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Jezreel

cityOld TestamentGalilee29 verses
Today Tel Yizre’elCountry IsraelCoordinates 32.558, 35.328

Jezreel is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel Yizre’el. It appears across 29 verses in Scripture.

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Archaeological Data
Occupation Phases
Chalcolithic4500 BCE – 3800 BCE
Early Bronze Age I3800 BCE – 3050 BCE
Early Bronze Age II3050 BCE – 2850 BCE
Early Bronze Age III2850 BCE – 2500 BCE
Middle Bronze Age II-III1750 BCE – 1550 BCE
Late Bronze Age1550 BCE – 1150 BCE
Iron Age I1150 BCE – 980 BCE
Iron Age IIa980 BCE – 830 BCE
Iron Age IIc720 BCE – 539 BCE
Iron Age III (Persian)539 BCE – 333 BCE
Hellenistic333 BCE – 63 BCE
Roman63 BCE – 324 CE
Late Roman70 CE – 324 CE
Byzantine324 CE – 638 CE
UnitoAssyrianGovernance, Villages to Empires Dataset (CC BY 4.0), doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732Uppsala University, ANE Site Placemarks (CC BY 4.0), doi:10.5281/zenodo.6384044

Biblical History

Jezreel in the Galilee region was one of the most prominent cities in the northern kingdom of Israel, appearing in twenty-nine verses of Scripture. The city first appears in the tribal allotment of Issachar (Joshua 19:18) and rose to prominence when King Ahab established a royal residence there alongside his capital at Samaria (1 Kings 18:45-46; 21:1). Jezreel became the setting for some of Scripture's most dramatic events. It was here that Naboth owned a vineyard coveted by Ahab, and Queen Jezebel orchestrated Naboth's judicial murder to seize it, provoking Elijah's devastating prophecy of judgment against Ahab's dynasty (1 Kings 21). Elijah outran Ahab's chariot from Mount Carmel to Jezreel (1 Kings 18:46). Later, Jehu fulfilled Elijah's prophecy by executing Joram at Naboth's plot, having Jezebel thrown from a window in Jezreel, and slaughtering Ahab's seventy sons (2 Kings 9-10). The prophet Hosea used the name Jezreel symbolically for his son, signifying both God's judgment and future restoration (Hosea 1:4-5, 11). Jezreel thus embodies the consequences of royal injustice and the certainty of divine judgment.

Archaeological & Historical Notes

Jezreel is identified with Tel Yizre'el (Tell Zerin), a prominent mound at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley in the Lower Galilee. Excavations by David Ussishkin and John Woodhead in the 1990s uncovered a large Iron Age enclosure surrounded by a casemate wall, a moat, and towers, interpreted as the royal compound of Ahab and the Omride dynasty. The enclosure measured approximately 300 by 150 meters, making it one of the largest Iron Age installations in Israel. Pottery and architectural features date the main occupation to the ninth century BCE, consistent with the biblical narratives of Ahab and Jezebel. Evidence of destruction aligns with the upheaval of Jehu's revolt. Earlier remains from the Bronze Age and later occupation from the Hellenistic and Roman periods were also found. The site commands a strategic view across the entire Jezreel Valley.

Verse Appearances (29)

References

  1. Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
  2. OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
  3. Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
  4. Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
  5. Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
  6. Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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