Bethlehem of Zebulun

As it was located in the Jezreel Valley, the city had extremely fertile soil, suitable for planting. It is therefore believed that it was founded by the peasants who lived on the land in the valley.

Israelite conquest of Bethlehem of Zebulun

The first biblical mention of Bethlehem of Zebulun is found in Joshua 19:15 during the division of the territory of Canaan between the Israelite tribes.

In the division of the land, Bethlehem was allocated to the tribe of Zebulun, one of the smallest tribes in Israel in terms of territory.

In all, the tribe of Zebulun ruled over 12 cities and their villages. For the most part, the cities of Zebulun had an agrarian context, with their economy centered on the planting of cereals such as wheat.

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about this judge, only that he led Israel for seven years from this city and that in all he fathered 30 sons and 30 daughters.

All of Ibsan’s sons and daughters lived with him in Bethlehem of Zebulun for part of their lives. When they were adults, the judge married each of his sons to important people in Israel.

It is believed that these marriages sought to create political, military and even commercial agreements between the tribes and their leaders.

During this period the city exercised great political power in Israel.

Due to the lack of mention of this city in the rest of the biblical text, it is believed that Bethlehem was abandoned or assimilated by another city during the period of the judges.

It is likely that, due to its lack of relevance in local geopolitics, the city’s land was assimilated by other larger cities in terms of influence. It is believed that its population gradually migrated to richer and more profitable regions.

Some suggest that over time Bethlehem became a settlement of a larger town, which became Nazareth, the town where Jesus Christ and his family lived for most of his life after his return from Egypt.

According to the biblical description, the ancient city of Bethlehem of Zebulun was located in the Jezreel Valley, an extremely fertile valley formed between the Sea of Galilee region, west of the Jordan River, and the Mediterranean Sea.

According to Josephus, the city was 12 km northwest of Nazareth, near a vast oak forest.

Some suggest that it was in the vicinity of Ilut, a small town near present-day Nazareth. Unfortunately, due to the lack of historical and/or archaeological material, it is not possible to identify the town with certainty.

Many ancient cities ended up being buried or torn down by modern cities.