World English Bible · The united kingdom

Psalms 96

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a new song! , all the earth. ! his name! Proclaim his from day to day! Declare his among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For is great, and greatly to be praised! He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but made . and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to , you families of nations, ascribe to and strength. Ascribe to the due to his name. Bring an , and come into his courts. in array. Tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, " reigns." The world is also established. It can't be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity. Let be glad, and let the earth rejoice. Let the sea roar, and its fullness! Let the field and all that is in it exult! Then all the trees of the woods shall sing for joy before ; for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with , the peoples with his truth.

A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.

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.
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Psalms 96 | Read the Bible | EKLI