The Origins of the Hebrews

Back to Fertile Crescent Remember the Fertile Crescent? It’s the area in the modern day Middle East that is very good for farming. Sometime before 1800 BCE, a group of people called the Hebrews moved into the region. The land provided them with pasture, areas good for animals to graze, for their goats and sheep.

Hebrew History Much of what we know about the early Hebrews come from the Torah, which are the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrews believe that these holy books were given to them by God. The Torah consists of the early history, laws, and beliefs of the Hebrews. It consists of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

From Ur to Canaan In the Torah, God chose a shepherd named Abraham to be the father of the Hebrew people. Abraham lived in Ur, a city in Mesopotamia. According to the Book of Genesis, God commanded Abraham to leave Ur and go to Canaan. Abraham believed that if he went to this land, Canaan would belong to his people because he was promised by God. Because of this, the Hebrews considered Canaan to be the Promised Land. Around the year 1800 BCE, Abraham and his followers journeyed to Canaan.

Judaism and Monotheism Throughout the ancient world, many people were polytheists (“poly” means many, and “theos” means god). This means they worshipped many gods. The Hebrews, however, believed in only one god. Belief in one god is called monotheism (“mono” meaning one, like in “monarchy”). Judaism is the modern religion descended from the early Hebrew beliefs. The Torah states that the Hebrews were part of a covenant with God, which says that if the Hebrews kept believing in God, God would protect Abraham and his followers, even in hard times, and give them a home.

Canaan to Egypt Over time, the Hebrews in Canaan started calling themselves Israelites, named after Abraham’s grandson, Jacob. In the Torah, it says Jacob was also called Israel, who was the father of 12 tribes. The Torah tells of a terrible famine, or lack of food, in Canaan. The starving Israelites moved to Egypt, where Jacob’s son Joseph served as an adviser to Egypt’s pharaoh. At first, they were treated honorably. However, the pharaoh died and a new pharaoh came into power, who enslaved the Israelites to work on his buildings.

“Let My People Go” The Torah says that God commanded Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery and away from Egypt. This migration from Egypt is known as the Exodus. After leaving Egypt, Moses and his followers wandered the Sinai Desert for 40 years. The Torah says that Moses climbed Mount Sinai, where he spoke to God. God gave him the Ten Commandments, which became the rules for the Israelites. These commandments became an important part of the moral and ethical traditions of Western Civilizations such as Europe and North America.

The Ten Commandments

Return to the Holy Land The Israelites, under the command of Jacob, chosen by Moses, returned to Canaan. However, during their long period in Egypt and the desert, new people had moved in, and didn’t want to leave. Jacob united the 12 Tribes, and after 200 years of fighting, the Israelites managed to retake the land of Canaan. During the 200 years of fighting, the Israelites did not have a single powerful ruler. Instead, the sought advice from leaders called judges, who were highly respected. These judges were military leaders, and one famous judge was Deborah, the only woman judge. Women generally were in charge of raising children and providing moral support. The judges also kept people to the Hebrew faith, and later helped select new leaders.