Jerusalem, in the hill country eighteen miles west of the north end of the Dead Sea, began as a small settlement around 3500 B.C. It grew around the Gihon Spring, one of only two sources of water in the area around what would later be called the “temple mount.” The city is mentioned in ancient Egyptian writings and might have once been called Salem (Gen 14.18).

When David became king of Israel, he captured the walled city of Jerusalem around 1000 B.C. from the Jebusites (Gen 10.6-20; 2 Sam 5, 6) and made it Israel's new capital. This decision helped to unify the country, since this neutral city was located between the feuding northern and southern tribes of Israel. The city grew under David's son, King Solomon, who extended the city to the north and built his palace and a temple to the Lord on the eastern hill. King Hezekiah (ruled 727-688 B.C.) further enlarged the city to include the western hill. In 586 B.C., when Judah’s most important citizens were taken off to Babylonia as prisoners, much of Jerusalem was left in ruins. Under the Jewish Maccabean kings (140-63 B.C.), it became prominent once again. By the time of Herod's rule (40-4 B.C.), Jerusalem covered more than 200 acres and had a population of forty thousand.

Solomon's temple, which the Babylonians destroyed in 586 B.C., was rebuilt on a smaller scale by Nehemiah after the Persians allowed the Jews to return to their land (445 B.C.), then known as Judea. When Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) conquered the Near East, the influence of Greek culture began to spread throughout the world. The Syrian (Seleucid) rulers who took over control of Palestine after Alexander’s death had been influenced by the Greeks, and so began to turn Jerusalem into a typical Greek-style city. In 168 B.C., Antiochus IV of Syria made the temple a shrine to the Greek god Zeus. He also built a fortress just north of the temple so that his troops could keep an eye on the city and surrounding area. When the Jewish family known as the Maccabees came to power around 140 B.C., they made the western hill their seat of government.

The Romans took over Judea in 63 B.C., but it wasn't until 37 B.C. that Herod was able to capture Jerusalem. He expanded the city by enlarging the temple area on the eastern hill. He built a huge stone platform for the temple and its courtyards that covered more than one and a half million square feet. He lived in a palace on the western hill, surrounded by his wealthy supporters. Massive towers protected the palace, and a bridge crossed the valley between two hills. Another huge tower was built north of the temple area. A grand staircase led south from the temple mount to the older, poorer part of the city below. The northern city wall connected the tower overlooking the temple with Herod's palace. All of these structures would still have been in place in Jesus' day. 

During the first Jewish revolt against the Romans (A.D. 66-70), the temple and much of the city were destroyed. After the second revolt (A.D. 130-135), the Romans built a new temple to their god Jupiter on the temple mount. They renamed the city Aelia Capitolina, and would not allow the Jews into the city in an effort to prevent any new uprisings. Since then, many different groups have controlled Jerusalem, including Byzantine Christians, Islamic rulers, Latin Christians, and Ottoman Turks. Today it is the capital of the Jewish state of Israel, as well as a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims around the world.