Chapter2

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The Hebrew history and practices
Hebrews became God’s chosen people after the Exodus. This article’s goal is to expound on their spiritual, social and cultural practices as seen in Spielvogel’s book, The Ancient Near East.
Hebrews – children of Israel.
Israelites became the children of Israel in the land of Canaan. The Hebrews tradition states that they were descendants of Abraham who came from Mesopotamia into Canaan and later on when in bondage in Egypt, Moses rescued them and guided them to Canaan. However, many scholars argue that the Egypt tradition is based on a biased story in that the Israelites only chose to preserve what they chose to believe about themselves, and that the Israelites were indigenous people yet their tradition suggested that they were nomadic people.
Israel was portrayed as a united nation on several occasions. Their solidarity gave King Saul victory against the Philistines and King David victory against the Moabites. King Solomon also constructed a temple to symbolize the religion of the Israelites which also shows unity.
Early Israelites had many gods, but Yahweh later became their one true God who was omnipotent, transcendent and punisher of those who do against his will, yet still compassionate. Religion had three aspects: covenant, law, and prophets. The covenant was a contract that the Israelites would obey the commands of the Lord and in exchange, He would make them His most treasured possession. The laws were given as the Ten Commandments CITATION Spi13 p 5 l 2057 (Spielvogel 5)Prophets were religious leaders who represented God.

They enforced the covenant, encouraged peace and condemned social injustices.
The Hebrews had various social patterns: men of rank and influence, common people, commerce people, peasants, and artisans. Families were headed by the father. They composed of the parents and sons with their wives and children too. Marriage was primarily for reproduction. Monogamy and Polygamy were practiced. The girls were less valued in society.

Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Spielvogel, Jackson J.. “The Ancient Near East: Peoples and Empires.” Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: A Brief History. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2013. 32-45. Print.