Jerusalem

The capital city of the Israelites when David and Solomon were kings. Later it was the capital city of the land of Judah and Judea. It had been a Jebusite city in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. David captured it and made it the centre of Israel’s government and worship practices. The temple was built on a hilltop in Jerusalem called Mount Moriah or Mount Zion. Zion became a way to talk about all of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was also called the City of David. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in the year 586 BC. Jews later rebuilt it and Jerusalem remained the centre for Jewish government and for worshipping God. It’s the capital city of the nation of Israel today. Jerusalem is in between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan.