Jezreel (Place)

A was a town first built by the tribe of Issachar. It was located just south of Shunem (Joshua 19:18). People had lived in the area earlier, but they left during the el-Amarna period. The town became important in Israel’s history. Many key events in the Bible took place in or near Jezreel.

Jezreel became more important after the town of Beth-shan declined during the Iron Age. King Saul made Jezreel the center of one of his districts (2 Samuel 2:9). A spring near the town became a meeting place for Saul’s army before they fought the Philistines at Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 29:1).

After Saule died, the town was part of the kingdom of Ishbosheth for a short time (2 Samuel 2:8–11). During King Solomon’s rule, Jezreel was part of a district in the tribe of Issachar. It was not part of the main Jezreel Valley. Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, was the leader of this district (1 Kings 4:17).

Omri was king of Israel from 885 to 874 BC. During this time, Omri chose Jezreel to be the winter capital of Israel. Four kings from his family lived there, including King Joram (who ruled from 852 to 841 BC). Joram later went to Jezreel to recover from battle wounds (2 Kings 8:29).

Jezreel had a city wall, a main gate, and a tower for watching the land around it (9:17). A council of elders and nobles administered it (10:1). The royal palace was next to a vineyard owned by Naboth, a man from Jezreel. King Ahab took this land in an unjust way (1 Kings 21). Because of this, God judged Ahab’s family severely.

Jezebel, the Phoenician wife of Ahab, died in Jezreel. She was thrown out of a window and eaten by dogs when Jehu took power. Jehu also killed King Joram and his officials and threw Joram’s body into Naboth’s field (2 Kings 9:24–26). Jehu then killed the rest of Ahab’s family (10:1–11).

After the destruction of the dynasty of Omri, the town became less important. Writers in the Christian era called it a village. For example, Eusebius (who lived AD 260–340) refers to it as a village between Scythopolis (Beth-shan) and Legio (Onomasticon 108:13ff.). The Crusaders called it “le Petit Gerim” to tell it apart from a larger town called “le Grand Gerim.”

Today, the site of Jezreel is called Zer'in. It is the location of an Israeli shared farming community (called a kibbutz) about 88.5 kilometers ( 55 miles) north of Jerusalem. Archaeologists have found remains there from the Iron Age and the time of the Roman Empire.

A town in the mountains of Judah (Joshua 15:56). It was the hometown of Ahinoam, one of the wives of King David (1 Samuel 25:43). Today, nothing is known for sure about its location.