Transcript Document 7158409

The First Israelites
Who Were the Israelites?
• Small group of people who believed in one
God
– Monotheistic
• Their religion is now known as Judaism,
and its followers are called Jews
– It influenced Christianity and Islamic religions
Who Were the Israelites?
• Israelites spoke the Hebrew language
• They wrote down much of their history in
the Hebrew Bible
Origins of the Israelites
• Israelites believe they
are descendants of
Abraham
– In the bible, God told
Abraham and his
followers to leave
Mesopotamia and go
to Canaan.
• In return, the land
would belong to them
Origins of the Israelites
• Jacob was Abraham’s grandson
– He raised 12 sons
• Each the head of a tribe (family group)
– These groups became known as the 12 tribes
of Israel
• A long drought forced the Israelites to
leave Canaan and go to Egypt
From Slavery to Freedom
• Pharaoh enslaved the
Israelites in Egypt
– Ordered all baby boys
to be thrown into the
river (preventing
rebellion)
• One mother hid her son
on the riverbank
– He was discovered by
pharaoh’s daughter
» Named him
Moses
From Slavery to Freedom
• Around 1290, Moses had a vision (burning
bush) of God telling him to lead the
Israelites from Egypt
From Slavery to Freedom
• According to the Bible, God sent 10
plagues to trouble Egypt
– The last one killed all first-born children
except for those of Israelites who marked their
doors (Passover)
From Slavery to Freedom
• These plagues convinced pharaoh to let
the Israelites go
• As the Israelites left, pharaoh changed his
mind and sent an army after them
From Slavery to Freedom
• The bible says that God parted the Red Sea to allow his
people to pass
– When the Egyptians followed, the waters fell back
and drowned them
From Slavery to Freedom
• The escape from Egypt is called the
Exodus
What are the 10 Commandments?
• God promised Moses that he would lead
the Israelites back to Canaan if they
followed his laws
– Known as a covenant (agreement)
10 Commandments
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The worship of God and He alone
No worship of idols
Keeping the Sabbath day
Respecting father/mother
Don’t murder
Faithful marriage
Don’t steal
Don’t lie
Don’t want things that do not belong to you
Avoid jealousy
The Promised Land
• Once the Israelites reached Canaan, they
found people already living there
• Joshua led them into battle to conquer the
land
– The land they seized was divided among the
12 tribes of Israel
The Phoenicians
• The Phoenicians lived in cities along the
Mediterranean Sea
The Phoenician Alphabet
• One of their most important ideas was an
alphabet
– Group of letters that stand for sounds
– Used to spell out the words of their language
– Made writings simpler and helped people
keep records
• This alphabet influenced the Greeks and
Romans