The Military History of Ancient Israel

356 Pages·2003·1.59 MB·English

by  Richard A. Gabriel

The Military History
of Ancient Israel
Richard A. Gabriel
PRAEGER
The Military History
of Ancient Israel
Other Books By Richard A. Gabriel
Great Armies of Antiquity (2002)
Sebastian’s Cross (2002)
Gods of Our Fathers: The Memory of Egypt in Judaism and Christianity (2001)
Warrior Pharaoh (2001)
Great Captains of Antiquity (2000)
Great Battles of Antiquity (1994)
A Short History of War: Evolution of Warfare and Weapons (1994)
History of Military Medicine: Ancient Times to the Middle Ages (1992)
History of Military Medicine: Renaissance to the Present (1992)
From Sumer to Rome: The Military Capabilities of Ancient Armies (1991)
The Culture of War: Invention and Early Development (1990)
The Painful Field: Psychiatric Dimensions of Modern War (1988)
No More Heroes: Madness and Psychiatry in War (1987)
The Last Centurion (French, 1987)
Military Psychiatry: A Comparative Perspective (1986)
Soviet Military Psychiatry (1986)
Military Incompetence: Why the American Military Doesn’t Win (1985)
Operation Peace for Galilee: The Israeli-PLO War in Lebanon (1985)
The Antagonists: An Assessment of the Soviet and American Soldier (1984)
The Mind of the Soviet Fighting Man (1984)
Fighting Armies: NATO and the Warsaw Pact (1983)
Fighting Armies: Antagonists of the Middle East (1983)
Fighting Armies: Armies of the Third World (1983)
To Serve with Honor: A Treatise on Military Ethics (1982)
The New Red Legions: An Attitudinal Portrait of the Soviet Soldier (1980)
The New Red Legions: A Survey Data Sourcebook (1980)
Managers and Gladiators: Directions of Change in the Army (1978)
Crisis in Command: Mismanagement in the Army (1978)
Ethnic Groups in America (1978)
Program Evaluation: A Social Science Approach (1978)
The Ethnic Factor in the Urban Polity (1973)
The Environment: Critical Factors in Strategy Development (1973)
The Military History
of Ancient Israel
Richard A. Gabriel
Foreword by Mordechai Gichon
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Gabriel,RichardA.
ThemilitaryhistoryofancientIsrael/RichardA.Gabriel;forewordbyMordechaiGichon.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0–275–97798–6(alk.paper)
1. MilitaryhistoryoftheBible. 2. Bible.O.T.Pentateuch—HistoryofBiblicalevents.
3. Bible.O.T.Formerprophets—HistoryofBiblicalevents. 4. Jews—Wars. 5. Military
artandscience—History—To500. 6. Palestine—History,Military. I. Title.
BS1197.G322003
221.9'5—dc21 2003053022
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:1)2003byRichardA.Gabriel
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2003053022
ISBN:0–275–97798–6
Firstpublishedin2003
PraegerPublishers,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.praeger.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
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InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Joel and Ann Klein
Whose lives have helped light the earth
and for
Mordechai Gichon, soldier, teacher, scholar,
and Chava, whose gentle eyes calm the storm

Contents
Illustrations ix
Foreword xi
Preface xvii
1. The Land of Israel 1
2. Armies of the Bible 17
3. The Exodus 59
4. The Campaigns of Joshua 109
5. Wars of the Judges 153
6. Saul’s Wars 187
7. David and the Israelite Empire 229
8. Solomon 283
Selected Bibliography 309
Index 317

Illustrations
FIGURES
1.1 The Land of Israel 4
1.2 Strategic Roads, Passes, and Fortifications 11
2.1 Canaanite Charioteer, 1200 b.c.e. 20
2.2 Canaanite Chariot, 1250 b.c.e. 21
2.3 Canaanite Infantryman, 1200 b.c.e. 22
2.4 Peleset/Philistine Heavy Infantryman, 1200 b.c.e. 25
2.5 Israelite Light Infantryman, Davidic Era, 1050 b.c.e. 34
2.6 Israelite Charioteer and Horse of Solomonic Era, 1000 b.c.e. 36
2.7 Israelite Infantryman, 800 b.c.e. 36
2.8 Egyptian Chariot, New Kingdom, 1400–1150 b.c.e. 41
2.9 Idealized Egyptian Division of the New Kingdom 42
2.10 Egyptian Heavy Infantryman, 1200 b.c.e. 43
2.11 Assyrian Chariot, 800 b.c.e. 50
2.12 Assyrian Cavalry Archer-Lancer Team, 800 b.c.e. 52
3.1 Amarna Relief Showing a Unit of Akhenaten’s Asiatic and
Libyan Mercenaries 68
3.2 Ramses II’s Military Camp Portrayed at Luxor 76
3.3 Night Crossing of the Reed Sea 80