Jezreel Valley loop from Mt. Carmel summit

The Jezreel Valley is the setting for several Bible stories. This very fertile plain is heavily farmed and might be called the “breadbasket of the Galilee.” Little wonder the invading Midianites were in the Jezreel Valley when Gideon fought against them (Judges 6). The Philistines also wanted the land, which is why Saul fought them there (1 Samuel 29). Saul lost his life in that battle. Hosea used a play on words to announce judgement on the northern kingdom. “Jezreel” means “God scatters,” or “God sows.” Hosea told his audience that God was sowing judgment on the unrepentant northern kingdom. In the same way it takes time for seeds to mature into a harvest, it would take time before God’s judgement fell. Hosea married a “promiscuous” woman. When they had a son, the prophet named the boy Jezreel. Both his wife and his son served as a symbolic message of God’s coming judgment. With all the prosperity offered by the fruitful valley, it’s little wonder Hosea’s message fell on deaf ears. The valley was also home to major highways that connected Asia and Europe to Africa. Jesus traveled in the valley many times.