Ashdod was originally allotted to the Tribe of Judah when the Land of Israel was divided. The Philistines conquered Ashdod, and during the reign of King Saul they took the captured Ark of the Covenant to Ashdod.

Generations later, King Uzziah’s of Judea recaptured Ashdod.

Generations later, during the 70-year Babylonian exile, Jewish residents of Jerusalem intermarried with non-Jewish women from Ashdod. They divorced these women as part of a mass repentance process during the days of Nehemiah.

Ashdod was originally allotted to the Tribe of Judah when the Land of Israel was divided. The Philistines conquered Ashdod, and during the reign of King Saul they took the captured Ark of the Covenant to Ashdod.

Generations later, King Uzziah’s of Judea recaptured Ashdod.

Generations later, during the 70-year Babylonian exile, Jewish residents of Jerusalem intermarried with non-Jewish women from Ashdod. They divorced these women as part of a mass repentance process during the days of Nehemiah.

Beersheba is often mentioned in the Bible as the southern boundary of Jewish settlement in ancient Israel. It was a vital city in biblical times, and all three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, spent time there (Genesis 21:33-34, 22:19, 26:23-33, 28:10). 

In contemporary Israel, Beersheba is known as “the capital of the Negev Desert.”

Bethel appears throughout the Bible as a special location for prayer. Abraham called out in God’s name in Bethel, and Bethel is named as the place where Jacob dreamed of angels going up and down a ladder. When the kingdom of Israel split, Jeroboam made two golden calves to deter the people of his kingdom from going to the Temple in Jerusalem. He placed one in Bethel at the southern border of his kingdom.

Bethlehem is a city in the territory of the tribe of Judah. It is where Rachel was buried on the way back from Haran, and it was the hometown of King David. Most of the events in the Book of Ruth took place in Bethlehem. Today, Rachel’s Tomb on the outskirts of contemporary Bethlehem remains a popular destination for people to pour out their hearts in prayer.

Chevron, also known as Kiryat Arba, is a city in the territory of Judah. It is the home of the Cave of Machpelah, where the patriarchs and most of the matriarchs are buried. Abraham’s purchase of the Cave of Machpelah was the first concrete action that established a Jewish connection with a particular site in the Land of Israel. 

Joshua conquered Hebron during the conquest of the Canaanite kings and gave it to Caleb. Later, Hebron was designated as a Levite city and City of Refuge. After Joshua’s death, the tribe of Judah re-conquered Hebron.

King David was told by God to move to Hebron, where he reigned for seven years before moving to Jerusalem. In less happy news, Absalom started his revolt against his father, King David, in Hebron. Absalom’s rebellion failed.

Yericho was the first city in the Land of Israel captured by the Israelites. In the famous battle for Yericho, the Israelites circled the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day, they circled the wall seven times after which the priests blew ram’s horns, the people shouted and the walls fell. 

After the destruction of Jericho, a curse was put on anyone who would rebuild the city. Hiel the Bethelite rebelliously rebuilt the city in the times of King Ahab, and received the curse. 

King Zedekiah was caught fleeing from the Babylonians in Yericho.

Yerushalayim is the capital of modern-day Israel and the ancestral capital of the Jews. The original name of Jerusalem was Shalem, ruled by Melchizedek, another name for Noah’s son Shem. 

King David made it the capital of his kingdom after conquering the city from the Jebusites, and it remained the capital of the Kingdom of Judah after the split of the Israelite kingdom, until the destruction of the Temple and the exile at the hands of the Babylonians. 

At the heart of Yerushalayim is the Temple Mount where both Temples stood, considered by Jews to be the holiest place on earth.

The Israelites crossed the Jordan River to conquer Jericho after spending 40 years in the desert. Judges Jephthah and Gideon both engaged in wars at the Jordan River. King Solomon located his brassworks along the River, which was a wooded area. Later, Elijah ascended in the presence of Elisha near the Jordan River.

The land of Moab was named after Moab, who conquered and rule that piece of land.

Moab figures prominently throughout the Hebrew Bible. The Israelites first go through Moab before entering the Land of Israel.

Throughout the period of the Judges and Kings, there are many wars and battles fought in Moab. In Ruth, Naomi’s family leaves Judea for Moab, where Ruth becomes part of the family.

Historically speaking, Moab is last mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel, who foretells the punishments to be inflicted on the kingdom of Moab.