Jez´ree-uhl; Heb., “God sows”
1 A town on the southern border of Issachar, commanding the Valley of Jezreel. Here the Israelites encamped before battling the Philistines (1Sam 29), and this was one of the towns over which Ishbosheth, son of Saul, briefly reigned (2Sam 2:9). Ahab had a royal residence here (1Kgs 18:45; 1Kgs 18:46), and Naboth’s vineyard, which Jezebel plotted to obtain, was beside the palace (1Kgs 21). At Jezreel, Jezebel met her bloody death (2Kgs 9:30-37), as did the remainder of the house of Ahab (2Kgs 10:1-11). 2 The Valley of Jezreel, the eastern section of the broad valley separating Galilee from Samaria. The Canaanites controlled the valley with chariots of iron when the Israelites entered the land (Josh 17:16), and here Gideon met the Midianites and Amalekites in battle (Judg 6:33-7:23). According to Hosea (Hos 1:5) it was in this valley that the battle bringing an end to the kingdom of Israel would take place. 3 A town of Judah, location unknown, but probably southwest of Hebron in the vicinity of Ziph and Juttah (Josh 15:56). A wife of David, Ahinoam, was from there. 4 The son of Etam, a descendant of Judah (1Chr 4:3). 5 The first son of Hosea (Hos 1:4), named symbolically for the acts that were to befall Israel because of the blood shed by Jehu at Jezreel.
