"God sows, or scatters."
The valley of Jezreel designates the great flat triangle that cuts through Palestine, immediately north of Carmel; It is 35 km long and, to the east, 25 km wide.
It is also known as Esdraelon, a Greek modification of the name Jezreel, and also by the name of the plain of Megiddo (cf. Jdt. 1:8; 3:9; 4:6; 7:3).
In Gideon's time, the Midianites pitched camp in the Jezreel Valley (Judg. 6:33). It was many times a battlefield for numerous nations. It is one of the few places in Palestine where armies can be arranged in battle order.
It is also the strategic key of the country. In the time of the Judges, Sisera and the Canaanites were defeated here (Judges 5:19).
Ahaziah, king of Judah, died there (2 Kings 9:27), as did King Josiah, wounded in battle against Pharaoh Neco (2 Kings 23:29; Zech. 12:11). According to prophecy, it is to be the field where the last battle in history will be fought (Rev. 16:16).
Meaning of JEZREEL (VALLEY)
"God sows, or scatters."
The valley of Jezreel designates the great flat triangle that cuts through Palestine, immediately north of Carmel; It is 35 km long and, to the east, 25 km wide.
