In the early Hebrew empire, Saul's heir David was much more strategic than he was and had great success. Under David's rule, for the first time, the Hebrew nation saw an unprecedented spectacle of prosperity. The fundamental reason was that they formed a close alliance with the Tyre people of Phoenicia.
The monarch of Tyre, Hiram, appears to have been a resourceful and well-educated figure. He wanted to establish a safe business route through the Hebrew mountains to the Red Sea. In the past, Phoenician merchants generally traveled through Egypt to the Red Sea, but Egypt was in an eventful autumn, the country was in chaos, and perhaps some other obstacles, so Hiram maintained a very close relationship with David and his son, Solomon, the heir to the throne.
Under the protection of Hiram, Jerusalem built walls, royal palaces, and temples. In return, King Hiram was able to build sailing ships in the Red Sea. As a result, large-scale trade traveled from south to north to Jerusalem. Solomon thus led the nation to unprecedented prosperity, and he even married the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh.
Statue of David, made by Lautolo.
But things are always relative. Even at the glorious peak of Jerusalem's prosperity, Solomon was little king of a small city-state, and his authority was short-lived. A few years after his death, Jerusalem was occupied by the first Pharaoh of Egypt, Pharaoh Sheik, and the prosperity of the past was completely destroyed.
Many critics have questioned the old Testament descriptions of Solomon's nobility and luxury in the Book of Kings, which they believe were whitewashed and exaggerated by later writers out of patriotism and self-esteem. But if you read the accounts of the Bible carefully, one will find that the level of luxury does not seem to frighten you as much as you would when you first read it. If you take a look at Solomon's temple, you can see that it is no bigger than a small church in the suburbs. But if we know from the Assyrian monuments that Solomon's successor, Ehad, once sent an army of 2,000 men to confront the Assyrian army, then Solomon's 1,400 chariots are nothing remarkable.
Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem
The Bible also makes it clear that Solomon was a man of great vanity, with heavy taxes and heavy labor on the people. When he died, the northern part of the kingdom split off from Jerusalem to become the independent kingdom of Israel, which remained the capital of the Jewish state.
The prosperity of the Hebrew nation was short-lived. After Hiram's death, Jerusalem was no longer able to get Tyre's help. At this time, Egypt was once again revitalized.
The history of Israel and the Jewish state became the history of two small states sandwiched between Syria in the north, then Assyria, and then Babylon and Egypt in the south. This history is just a story of struggling and struggling in misfortune; It is also the story of an uncivilized king ruling over a group of savage peoples.
In 721 BC, the kingdom of Israel was completely engulfed by the Assyrians, all became captives, and Israel disappeared from history ever since. As we have already said, the Jews continued to fight until 604 B.C., when they suffered the same devastation as Israel.
In biblical stories, the history of Hebrew from the time of the judges is largely true, except in some small places where criticism and discussion can be made. In fact, it is consistent with the results of the last century's study of the ruins excavated in Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon.
The Hebrews collected and organized their history and developed their traditions in Babylon. When Cyrus ordered them to return to Jerusalem, both spiritually and intellectually, they were very different from when they were captured. They have learned civilization. In the development of their peculiar national character, there is a kind of person, or a certain new type of person, who plays an extremely important role, that is, the prophet. We must now pay the utmost attention to these people. The emergence of these prophets marked a new and prominent force that had taken shape in the steady development of human society.
（H· G. Wells's "History of the World You Should Know" Reading Notes)