Famous Battles at Megiddo

Through the Valley of Jezreel many armies have marched and fought, from the days of Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III to Napoleon and, in this century, General Edmund H.H. Allenby. Allenby's decisive victory at Megiddo in 1918 forced the Turks to relinquish control of Palestine to the British. Thereafter he was often referred to as Allenby of Armageddon.

One of the earliest battles near Megiddo was between Thutmose III and a Canaanite coalition under the leadership of the king of Qadesh in 1482 B.C. (James B. Pritchard, Ed., The Harper Atlas of the Bible, Harper & Row, New York, 1987, p. 41). This battle displayed the tactical genius and daring of Thutmose III, who, rejecting his officers' cautious advice, decided to march his army single file through the narrow pass. His enemy was caught by surprise. The next day, at first light, Thutmose led a forceful charge in the center of the enemy's front line. The Canaanites broke and ran, and Megiddo was subsequently placed under siege. Six months later it capitulated (ibid.).

Deborah and Barak sang a song of praise to God (Judges 5), extolling Him for helping Israel defeat the Canaanite army and Sisera near Megiddo (verse 19). The battle area was at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo, and Scripture says the Canaanites were swept away by the suddenly swollen waters of the Kishon River (verses 19-21).

Gideon, a later hero of Israel, defeated the Midianites (Judges 7) in the Valley of Jezreel (Judges 6:33), also know as the Plain of Esdraelon, or Megiddo.

Two great Israelite disasters took place near Megiddo: the deaths of King Saul (1 Samuel 31:8) and King Josiah (2 Kings 23:29-30; 2 Chronicles 35:22-24). Pharaoh-necho, leading his army from Egypt to Carchemish to battle the Babylonians, was confronted by Josiah, who was killed in the ensuing battle.

Under Tiglath-pileser III (ca. 745-727 B.C.), Megiddo became the capital of a province in the Assyrian Empire. Later the Romans stationed a legion at or near Megiddo, giving the name Legio to the general area. Legio became so well known that both Eusebius and Jerome used it as a point from which to measure distances to other regional locations. GN

-- Jerold Aust