The%20First%20Israelites

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The First Israelites
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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

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Who Were the Israelites?

• Israelites spoke the Hebrew language
• They wrote down much of their history in the
  Hebrew Bible

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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

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Origins of the Israelites

• Jacob was Abrahams 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

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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 pharaohs daughter
• Named him Moses

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From Slavery to Freedom

• Around 1290, Moses had a vision (burning bush) of
  God telling him to lead the Israelites from Egypt

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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)

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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

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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

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From Slavery to Freedom

• The escape from Egypt is called the Exodus

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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)

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10 Commandments

• The worship of God and He alone
• No worship of idols
• Keeping the Sabbath day
• Respecting father/mother
• Dont murder
• Faithful marriage
• Dont steal
• Dont lie
• Dont want things that do not belong to you
• Avoid jealousy

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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

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The Phoenicians

• The Phoenicians lived in cities along the
  Mediterranean Sea

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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