World English Bible · The united kingdom
1 Chronicles 14
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king of sent to with cedar trees, masons, and carpenters, to build him a house. perceived that had established him king over Israel, for was highly exalted, for his people Israel's sake. took more wives in , and became of more sons and daughters. These are the names of the children whom he had in : , , , , Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6Nogah, , Japhia, , Beeliada, and . When the heard that was king over all Israel, all the went up to seek ; and heard of it, and went out against them. Now the had come and made a raid in the valley of . inquired of , saying, "Shall I go up against the ? Will you them into my hand?" said to him, "Go up; for I will them into your hand." So they came up to , and defeated them there. said, has broken by my hand, like waters breaking out. Therefore they called the name of that place . They left their gods there; and gave a command, and they were burned with . The made another raid in the valley. inquired again of ; and said to him, "You shall not go up after them. Turn away from them, and come on them opposite the mulberry trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then go out to battle; for has gone out before you to strike the army of the ." did as commanded him; and they attacked the army of the from even to . The fame of went out into all lands; and brought the fear of him on all nations.
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The world at this moment · The united kingdom, 1050 BC to 931 BC ›
Saul, David, and Solomon. A rare window when both Egypt and Mesopotamia are weak, which is how a small kingdom in the corridor between them could briefly become a regional power.
- The power vacuum
- This is the whole political explanation for the united kingdom. Egypt is fragmented, Assyria is recovering but still local, the Hittites are gone, and nobody is in a position to object to a strong state in the corridor. It lasts about a century, and Israel's golden age fits exactly inside it.
- Phoenicia
- Tyre under Hiram is the commercial power of the coast, and supplies the cedar, the craftsmen, and the shipping for Solomon's building programme. The alliance is trade, not charity: Israel had grain and a land route, Tyre had timber and ships.
- Egypt
- Weak enough that a pharaoh gives a daughter in marriage to an Israelite king, which is the opposite of Egyptian practice in stronger centuries. Late in the era it recovers under a new house, and Shishak will invade within five years of Solomon's death.
- Further afield
- Greece is still in its dark age but beginning to recover, and will adopt the Phoenician alphabet within a century or two. Carthage is founded by settlers from Tyre by tradition in 814 BC. In the Americas the Olmec centre shifts to La Venta.