Wanem Nao Olketa Faendem Long Jezreel?

FOR planti handred year, ples bilong oldfala taon bilong Jezreel hem stap emti. Wantaem hem garem important position long Bible history. Distaem, hem wanfala hip graon nomoa, wea lusim position bilong hem bifor and wea graon berem. Insaed olketa year wea just go pas, olketa archaeologista start for lukluk gud long olketa samting bilong Jezreel wea still stap. Wanem nao olketa samting hia showimaot abaotem story bilong Bible?

Jezreel Insaed Bible

Jezreel stap long east saed bilong Jezreel Valley and hem wanfala long olketa barava gud land long Israel bifor. Barava opposite long disfala valley long north saed hem hill bilong Moreh, ples wea olketa Midianite mekredy for attakim Judge Gideon and army bilong hem. Lelebet go long east saed hem datfala well bilong Harod, long botom bilong Maunt Gilboa. Long hia nao Jehovah katem daon namba bilong army bilong Gideon wea planti thousand for kamap 300 man nomoa, mekem hem showimaot wei wea hem fit for sevem pipol bilong hem wea no needim paoa bilong bigfala army. (Judges 7:1-25; Zechariah 4:6) Long Maunt Gilboa wea klosap, Saul, datfala firstfala king bilong Israel, hem lus long olketa Philistine long wanfala raf war wea killim dae Jonathan and tufala nara son bilong Saul, and Saul seleva hem suisaed.—1 Samuel 31:1-5.

Olketa story long Bible abaotem taon bilong Jezreel provaedem staka difren samting. Hem storyim wei wea olketa ruler bilong Israel iusim paoa long rong wei and apostate fasin bilong olketa, and tu abaotem faithful fasin and strong bilong olketa servant bilong Jehovah. Long Jezreel nao King Ahab—ruler bilong northern ten-tribe kingdom bilong Israel insaed last haf bilong mek-ten century B.C.E.—wakem ples for hem stap long hem, nomata Samaria nao kapitol taon. (1 Kings 21:1) Long Jezreel nao profet bilong Jehovah, Elijah, hem kasem nogud warning from Jezebel, waef bilong Ahab wea kam from difren kantri. Jezebel hem kros bikos Elijah nating fraet for killim dae olketa profet bilong Baal bihaen datfala test wea Elijah duim long Maunt Carmel wea showimaot hu nao trufala God.—1 Kings 18:36–19:2.

Then wanfala nogud samting kamap long Jezreel. Olketa killim dae Naboth datfala man from Jezreel. King Ahab hem kavetem grape plantation bilong Naboth. Taem king demand for kasem datfala land, long loyal wei Naboth hem ansa: “Hem barava no fitim mi, long tingting bilong Jehovah, for mi givim samting wea mi kasem from olketa laen dadi bilong mi long iu.” Disfala stretfala ansa barava mekem Ahab kros. Taem hem lukim sorre feis bilong king, Queen Jezebel arrangem wanfala giaman kot, wea sei Naboth tokspoelem king. Olketa judgem Naboth wea no duim eni rong olsem hem guilty and sutim hem dae long stone, and king tekem datfala plantation.—1 Kings 21:1-16.

From disfala barava nogud samting, Elijah talem profesi: “Olketa dog nao bae kaikaim Jezebel long pis land long Jezreel.” Disfala profet talemaot moa: “Eniwan bilong Ahab wea bae dae insaed taon bae olketa dog kaikaim . . . No eniwan hem olsem Ahab, wea sellim hemseleva for duim samting wea nogud long eye bilong Jehovah, wea waef bilong hem Jezebel encouragem.” Bat, from Ahab kamap hambol taem Elijah talemaot judgment bilong Jehovah, Jehovah talemaot hao disfala panis bae no happen taem Ahab hem laef. (1 Kings 21:23-29) Bible go ahed for sei hao long taem bilong Elisha, man wea changem Elijah, olketa appointim Jehu for kamap king bilong Israel. Taem hem raed go insaed Jezreel, Jehu givim komand for olketa torowem Jezebel aot from window bilong haos bilong hem, and olketa horse purubutim hem. Bihaen, olketa lukim hao olketa dog leavim nomoa bone bilong hed, leg, and hand bilong Jezebel. (2 Kings 9:30-37) Lastfala taem Bible storyim Jezreel hem taem olketa killim dae 70-fala son bilong Ahab. Jehu hipimap hed bilong olketa long tufala hip long gate bilong taon bilong Jezreel, and bihaen diswan hem killim dae olketa wea lead and olketa priest wea joinim apostate rul bilong Ahab.—2 Kings 10:6-11.

Wanem Nao Olketa Archaeologist Faendem?

Long 1990 samfala join tugeta for duim wanfala project for digdig long Jezreel. Olketa wea insaed diswan hem Institute bilong Archaeology bilong Tel Aviv University (David Ussishkin nao stand for olketa) and British School bilong Archaeology long Jerusalem (John Woodhead nao stand for hem). Sevenfala taem (six week insaed each taem) midolwan 1990-96, samting olsem 80 go kasem 100 volunteer nao waka long datfala ples.

Wei bilong archaeology distaem hem for studyim nomoa olketa pruv wea stap long datfala ples, and no for joinim witim idea or teaching wea man maet garem bifor. Dastawe, wanem Bible talem abaotem disfala ples bae no affectim report bilong olketa archaeologist wea studyim land bilong Bible. Olketa mas studyim and balancem gud evri pruv from land or eni nara samting. Nomata olsem, olsem John Woodhead hem talem, no eni raeting from bifor stap abaotem Jezreel bat samfala chapter bilong Bible nomoa. So story insaed Bible and date wea hem talem shud kamap part long study bilong olketa. Wanem nao olketa archaeologist faendem?

Taem olketa digimap olketa wall and pot, hem showaot klia hao disfala ples hem from taem wea olketa kolem Iron Age, wea hem nao barava taem wea Bible storyim. Bat taem olketa go ahed for dig, olketa sapraes long samfala samting. First wan hem big bilong datfala ples and wei wea hem garem olketa maeti wall. Olketa archaeologist expectim wanfala ples wea wall bilong hem bae big olsem diswan long Samaria bifor, kapitol taon bilong kingdom bilong Israel. Bat, taem olketa go ahed for dig, hem kamap klia hao Jezreel hem barava moa big. Big bilong wall hem samting olsem 300 meter bae 150 meter, and full area insaed wall hem thrifala taem moa big winim eni taon bilong Israel wea olketa faendem finis wea bilong datfala taem. Hem garem wanfala bigfala drain bilong wata raonem hem, and from antap wall kasem graon hem 11 meter. Professor Ussishkin hem sei disfala river hem first wan long taem bilong Bible. “Mifala no faendem eniting olsem long Israel go kasem taem bilong olketa Crusader,” hem sei.

Narafala interesting samting hem wei wea disfala taon no garem olketa bigfala building midolwan long hem. Olketa iusim staka red-brown graon wea olketa tekem kam for wakem disfala taon for wakem wanfala hae level ples—wankaen stage, or platform—wea garem fence raonem. Second Preliminary Report long digdig wea kamap long Tel Jezreel hem sei disfala maeti stage fit for pruvim wei wea Jezreel hem no just ples wea king stap long hem. Hem sei: “Mifala laek for bringimap idea hao maet Jezreel hem main army base for army bilong king bilong Israel long rul bilong olketa Omride [Omri and olketa wea changem hem] king . . . wea olketa keepim and trainim olketa horse and horseman bilong King.” From big bilong datfala stage, and tu datfala fence wea raonem, Woodhead tingse diswan maet hem wankaen area for march wea olketa savve show-off witim paoa bilong datfala army, wea long datfala taem hem big winim eni narawan long Middle East.

Olketa archaeologist garem spesol interest long gate bilong taon wea olketa digimap. Hem garem entrance bilong wanfala gate wea garem winim fofala sekson. Bat from planti stone long datfala ples hem lus insaed planti handred year wea go pas, olketa no barava sure long diswan. Woodhead garem tingting hao olketa samting showimaot wanfala gate wea garem sixfala rum wea big bilong hem olsem olketa gate wea olketa faendem long Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer.b

Olketa samting wea olketa archaeologist faendem showimaot disfala taon stap for barava shortfala taem long barava gudfala ples saed long war and area wea hem stap long hem. Woodhead strongim wei wea olsem wanfala strongfala taon, Jezreel hem stap long wanfala sekson bilong taem nomoa—wea olketa iusim insaed samting olsem fifti year nomoa. Diswan hem barava difren from olketa nara important taon long Israel wea Bible storyim, olsem Megiddo, Hazor, and kapitol taon Samaria, wea olketa buildim moa, mekem big moa, and pipol stap long hem insaed olketa difren sekson bilong taem. Why nao olketa lusim kwiktaem gudfala ples olsem? Woodhead tingse maet Ahab and rul bilong hem iusim riches bilong datfala nation olabaot and klosap mekem hem brekdaon. Diswan hem showaot long big and strong bilong Jezreel. Datfala niu rul bilong Jehu luk olsem laek for separatem hemseleva from memory bilong Ahab dastawe hem lusim datfala taon.

So evri pruv wea olketa faendem finis long graon hem strongim wei wea Jezreel hem wanfala main taon bilong Iron Age. Big bilong hem and wall bilong hem agree witim wanem Bible talem olsem hem ples wea Ahab and Jezebel stap long hem. Olketa samting hia wea showimaot hem stap shortfala taem nomoa hem agree witim wanem Bible talem abaotem disfala taon: Hem kwiktaem kamap important long taem bilong rul bilong Ahab and then, from Jehovah komandim, hem brekdaon witim shame taem Jehu “go ahed for killim dae olketa wea stap yet bilong haos bilong Ahab long Jezreel and evri important man bilong hem and olketa fren and priest bilong hem, go kasem taem no eniwan bilong hem stap laef.”—2 Kings 10:11.

Taem Bilong Jezreel

“Hem barava hard for olketa archaeologist for barava sure abaotem taem,” John Woodhead hem sei. So taem olketa archaeologist lukluk long evri samting wea olketa faendem insaed sevenfala year bilong digdig, olketa markem olketa hia witim wanem samfala faendem long olketa difren ples. Diswan mekem olketa for lukluk gud moa and kamap witim olketa difren idea. Why? Bikos from taem wea archaeologist from Israel, Yigael Yadin, hem digdig long Megiddo midolwan long year 1960 and 1970, staka long saed long archaeology sei olketa wall and gate bilong taon kam from taem bilong King Solomon. Distaem, olketa wall, clay pot, and gate wea olketa faendem long Jezreel mekem olketa for daotem datwan.

Olsem example, clay pot wea olketa faendem long Jezreel hem barava semsem witim graon long Megiddo wea Yadin sei hem bilong taem bilong rul bilong Solomon. Wei wea olketa buildim datfala gate and big bilong tufala ples hia hem barava semsem. Woodhead hem sei: “Evri pruv showimaot Jezreel stap long taem bilong Solomon or olketa mas changem date bilong olketa nara ples hia [Megiddo and Hazor] for taem bilong Ahab.” From Bible talem klia wei wea Jezreel stap long taem bilong Ahab, hem tingse hem fitim for acceptim wei wea olketa samting wea olketa faendem hia hem bilong taem bilong rul bilong Ahab. David Ussishkin agree olsem: “Bible hem sei Solomon hem build­imap Megiddo—hem nating sei hem nao buildim olketa gate hia.”

Iumi Fit for Savve Long History Bilong Jezreel?

Waswe, wanem olketa archaeologist faendem and olketa difren tingting wea kamap mekem iumi daotem olketa story insaed Bible abaotem Jezreel or Solomon? For tok stret, olketa dif­ren idea saed long archaeology hem no affectim wanem Bible talem. Archaeology hem difren from Bible long hao hem deal witim history. Hem askem olketa difren kwestin and strongim olketa difren samting. Iumi savve markem olketa Bible student and olketa archaeologist olsem pipol wea gogo long tufala road wea go sem wei. Wanfala hem draev long road, narawan hem wakabaot long saed road. Samting wea olketa mekhae long hem and main interest bilong olketa hem difren. Nomata olsem, lukluk bilong olketa planti taem join gud tugeta and klosap semsem. Wei for markem tingting bilong tufala hia hem planti taem savve lead go long interesting savve.

Bible hem garem olketa raeting abaotem olketa samting wea happen and pipol bilong bifor kam; archaeology hem trae for kasem bak information abaotem pipol and olketa samting wea happen hia thru long wei for studyim eni samting wea stap yet long graon abaotem diswan. Bat, olketa samting wea stap yet hia hem hafhaf nomoa and isi for mekem staka difren idea kamap. From diswan, insaed buk bilong hem Archaeology of the Land of the Bible­—10,000−586 B.C.E., Amihai Mazar hem sei: “Waka for digdig saed long archaeology . . . long bigfala wei hem wanfala wei for fulfillim interest wea join witim training and bigfala savve tu. No eni barava stret wei stap, and hem important for olketa field director garem mind wea willing for change and savve tingim olketa idea. Fasin, savve, and tingting bilong olketa archaeologist hem important olsem training wea hem kasem and olketa samting wea hem waka witim.”

Archaeology hem pruvim wei wea wanfala main ples bilong king and army hem stap long Jezreel, wanfala base wea stap for barava short taem insaed sekson bilong taem long history wea Ahab hem rul long hem—barava olsem Bible hem talem. Planti nara barava interesting kwestin stap yet wea olketa archaeologist bae studyim long future. Bat, olketa page bilong Word bilong God, Bible, go ahed for tokaot long kliafala wei, wea givim iumi full story long wei wea olketa archaeologist kanduim.

[Olketa Footnote]

[Piksa long page 26]

Ples olketa digim long Jezreel

[Piksa long page 28]

Idol bilong Canaan wea olketa faendem long Jezreel