Discovery House Bible Atlas

DISCOVERY HOUSE BIBLE ATLAS

Dr. John A. Beck

For Marmy, my bride, backpacking partner, and co-adventurer.

For Isaiah and Eliza, our grandchildren, who joined our family and God’s kingdom during the writing of this atlas.

Discovery House Bible Atlas © 2015 by John A. Beck

All rights reserved.

Discovery House is affiliated with Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Requests for permission to quote from this book should be directed to: Permissions Department, Discovery House Publishers, P.O. Box 3566, Grand Rapids, MI 49501, or contact us by e-mail at permissionsdept@dhp.org

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Interior design by Sherri L. Hoffman

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Beck, John A., 1956-

Discovery House Bible atlas / Dr. John A. Beck. pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-57293-801-4

1. Bible—Geography. 2. Bible—Geography—Maps. I. Title. BS630.B43 2015 220.9'1—dc23

2014034096

Printed in Italy

First printing in 2015

MAPS

I.1—Ancient Near East 9

I. 2—Modern Middle East 13

I. 3—Major Cities of Biblical Israel 14

I.4—Old Testament Regions ....................... 16

I. 5—New Testament Regions 17

1.1—The Four Geographical Zones 21

1. 2—Rainfall Distribution 30

1. 3—Road Systems of the Fertile Crescent 35

1.4—Roads Within the Promised Land .............. 38

2.1—Possible Locations of the Garden of Eden 44

2 .2—Table of Nations 48 –49

2.3—Abram’s Journey from Ur to Shechem . . . . . . . 50

2.4—Abraham in the Promised Land 53

2.5—Altars, Tombs, Pillars, and Wells in the Promised Land 57

2.6—Jacob’s Departures from the Promised Land .. 59

2.7—Joseph and Family Within the Promised Land and to Egypt ........................... 61

3.1—Land of Goshen 66

3. 2—Exodus to Sinai and Kadesh Barnea 68

3. 3—Deserts and Road Systems 72

3.4—Exploration of Canaan 74

3. 5—Transjordan Occupation 81

3.6—The Plains of Moab and Mount Nebo 84

4.1—Conquest via Jericho 89

4. 2—Southern Campaign 94

4. 3—Northern Campaign 96

4.4—Tribal Land Allotments 98

4. 5—Levitical Cities and Cities of Refuge 101

4 .6—Unsecured Land in the Promised Land 104

4 .7—Deborah and Barak 106

4 .8—Gideon ....................................... 108

4 .9—Samson 109

4 .10—Judges 112

4 .11—Ruth and Naomi 116

5 .1—Events in the Life of Samuel 120

5 .2—Movements of the Ark 123

5 .3—Saul’s Kingdom 127

5 .4—Jonathan at Mikmash and David in the Elah Valley 130

5 .5—Saul’s Pursuit of David 132

5 .6—Saul’s Final Battle 134

5 .7—David’s Jerusalem 138

5 .8—David’s Battles Expand the Kingdom 141

5 .9—David’s Kingdom 143

5 .10—Solomon’s Kingdom 145

5 .11—Solomon’s Jerusalem 148

5 .12—Solomon’s Trade Network 15 4–55

6.1—Schism at Shechem 158

Opposite page

6 .2—Divided Kingdom 160

6 .3—Omri and Ahab 162

6 .4—Elijah and Elisha 166

6 .5—Jehu’s Revolt 170

6 .6—Assyrian Invasions of the Northern Kingdom 175

6 .7—Writing Prophets 178

6 .8—Assyrian Empire 180

6 .9—Southern Kingdom Conflicts 181

6.10—Syro-Ephraimite War and Ahaz 182

6.11—Assyria Invades Judah 184

6 .12—Hezekiah’s Jerusalem ....................... 185

6 .13—Assyria’s Defeat at Carchemish 186

6 .14—Babylon Invades Judah 189

7.1—Jeremiah Taken to Egypt 194

7.2—Babylonian Empire 196

7.3—Edom’s Incursions 198

7.4—Exile and Return 200

7.5—Restored Province of Judah 201

7.6—Persian Empire 202

7.7—Ezra/Nehemiah’s Jerusalem 206

8 .1—Empire of Alexander the Great 212–13

8.2—Ptolemies and Seleucids 215

8 .3—Maccabean-Hasmonean Period 217

8 .4—Roman World First Century BC 220 9.1—Herod’s Kingdom and Its Division ............ 225

9.2—Life of John the Baptist 227 9.3—Jesus’ Early Years 231 9.4—Jesus and the Nazareth Ridge 234 9.5—Jesus’ Baptism and Temptation 241 10.1—Jesus Moves to Capernaum . . .

246

10.2—Around the Sea of Galilee 250 10.3—Jesus Beyond the Sea of Galilee 258 10.4—Jesus’ Journey to Jerusalem 266 10.5—Events on the Mount of Olives 267 10.6—New Testament Jerusalem 272

10.7—Jerusalem Passion Week 277 10.8—Post-Resurrection Appearances 282 11 .1—Location of Jesus’ Ascension 286 11.2—Homes of the Visitors to Jerusalem on Pentecost 288

11.3—Events in the Lives of Peter and Philip 290 11.4—Saul’s Conversion and Early Years 295 11.5—First Missionary Journey 298

11.6—Second Missionary Journey 300

11.7—Third Missionary Journey 303 11.8—Paul Travels to Rome ....................... 307

11.9—Churches of the Revelation 309 11.10—Growth of the Christian Church 312

Top: Worshipers at Jerusalem’s Western Wall; Bottom left: Jerusalem’s Old City market; Bottom center: Colorful Jerusalem; Bottom right: Music greets the visitor at a Jerusalem city gate ν

Introduction GEOGRAPHY AND THE UMAN SPIRIT

e are bound to the natural world by divine design. This dependence is not due to our sinfulness. It is how God made us. The first pages of the Bible highlight this connection. Before the Lord created Adam and Eve, the first humans, he meticulously shaped the world where they would live and on which they would depend.

What the Bible says about our connection to the natural world is confirmed in our everyday experiences. The earth’s gravity keeps us from drifting into the perilous vacuum of space. Precipitation falls

address a variety of our ills. As mortals, we are bound to the natural world.

Despite the vital relationship we have with our living space, we are prone to think about it less and less. Insulated from the natural world by the buildings where we work and the homes where we live, we can spend days away from the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. Future generations are increasingly likely to experience the natural world by watching nature programs on electronic devices—a virtual experience substituting for a real one. Our sheltered indoor liv ing makes us less attentive to the signs in the atmo sphere that signal a change in weather. Traveling in our vehicles instead of walking, we are less sensitive to changes in the elevation along our route. And when we see wildlife, it’s merely a glimpse through a win dow rather than while walking in the wild.

This disconnection from the natural world comes with a price. We are deprived of the lessons the nat ural world can teach us. Immersed as we are in the

we gain a broader, more accurate perspective of our world. The complexity of the ecosystem and the real limitations imposed on us by the natural world direct us to the ultimate architect and power broker of this world. If this sounds like just so much nature talk, realize that Scripture itself celebrates what nature can do. God left evidence of his power and wisdom in the natural world so that every mortal might search for a fuller understanding of him (Romans 1:20).1

The natural world is also a place that can restore a

agement: “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”2 That is why it is so healthy for us to spend time in natural settings listening to the wild sounds, smelling the freshness, and immersing ourselves in the restoration nature dispenses. Nature can reinvigorate tired beings in ways that other settings cannot. Those who have

EUROPE

more importantly, we will consider the role that the geography plays in shaping those who read the Bible. Our study of geography and the Bible in this atlas is formed by two types of investigation:

• Historical geography, a study of how geography shaped events.

• Literary geography, a study of how the geography mentioned in the Bible shapes readers.

Historical Geography

The geography of a region shapes the events, cultures, and worldview of that region. The study of geography

homes and tools were influenced by what was available locally. Worship of a solar deity or a rain deity was strongly influenced by the way the people obtained their water.

The Bible tells the stories of people and events, but it also is a book about place. Many events have a geographic backstory. For example, Israel’s insidious attraction to the worship of the rain deity Baal is a product of the uncertain rainfall in parts of the Promised Land. King David’s selection of Jerusalem as his capital city was influenced by the site’s natural defenses. Jesus’ decision to create a ministry base at

a better understanding of the Promised Land and its culture would help the cause of Bible translation and inter pretation. In the introduction to his commentary on Chronicles, he wrote, “Just as those who have seen Athens understand Greek history better, and just as those who have seen Troy understand the words of the poet Virgil, thus one will comprehend the Holy Scriptures with a clearer understanding

reader’s confidence in the Lord: “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore” (Psalm 125:1–2).

The people of Bible times obviously did not have Bibles to carry with them as we do today. But they had the stories and the promises of God

passed on from one generation to the next. As they walked the land of the Bible, they passed the places that had been the setting for Bible events. Some of these places were even given names that helped to recall those events, like “The Lord Will Provide,” “Ebenezer,” and “Perez Uzzah” (Genesis 22:14; 1  Samuel 7:12; 2  Samuel 6:8). Their walks became opportunities for spiritual reflection; the places they passed gave them an opportunity to teach their children the Bible stories that defined them as God’s people. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7, emphasis added).

To walk the land was to “read” their Bible.

This teaching via landscape is interwoven into the fabric of the Bible’s communication. The Bible is not a geography book, but it is a book that employs geography. As the biblical authors received the thoughts of God and recorded them in the language of mortals,

While some Bible passages are geography free, others, like Psalm 104 and Obadiah 1, are filled with descriptions of the natural world. Entire books, like the book of Acts, employ geography as their organizing principle.

The risk for us is that we will skip those passages with geography and won’t consider the way the geography contributes to the message. For example, even the most inexperienced Bible readers are likely to know the main details of the story about David and Goliath. But how many have weighed the role geography played in this event? This familiar story begins with some unfamiliar geography. “Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah” (1 Samuel 17:1–2). If we skip this geography, we miss the grave national crisis the Israelites were facing. The land on which the Philistines camped was the very land the Israelites had to hold in order to pro -

story, we consider who is the best leader for Israel, David or Saul. That evaluation takes place during a national crisis that is, in part, defined by the geography at the start of this story.

Geography is not just incidental in the stories of the Bible. It’s an integral part of the Bible’s communication with us, and we need to recognize its role in shaping the meaning and message of a text. That is where literary geography comes in. This idea is likely new to you. Here are three steps that help Bible readers evaluate the role of geography in a given passage of Scripture.

• Notice the Bible’s mention of geography or natural history.

• Learn about that geography—the topography of a place, its geology, the forces that work on the land, like the wind and the rain. Understand how the people use that place to build their homes, grow their food, and develop roadways. Take into account the appearance and behavior of birds, animals, and plants.

• Ask this question: How does this geographic detail help to deliver the message of this passage of Scripture?

how this atlas Builds Better Bible readers

Over the last two decades, I have been speaking, that Holy Land experience for you, the reader. As you

M E D I T E R R A N E A N

Tyre

Acco/Ptolemais Hazor

Capernaum

Magdala

Dan

Caesarea

Bethsaida

Caesarea Maritima

Megiddo

Taanach

Samaria/Sebaste Endor

Abel

Ramoth (Gilead)

Beth

Aphek/Antipatris

Shiloh

The people of Bible times carried a mental map that allowed them to quickly orient themselves to the geography mentioned in Scripture. This mental map is similar to the one we have that allows us to run errands, find our way to school or to work, and walk about in our neighborhood, all without consulting a physical map of any kind. Back in Bible times, the people knew where Bethlehem was in comparison to Capernaum. They knew which direction to point when someone asked the way to the Dead Sea or to Galilee. The intent of this atlas is to help Bible readers develop a similar familiarity with the important places mentioned in the Bible.

Both the maps and the photographs in this atlas are designed to help with that orientation. Some of the maps show a particular period of Bible history while others focus on a specific event or series of events. The photographs capture a modern-day view of some of the historic places the Bible authors would want you to see.

It is important not just to know where a place is but to know what people thought about it. That perception is formed by the events that occurred there and by the nature of the place. Consider the differing impressions and feelings communicated by mention of places like Hollywood, Pearl Harbor, the Alamo, the World Trade Center in New York, the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), or the Great Wall of China. Prior events shape our response. The nature of a place can also give it a distinctive connotation. Think of the different impressions you have of Death Valley, the Everglades, and the Rock of Gibraltar.

The same is true for Bible places. They have distinctive connotations formed by the nature of the place and its history. The articles that accompany the maps and photographs in this atlas explore how the biblical authors use these in their writing. For example, we will see how the city of Dan became associated with infamy and how Bethlehem became a place associated with solutions.

The articles in this atlas call attention to the often forgotten connections in what God has to say to us

through the use of geography in the Bible. My prayer is that readers, after exploring these connections, might say the same thing I hear from students in the Holy Land: “This experience has completely changed the way I read my Bible.”

Our connection to the natural world has a profound impact on how we think and how we communicate. So it should come as no surprise that the biblical authors also were influenced by where they lived and that this influence becomes a part of how God communicates with us in his Word. This atlas gives special attention to that connection between the words of God and our physical world. It does not address every passage in Holy Scripture or even every passage that involves geography. But it will open a new way to read the Bible as it discusses key passages, illustrating how geography helps to communicate what our God wants us to know.