Following the great revolt of the Jews from 66-70 AD, the walls of Jerusalem were breached on Tammuz 17, and the temple was destroyed. For nearly 1900 years, Jerusalem endured one overthrow after another. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, the British assumed control of Palestine. On November 2, 1917, the Balfour Declaration expressed favor for establishing a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. On May 14, 1948, the state of Israel was born against all odds. Even though Israel became a nation in 1948, no one had complete control of Jerusalem until 1967, after the Six Day War, when it once again came into the possession of the Jewish nation. In 2017, the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. President Harry Truman was the first to recognize Israel as an independent nation in 1948. In 1973, during the Yom Kippur War, Israel faced a critical moment, and President Richard Nixon provided crucial support, enabling Israel to defeat their enemies.

The text presents academic theories on the emergence of ancient Israel, including the conquest model based on Joshua 1-12, the peaceful infiltration model of pastoralists migrating from Transjordan into the Western Highlands, the social revolution model of Canaanite serfs becoming apiru or habiru outlaws who joined desert nomads, and the pastoral Canaanite or sedentarisation model of native highland pastoralists settling into villages that incorporated other ethnic groups. These theories place Israel's entry into Canaan in the late thirteenth century BC during the reign of Ramses II. The text contrasts them with the biblical narrative of Israel's origins from Abraham and Sarah, through Isaac and Jacob whose name was changed to Israel, descent into Egypt as slaves, redemption and wilderness journey, and entry into Canaan under Joshua where existing cities, houses, wells, vineyards, and olive groves were taken over as described in Deuteronomy 6:10-12 and Joshua 24:11-13. Early Israelite architecture was Canaanite until the time of David and Solomon when a distinct style emerged. Israel became a kingdom under Saul, David, and Solomon after about four hundred years as tribes. Assyria conquered Israel in 722 BC as detailed in II Kings 17:5-6 and 18, while Babylon conquered Judah in 585-586 BC as detailed in II Kings 25:1-16, practicing total war that erased much material evidence. Subsequent empires repurposed remaining artifacts over centuries.

Israel's history technically begins with Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. In fact, he was at least in his nineties when God changed his name to Israel. His descendants thus became known as Israelites. This also means that before this time, no Israelite had ever existed. Even Abraham and Isaac were not Israelites or Jews. They were Hebrews. Realistically, though, Israel's national history begins with God's calling of Abraham to emigrate from Mesopotamia to Canaan. God promised to make of him a great nation, though he and his wife, Sarah, were childless. After many years and trials, they bore Isaac, the promised son. However, God called upon Abraham to sacrifice his only son on Mount Moriah, and in great faith in God's promises, Abraham and Isaac did as God commanded. At the last moment, God intervened, due to Abraham's faith and obedience. Because of this, God repeated and broadened His promises. No longer were there any ifs attached to them. They were now unconditional. Abraham's descendants would multiply beyond counting and possess the gate of their enemies. Most importantly, God promised that from Abraham would spring the Messiah, who would be a blessing to all nations. These promises were later repeated to Isaac and Jacob. Jacob fathered twelve sons by four women, and these twelve became the forebears of the twelve tribes of Israel. The firstborn, Reuben, lost his status as primary heir because of his sexual misconduct. Along with the patriarchal blessing, Jacob split the inheritance into two parts: the scepter and the birthright. The scepter, that is, the right to rule over the other tribes, went to Judah, his fourth son. With the scepter came the promise of the Messiah, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Only Judah's descendants are rightfully called Jews. Jacob bestowed the birthright, that is, the double portion of inheritance and the patriarchal blessing, on Joseph, his eleventh son. However, Jacob did something unusual in blessing Joseph. He adopted Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, placing Ephraim, the younger, ahead of the firstborn, Manasseh. The descendants of these two adopted sons of Israel are sometimes called half-tribes, as they each comprise half of the tribe of Joseph. Because of severe famine, Jacob and his sons migrated to Egypt where Joseph, now Egypt's prime minister, provided them with land in Goshen. While Joseph lived, the Israelites prospered and multiplied there, but not long after he died, new rulers arose in Egypt and enslaved them. The Israelites suffered horribly under their taskmasters. They cried out to God for relief and deliverance, and He called upon Moses, a Levite raised in the court of Pharaoh, to bring them out of bondage. After ten devastating plagues, God caused Pharaoh to grant the Israelites leave. Amazingly, God even allowed them to collect their back wages when they spoiled the Egyptians. As a final sign of His displeasure, God destroyed Egypt's army at the Red Sea, while the Israelites crossed over on dry land. As Israel journeyed in the wilderness to the Promised Land, God provided Israel with food and drink, while their shoes and clothing did not wear out. Within several weeks, God led them to Mount Sinai, where He instructed the people about His law and made a covenant with them. This covenant bound Israel to follow God's way of life as an example to the rest of the world, and God agreed to bless them if they obeyed Him. While at Mount Sinai, Israel constructed the Tabernacle and its implements. God also appointed Aaron and his progeny as priests and made the Sabbath a perpetual covenant between Himself and His people. Here, too, the Israelites committed idolatry with the Golden Calf, showing they had not really accepted their part in the covenant. Already, Israel began to demonstrate the pattern they would follow repeatedly throughout its history, a constant cycle of zeal for God, apostasy, punishment and deliverance. After forty y