwoods’ city of Tirzah.

Answer 8

Baasha

Question 9

Asa of Judah sent ‘the silver and gold left in the treasury of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house’ to Damascus and asked _____________of Damascus to break his treaty with Baasha. Faced with a two-front war, Baasha ‘stopped building Ramah and dwelt in Tirzah.’

Answer 9

Ben-hadad

Question 10

Hazor corridor is so ______________that ___________become a major difficulty for travel.

Answer 10

well-watered; swamps

Question 11

Ben-hadad of Damascus wisely chose to invade the ___________ ___________, the corridor running south along the western side of the __________ ___________ from Abel-beth-maachah and the region of Dan to Hazor and Chinnereth. This gave Damascus control of a ___________ ___________-___________ ___________ ___________and its junctions for ___________-___________ ___________from Transjordan to ports in ___________. The geopolitical implications of Ben-hadad’s invasion are obvious. The Hazor Highway opens the way for his entry into ___________ ___________and the ___________ ___________.

Answer 11

Hazor Highway; Huleh Basin; north-south imperial highway; east-west routes; Phoenicia; Lower Galilee; Jezreel Valley

Question 12

The invasion of Damascus into northern Israel during the early ninth century B.C. illustrates the importance of the Hazor Highway as a gateway into the land. The Bible records that 250 years later (-733) __________ -___________of ___________made a similar entrance into the land via the ___________Valley.

Answer 12

Tiglath-pileser III; Assyria; Beqaa

Question 13

The names of two main prophets, ___________and ___________, appear in the book of Kings. Events in these days of apostate abundance followed by dire distress give us the context we need to understand prophetic teaching about God’s work and the frailty of human faith. This is most clearly seen in the moving story of Elijah as it intersects with the apostate deeds of king ___________and his Phoenician wife ___________.

Answer 13

Elijah; Elisha; Ahab; Jezebel

Question 14

___________and ___________initiated several systematic policies which brought Israel and Judah to a point of strength and domination in the Land Between (cf. 1 Kgs 16:21-34). First, Omri moved the capital from ___________to the hill of ___________, a site much better situated for interaction with the ___________ ___________and Israel’s commercial connections with the ports of ___________. Secondly, Omri and son Ahab aligned themselves with Phoenicia by marriage. Ahab married ___________, the Phoenician princess. Thirdly, Ahab made peace with the house of David by giving a royal daughter, ___________, in marriage to Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat (cf. 2 Kgs 8:25-27).

Answer 14

Omri; Ahab; Tirza; Samaria; Coastal Highway; Phoenicia; Jezebel; Athaliah

Question 15

‘Ahab of Israel expanded his kingdom southeastward in order to hold part of the Transjordanian Highway. The rebuilding of ___________ (1 Kgs 16:34) was an important part of this policy. 2 Kings 3:4-5, as well as the ___________ ___________speaks of ___________subjugation by Israel. This move to the southeast was part of a greater plan of commercial expansion.

Answer 15

Jericho; Mesha Stone; Moab’s

Question 16

________________ in -856 laid siege to Ahab’s capital city of Samaria (1 Kgs 20:1-21).

Answer 16

Ben-hadad

Question 17

Ahab’s systematic building program can be seen at sites such as ___________and ___________ (as well as at the strategic site of ___________). Ahab also built a winter palace at ___________above the Jezreel and Harod valleys (1 Kgs 21:1).

Answer 17

Hazor; Dan; Megiddo; Jezreel

Question 18

Around -___________ Egypt was relatively weak, a period known as the ___________ ___________ ___________. It was then that Alien Rulers invade Egypt. Egyptians called these alien rulers ___________.

Answer 18

-1700; Second Intermediate Period; Hyksos

Question 19

Ahmose, whose reign began Egypt’s _____ ___________, is credited with expelling alien rulers from Egypt. His campaign took him to ___________, the southern gateway to the Land Between. Egypt awoke to a new and mighty surge of nationalism and expansion which lasted four centuries. This has been called Egypt’s ________ ___________, known archeologically as the _________ _________ ________. In this period some of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs ruled the Land Between.

Answer 19

18th Dynasty; Sharpen; New Kingdom; Late Bronze Age

Question 20

The importance of the ___________ ___________cannot be overestimated. They carried almost all of the commerce and military might of the ancient world passing through the Land Between, the land bridge between the Nile and Mesopotamian river valleys.

Answer 20

Carmel Passes

Question 21

It is clear why Thutmose III boasted that ‘Taking Megiddo is as good as capturing a thousand cities.’ His campaign provides us with one of the best illustrations of ___________ importance in the ___________ ___________. Megiddo continued to be a major Egyptian base in the Land Between throughout the reigns of later pharaohs of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty.

Answer 21

Megiddo’s; Jezreel Valley

Question 22

Pharaohs of the _______ ___________found it necessary to reassert Egypt’s authority in the Land Between. ______________ reestablished Egypt’s control of important sites and roads in the Land Between. His successor, _____________ campaigned throughout Canaan and farther north into Aram where he met Egypt’s new rival, the ___________, who claimed Aram and its approaches to the Land Between.

Answer 22

19th Dynasty; Seti I; Ramses II; Hittites

Question 23

___________, Ramses’ successor, returned to reassert Egyptian dominance. A victory hymn cites some of his conquests on this campaign and also provides us with the first non-biblical reference to the ___________ of ___________.

Answer 23

Merneptah; people; Israel

Question 24

Deborah and Barak agreed to muster the northern Israelite militia at the prominent site, Mt. ___________, located between the tribal territories of ___________, ___________and ___________. Meanwhile Sisera, in the service of ‘Jabin, king of Canaan who reigned in ___________,’ mobilized his Canaanite forces ‘at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo.’ From their position on Mt. Tabor above the broad Plain of Tabor the Israelites could see the area of Megiddo and the highway which ran from Megiddo past Mt. Tabor to Hazor. The Israelites effectively separated the Canaanites forces from Hazor.

Answer 24

Tabor; Zebulun; Naphtali; Issachar

Question 25

The Canaanite-Israelite battle was fought on the Plain of Tabor. To the west of this elevation tributaries drain into the poorly drained ___________ (___________ of) ___________. Judges 5:21 suggests that just before or during the battle a cloudburst made the Kishon a ‘surging nahal (streambed).’ The rich alluvial soil of the area would have quickly been transformed into ___________ ___________, impractical for ___________warfare. The Israelite peasant militia, however, were on foot and used these conditions to their advantage. They quickly turned certain disaster into a stunning victory, a reminder of how their forefathers had been delivered from pharaoh’s chariots at the Red Sea. The climax of the Israelite victory over the urbanized Canaanites of the north came by the hand of a ‘tent-dwelling woman.’

Answer 25

Nahal; Streambed; Kishon; heavy mud; choriot

Question 26

The south lacks __________, __________, __________, and __________.

Answer 26

water; fertile soil; vegetation

Question 27

In the land west of the Rift, __________ __________ __________constitutes its heartland. Unlike most other southern regions, it usually receives adequate annual __________. Its __________ ________supports terrace farming, including __________and __________.

Answer 27

Judahs hill country; rainfall; fertile soil; olives; vineyards

Question 28

As trade grew, the __________and __________ __________became a bridge between ________ and _________. When Judah pushed south into the Negev, conflicts developed between Judah its neighbors to control southern trade.

Answer 28

Negev; Southern Highlands; Edom; Philistia

Question 29

Natural barriers throughout much of the south discourage travel. The Rift Valley with its __________ __________, brackish __________ __________and rocky scarps is a major obstacle. Hills and canyons hinder __________-__________travel except through __________and along the plateau of the east of Moab and Edom.

Answer 29

desolate plains; Dead Sea; north-south; Philistia

Question 30

There are two main branches of the Transjordanian Highway. One is the “____________________”and the second is located farther east called the “__________ __________” which follows a much more convenient path but lacks springs and sustenance and faces an unpredictable Arabia.

Answer 30

“King’s Highway”; “Desert Highway”

Question 31

Routes linking __________on the Red Sea and __________were especially important for southern trade. All of these roads met in __________, at its ports or along its Coastal Highway.

Answer 31

Elath; Gaza; Philistia

Question 32

The southern traders followed paths of least resistance to reach their destinations and thus bypassed __________heartland. If Judah wanted to claim southern trade, Judah had to push south into the __________and from there across the Southern Highlands as well as to the west beyond the __________into the open plains of Philistia.

Answer 32

Judah’s; Negev; Shephelah

Question 33

Philistia lacked __________ __________but carried on trade with __________offshore and with caravans moving along the __________ __________. Philistia is a highway for the nations. This is the only practical land bridge between Aram and Egypt, and it busted with __________. Whoever lived here was well-situated commercially but never __________. The area was often overrun by imperial armies.

Answer 33

natural harbors; ships; Coastal Highway; trade; secure

Question 34

The Shephelah is an area of ________ ________ which abruptly end at the uplifted Hill Country with its __________ _________ and __________ __________ __________. The broad valleys of the Shephelah became the __________between people living along the __________ __________and those in the __________ __________of Judah.

Answer 34

low hills; high ridges; deep V-shaped canyons; battlefield; Coastal Plain; Hill Country

Question 35

Judah was located in the Hill Country between the Coastal Plain and the Dead Sea. It was cut off from _______ _______ by the Wilderness and its cliffs falling into the deep Rift Valley and the shores of the Dead Sea. These eastern obstacles made the Shephelah to the west much more attractive for those in Judah wanting to expand to coastal ______ _______..

Answer 35

eastern trade; trade routes

Question 36

The __________, __________and __________valleys guarded routes leading in and out of the Hill Country of Judah, and these became __________between the __________and the __________. These valleys were also Judah’s first line of defense when it was defending itself against imperial forces coming from the Coastal Plain.

Answer 36

Elah; Sorek; Aijalon; battlefields; Philistines; Israelites

Question 37

Egyptian involvement weakened in the Land Between in the centuries after -1200 and the absence of major invasions via the region of Aram in the north allowed for increased competition and hostility among local entities in the country. __________centers, the __________and the __________all sought to achieve their own interests throughout the Land Between. The Philistines wisely settled at strategic points in the southern __________ __________and especially around the fertile __________ __________Plain. From here their five main cities could control trade passing between Egypt and Aram or Mesopotamia.

Answer 37

Canaanite; Philistines; Israelites; Coastal Plain; Philistine Alluvial

Question 38

The Israelite settlements were well-established in the arid region of the __________when David fled to __________and was assigned to be a ‘Philistine’ sheriff at __________.

Answer 38

Negev; Gath; Ziklag

Question 39

At Ziklag David had a perfect base of operations, safe from Saul but near Judah. He could also develop good relations with the clans in the Negev and in __________.

Answer 39

Hebron

Question 40

Aphek was the natural __________ __________along the Coastal Highway and it was here that the leaders of the Philistine cities mobilized their forces in preparation for the battle with Saul and his army. While David was at Aphek, the __________made a major raid on the Negev and the southern Hill Country of Judah. Then they turned their fury on Ziklag. This gave David an unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate his qualifications for kingship, politically and spiritually.

Answer 40

gathering point; Amalekites

Question 41

In 1 Samuel the Philistines made numerous attempts to dominate the Israelites in the Hill Country. These Philistine campaigns centered on the __________ __________ __________since, by controlling this strategic network of routes, they could divide the House of Ephraim to the north from the House of __________to the south. The plateau was also home to the tribe of Benjamin, and Israel’s first king, ________the Benjaminite, set up his government at __________, a prominent hill overlooking the region.

Answer 41

Central Benjamin Plateau; Ephraim; Judah; Saul; Gibeah

Question 42

1 Samuel presents two important steps forward in the history of the Israelite monarchy. First, it marked the transition from leadership by Israelite __________ __________to a __________united under one national leader. The second important step was the shift from the __________-based monarchy to a __________-based monarchy.

Answer 42

tribal judges; monarchy; Benjamin; Judah

Question 43

The Philistines wisely chose the __________ __________for their campaign against Saul. Anyone commanding the Elah Valley was in the best possible position to attack northern and southern Judah from the west. Here in the strategic Elah Valley the stage was set for the battle of David and Goliath.

Answer 43

Elah Valley

Question 44

When __________came to the throne of Judah after Solomon’s death in __________, the __________Israelite tribes (Israel) staged a successful rebellion which was led by __________of Ephraim. Two kingdoms, Israel in the north and Judah in the south, lasted until Israel’s capital at __________fell before the __________in __________.

Answer 44

Rehoboam; -930; northern; Jeroboam; Samaria; Assyrians; -721

Question 45

Philistines controlled the five principal cities of the coast: __________, __________, __________, __________and __________.

Answer 45

Gaza; Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath; Ekron

Question 46

Most, if not all Philistine raiding parties passed by __________, a sentinel along a principal route between Judah and Philistia. David secured Azekah and the rest of the __________and overcame the Philistines, gaining access to the Coastal Highway.

Answer 46

Azekah; Shephelah