1998 Israel Tour: Day Three: March 9
Jordan Valley, Bethshan, Ein-Harod, Jezreel, Samaria, Shechem

The Jordan River

Dick Clay collects some water from the Jordan River, just below the point where it flows out of the Sea of Galilee.

Bethshan

A view of Tel Bet She'an. In the foreground are some ruins from post-Biblical times (Byzantine and Roman). Behind these are the tell itself, the site of Old Testament Bethshan. At the corner of the Jezreel and Jordan valleys, Bethshan was the city upon whose walls the Philistines hung the dead bodies of (decapitated) King Saul, and his sons, after defeating them on nearby Mount Gilboa (I Samuel 31:7-13).

Columns at Bethshan

In the background are some columns that have been excavated and stood upright. These in the foreground were left to show how they had fallen over, perhaps during an earthquake.

Bethshan Ruins

Ruins of the city of Bethshan itself, on top of the tell, looking across the Jordan valley into Gilead.

Bethshan

A view of the massive excavation at the base of Tel Bet She'an, from the top of the tell.

Bet Alpha

Ann McDoniel visits with members of the kibbutz at Bet Alpha.

The Spring of Harod

A split screen image taken at the spring of Harod in the Jezreel valley. It was here that Gideon, at the Lord's direction, thinned out his army from 32,000 to a mere 300 men, in order to defeat the Midianite hordes who had invaded Israel. (You can read how the 300 pulled that off in Judges 7.) The final selection process required the men to drink from this spring. Those who knelt down to the water to drink, as Thaxter demonstrates on the left, were sent home from the battle. The three hundred men who "lapped" the water by bringing it up to their mouths with their hands, as David demonstrates on the right, were chosen by God to deliver Israel.

Jezreel

David Williams at the site of Jezreel, where King Ahab and his lovely wife Jezebel once had a summer palace. Jezebel met her demise here when she got shoved out a window, trampled by horses and eaten by dogs. (II Kings 9:30-37)

Palestinian Turkey

Thaxter refuses to believe that the meat served at our Arabic lunch was the "turkey" that it was claimed to be. It seemed more like beef, perhaps veal, perhaps . . . something else. Here he tries to get an honest answer from our Palestinian driver, Sammy. This mystery, like so many surrounding the Bible lands, may never be solved.

Lunch at Samaria

Next to his wife Joyce, Ben Kearney prepares to bite into dessert at lunchtime, while Yasser Arafat looks on.

Ahab's Ivory Palace

Here I am again, standing on the ruins of King Ahab's "ivory house" palace on the hill of Samaria, capital of the Northern Kindgom of Israel during his reign.

Hill of Samaria

Pat Stagner befriends some Palestinian children on the hill of Samaria. Notice the "Palestinian turkeys" in the background.