 | This article uses texts from within a religion or faith system without referring to secondary sources that critically analyze them. (June 2024) |
| Battle of Mount Zemaraim | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Jeroboam's Revolt | |||||||||
 Map of the two kingdoms in the 9th century BC, prior to the battle. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Kingdom of Judah | Kingdom of Israel | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| King Abijah of Judah | King Jeroboam of Israel | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 400,000 warriors | 800,000 warriors | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | 500,000 dead | ||||||||
The great Battle of Mount Zemaraim was reported in the Bible to have been fought in Mount Zemaraim, when the army of the Kingdom of Israel led by the king Jeroboam I encountered the army of the Kingdom of Judah led by the king Abijah I.[1] About 500,000 Israelites were said to have lain dead after this single engagement, though most modern commentators consider the numbers to be either wildly exaggerated or symbolic, and some have even questioned its fundamental historicity.[2] A chronology proposed by Edwin Thiele suggests the battle would have taken place around 913 BC.
- ^ 2 Chronicles 13:2b-18
- ^ Gomes, Jules Francis (2006). The sanctuary of Bethel and the configuration of israelite identity. Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 205. ISBN 9783110189933.