'Cities' in the Bible

Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. He stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

But as for the Israelites living in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

Rehoboam stayed in Jerusalem, and he fortified cities in Judah.

Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin.

Rehoboam also showed discernment by dispersing some of his sons to all the regions of Judah and Benjamin and to all the fortified cities. He gave them plenty of provisions and sought many wives for them.

He captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel and its villages, Jeshanah and its villages, and Ephron and its villages.

He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom experienced peace under him.

Because the land experienced peace, Asa built fortified cities in Judah. No one made war with him in those days because the Lord gave him rest.

So he said to the people of Judah, “Let’s build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, with doors and bars. The land is still ours because we sought the Lord our God. We sought Him and He gave us rest on every side.” So they built and succeeded.

Then they attacked all the cities around Gerar because the terror of the Lord was on them. They also plundered all the cities, since there was a great deal of plunder in them.

When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He renovated the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.

Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies to the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.

He stationed troops in every fortified city of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.

In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah.

Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah

These were the ones who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

He appointed judges in all the fortified cities of the land of Judah, city by city.

for every dispute that comes to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities—whether it regards differences of bloodguilt, law, commandment, statutes, or judgments—you are to warn them, so they will not incur guilt before the Lord and wrath will not come on you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not incur guilt.

who gathered to seek the Lord. They even came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him.

Their father had given them many gifts of silver, gold, and valuable things, along with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

They made a circuit throughout Judah. They gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of the families of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

So he gathered the priests and Levites and said, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel to repair the temple of your God as needed year by year, and do it quickly.”However, the Levites did not hurry.

As for the men of the division that Amaziah sent back so they would not go with him into battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, struck down 3,000 of their people, and took a great deal of plunder.

Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines, and he tore down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. Then he built cities in the vicinity of Ashdod and among the Philistines.

He also built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.

The Philistines also raided the cities of the Judean foothills and the Negev of Judah and captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its villages, Timnah and its villages, Gimzo and its villages, and they lived there.

When all this was completed, all Israel who had attended went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, to the last one. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own possession.

As for the Israelites and Judahites who lived in the cities of Judah, they also brought a tenth of the cattle and sheep, and a tenth of the dedicated things that were consecrated to the Lord their God. They gathered them into large piles.

Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah in the cities of the priests were to faithfully distribute it under his authority to their brothers by divisions, whether large or small.

and to the descendants of Aaron, the priests, in the common fields of their cities, in each and every city. There were men who were registered by name to distribute a portion to every male among the priests and to every Levite recorded by genealogy.

After these faithful deeds, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities and intended to break into them.

He made cities for himself, and he acquired herds of sheep and cattle in abundance, for God gave him abundant possessions.

After this, he built the outer wall of the city of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate; he brought it around the Ophel, and he heightened it considerably. He also placed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.

He did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali and on their surrounding mountain shrines.

and the rest of the peoples whom the great and illustrious Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the region west of the Euphrates River.

They captured fortified cities and fertile landand took possession of well-supplied houses,cisterns cut out of rock, vineyards,olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance.They ate, were filled,became prosperous, and delighted in Your great goodness.

In each of King Ahasuerus’s provinces the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them. Not a single person could withstand them; terror of them fell on every nationality.

with the kings and counselors of the earth,who rebuilt ruined cities for themselves,

he will dwell in ruined cities,in abandoned houses destined to become piles of rubble.

The enemy has come to eternal ruin;You have uprooted the cities,and the very memory of them has perished.

for God will save Zionand build up the cities of Judah.They will live there and possess it.

May there be plenty of grain in the land;may it wave on the tops of the mountains.May its crops be like Lebanon.May people flourish in the citieslike the grass of the field.

You have broken down all his walls;You have reduced his fortified cities to ruins.

Your land is desolate,your cities burned with fire;foreigners devour your fieldsbefore your very eyes—a desolation demolished by foreigners.

Then I said, “Until when, Lord?” And He replied:Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants,houses are without people,the land is ruined and desolate,

who turned the world into a wilderness,who destroyed its citiesand would not release the prisoners to return home?”

Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons,because of the iniquity of their fathers.They will never rise up to possess a landor fill the surface of the earth with cities.

The cities of Aroer are forsaken;they will be places for flocks.They will lie down without fear.

On that day their strong cities will belike the abandoned woods and mountaintopsthat were abandoned because of the Israelites;there will be desolation.

On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the Lord of Hosts. One of the cities will be called the City of the Sun.

The highways are deserted;travel has ceased.An agreement has been broken,cities despised,and human life disregarded.

Her palaces will be overgrown with thorns;her fortified cities, with thistles and briers.She will become a dwelling for jackals,an abode for ostriches.

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.

Have you not heard?I designed it long ago;I planned it in days gone by.I have now brought it to pass,and you have crushed fortified citiesinto piles of rubble.

Zion, herald of good news,go up on a high mountain.Jerusalem, herald of good news,raise your voice loudly.Raise it, do not be afraid!Say to the cities of Judah,“Here is your God!”

Let the desert and its cities shout,the settlements where Kedar dwells cry aloud.Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy;let them cry out from the mountaintops.

who confirms the message of His servantand fulfills the counsel of His messengers;who says to Jerusalem, “She will be inhabited,”and to the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,”and I will restore her ruins;

For you will spread out to the right and to the left,and your descendants will dispossess nationsand inhabit the desolate cities.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins;they will restore the former devastations;they will renew the ruined cities,the devastations of many generations.

Your holy cities have become a wilderness;Zion has become a wilderness,Jerusalem a desolation.

Indeed, I am about to summon all the clans and kingdoms of the north.”This is the Lord’s declaration.They will come, and each king will set up his throneat the entrance to Jerusalem’s gates.They will attack all her surrounding wallsand all the other cities of Judah.

The young lions have roared at him;they have roared loudly.They have laid waste his land.His cities are in ruins, without inhabitants.

But where are your gods you made for yourself?Let them rise up and save youin your time of disaster if they can,for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah.

Declare in Judah, proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:Blow the ram’s horn throughout the land.Cry out loudly and say:Assemble yourselves,and let’s flee to the fortified cities.

A lion has gone up from his thicket;a destroyer of nations has set out.He has left his lairto make your land a waste.Your cities will be reduced to uninhabited ruins.

Warn the nations: Look!Proclaim to Jerusalem:Those who besiege are comingfrom a distant land;they raise their voicesagainst the cities of Judah.

I looked, and the fertile field was a wilderness.All its cities were torn downbecause of the Lordand His burning anger.

Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down.A wolf from an arid plain will ravage them.A leopard keeps watch over their cities.Anyone who leaves them will be torn to piecesbecause their rebellious acts are many,their unfaithful deeds numerous.

They will consume your harvest and your food.They will consume your sons and your daughters.They will consume your flocks and your herds.They will consume your vines and your fig trees.They will destroy with the swordyour fortified cities in which you trust.

Don’t you see how they behave in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

I will remove from the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and gladness and the voices of the groom and the bride, for the land will become a desolate waste.

Why are we just sitting here?Gather together; let us enter the fortified citiesand perish there,for the Lord our God has destroyed us.He has given us poisoned water to drink,because we have sinned against the Lord.

I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble,a jackals’ den.I will make the cities of Judah a desolation,an uninhabited place.

Listen! A noise—it is coming—a great commotion from the land to the north.The cities of Judah will be made desolate,a jackals’ den.

The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Obey the words of this covenant and carry them out.

Then the cities of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods they have been burning incense to, but they certainly will not save them in their time of disaster.

Your gods are indeed as numerous as your cities, Judah, and the altars you have set up to Shame—altars to burn incense to Baal—as numerous as the streets of Jerusalem.

The cities of the Negev are under siege;no one can help them.All of Judah has been taken into exile,taken completely into exile.

Then people will come from the cities of Judah and from the area around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the Judean foothills, from the hill country and from the Negev bringing burnt offerings and sacrifice, grain offerings and frankincense, and thank offerings to the house of the Lord.

Let that man be like the citiesthe Lord demolished without compassion.Let him hear an outcry in the morningand a war cry at noontime

For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:You are like Gilead to Me,or the summit of Lebanon,but I will certainly turn you into a wilderness,uninhabited cities.

These included:Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah, its kings and its officials, to make them a desolate ruin, an object of scorn and cursing—as it is today;

“This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple and speak all the words I have commanded you to speak to all Judah’s cities that are coming to worship there. Do not hold back a word.

Set up road markers for yourself;establish signposts!Keep the highway in mind,the way you have traveled.Return, Virgin Israel!Return to these cities of yours.

This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “When I restore their fortunes, they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, ‘May the Lord bless you, righteous settlement, holy mountain.’

Judah and all its cities will live in it together—also farmers and those who move with the flocks—

“This is what the Lord says: In this place, which you say is a ruin, without man or beast—that is, in Judah’s cities and Jerusalem’s streets that are a desolation without man, without inhabitant, and without beast—there will be heard again

“This is what the Lord of Hosts says: In this desolate place—without man or beast—and in all its cities there will once more be a grazing land where shepherds may rest flocks.

The flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them in the cities of the hill country, the cities of the Judean foothills, the cities of the Negev, the land of Benjamin—the cities surrounding Jerusalem and Judah’s cities, says the Lord.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, all his army, all the earthly kingdoms under his control, and all other nations were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding cities:

while the king of Babylon’s army was attacking Jerusalem and all of Judah’s remaining cities—against Lachish and Azekah, for they were the only ones left of Judah’s fortified cities.

I am about to give the command”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. I will make Judah’s cities a desolation, without inhabitant.”

so you must go and read from the scroll—which you wrote at my dictation—the words of the Lord in the hearing of the people at the temple of the Lord on a day of fasting. You must also read them in the hearing of all the Judeans who are coming from their cities.

In the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people of Jerusalem and all those coming in from Judah’s cities into Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord.

When Jeremiah had not yet turned to go, Nebuzaradan said to him: “Return to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people or go wherever you want to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him a ration and a gift and released him.

As for me, I am going to live in Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who come to us. As for you, gather wine, summer fruit, and oil, place them in your storage jars, and live in the cities you have captured.”

“This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: You have seen all the disaster I brought against Jerusalem and all Judah’s cities; look, they are a ruin today without an inhabitant in them

So My fierce wrath poured out and burned in Judah’s cities and Jerusalem’s streets so that they became the desolate ruin they are today.

Instead, we will do everything we said we would: burn incense to the queen of heaven and offer drink offerings to her just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our officials did in Judah’s cities and in Jerusalem’s streets. Then we had enough food and good things and saw no disaster,