Roughly four hundred years passed between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. The northern kingdom of Israel was demolished during the Assyrian Captivity of 733 B.C.E. Then there was only the southern kingdom of Judah. Judah, too, was demolished during the Babylonian Captivity of 583 B.C.E.

After the Babylonian Captivity, the regions of Israel and Judah experienced political and military turmoil that resulted in a centuries-long ebb and flow of geographical boundaries and changes in place names. For instance, after the Maccabean revolt ended in 145 B.C.E., the area became a relatively independent state known as the Hasmonean kingdom. This dynasty lasted until 63 B.C.E., at which time the area came under the control of the Roman Empire.