Major routes in the land of the Bible

in our last video

we learned about the four major geographical zones

of the land of the bible

coastal plain

the hill country

the Rift Valley

and trans-jordan plateau

now we will see how each of these regions

has a major route that runs through it

knowing the major routes of the land is important

because towns and cities are often located along the routes

the Bible records hundreds of events

that happen to people

at real locations along these routes

using map 1-16

we will mark out four major routes

first is the coastal highway

sometimes called the way of the sea

which more or less runs unimpeded

along the relatively flat coastal plain

the coastal highway is a major section

on the international route

that joins Egypt to Mesopotamia

however note Mount Carmel

which is a barrier to travel

later we'll see how the route traverses Mount Carmel

thru a pass to the Jezreel Valley

then to the sea of Galilee and further north

the second route travels north south

on the watershed of the hill country

this route is called the road of the patriarchs

because Abraham Jacob and Joseph frequently traveled on it

the third route is the Rift Valley

the flat plain provides convenient travel

between the Dead Sea and the sea of Galilee

and further beyond to the north

the fourth route runs north-south

along the trans-jordan plateau

the route is called the King's Highway

further to the north

the Bible calls the route the way to Bashan

the route continues beyond Bashan to Damascus

let's see the same routes

on map 1-2

where they appear finally highlighted in yellow already

here's the International coastal highway

smooth sailing until Mount Carmel

then the route uses a valley pass

that runs through Mount Carmel

into the Jezreel Valley

note the city of Megiddo

which functions as a sentinel

guarding the pass thru Mount Carmel

Megiddo

a city mention in both the Old and New Testaments

draws its historical significance

from the layout the regions and the routes

from the Jezreel Valley the route continues

down toward the sea of Galilee

and further north off the map

this route in all of its sections

is known as the Great international route

that connects Egypt and Mesopotamia

the road of the Patriarchs does not appear

in yellow on map 1-2

since it is more of a local route

however you can trace it

remember it follows the watershed in the hill country

from Beersheba in the south

follow it past the cities of Hebron

Bethlehem

Jerusalem

Bethel

Shiloh

and Shechem

then it descends into the Jezreel Valley

with joins the International route

the Rift Valley route connects

the Dead Sea to the Sea of Galilee

we've marked it out on the east side of the Rift Valley

along the foot of Gilead

finally the King's Highway

comes through Moab along the plateau

pass R Amon and Gilead

North to Bashan and off the map toward Damascus

using map 1-15

let's take a closer look at why

the Jezreel Valley is a hub for routes

note that this map is east oriented

north is to the left

the Jezreel Valley

is a wide flat triangular or Arrowhead shape plain

that breaks the hill country

it is a hub of routes

since it is the easiest place

to cross east-west

thru the land the Bible

we've already seen

how the great international route

comes along the coastal plain

and then utilizes the Jezreel Valley

avoiding the high hill country

as it makes its way north east

note likewise a traffic crossing east-west

joining both the Rift Valley route

and Kings Highway with the Mediterranean Sea

also avoids high hill country

by passing through the Jezreel Valley

as the most convenient east-west crossing in the land of the bible

the Jezreel Valley is an intersection of international routes

there are many biblical events

that occurred in the Jezreel Valley

because it is the number one way

to cross east-west through the country

here is the wild Jezreel Valley

looking from Mount Carmel

as far as Gilead in trans-Jordan

and the ruins of ancient Megiddo

overlooking the Jezreel Valley

across the valley are the Nazareth ridge

Mount Tabor

and the hill of Moreh

as in Biblical times

the modern highway comes through the Megiddo pass

into the Jezreel Valley

there are other east-west passages through the hill country

but none are as convenient as the Jezreel Valley

note on this cross-section sketch

how difficult it is to travel from the Mediterranean Sea

to trans-Jordan thru the hill country near Jerusalem

leaving the coastal plain

one ascends nearly 3,000 feet to the hill country watershed

and then descends over 4,000 feet into the Rift Valley

the ascent to trans-Jordan is another 4000 foot climb

in comparison traveling west to east

via the Jezreel Valley involves a relatively flat journey

and the ascent have little over two hundred feet

here I'm standing here on a ridge

I'm in the city of Nazareth

and behind me is the Jezreel Valley

to my right you can see Mount Tabor

where Deborah and Barak got a ten thousand Israelis

go to battle against the Canaanites

and into my left you can see Mount Moreh

where on the slope is the city of Nain

and just after Jesus announced he had the authority to raise the dead

he raised the widow's son from the dead in that city