Mt. Arbel as an example of violence in warfare 2

In ancient warfare, it wasn’t unusual for an army to practice genocide. One way to do that quickly was to throw prisoners, enemy combatants, or even children over the edge of a great cliff. This is referenced only a few times in the Bible. In 2 Chronicles 25:10-12, the army of Judah killed 10,000 Edomites by dashing them to pieces off an unnamed cliff in the Judean Desert. In Psalm 137, a heart-broken person pours out a lament referencing the destruction of children by the Babylonian army. Isaiah and Hosea also seem to reference this act of ancient terrorism. The cliffs of Arbel were witness to such an event that is not recorded in the Bible. As Herod the Great took Judea in the years before Jesus was born, he ordered his soldiers to throw the families of rebel soldiers off the Arbel cliffs. This would have included women and children, and was a troubling omen for the day coming when Herod would order the slaughter of infants in Bethlehem. Imagine how difficult it must have been for the people of Arbel to consider forgiving their enemies! Herod’s family was still in charge, and Roman soldiers roamed the land. They were not yet a century removed from Herod’s slaughter at Arbel, and they lived near the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus did most of his preaching.