The Time of the Tribal Confederacy (c. 1250-1030)
According to the Bible, the Hebrews begin to consolidate as a loose tribal confederacy in the hill country of the later Judaea and Samaria. Their common purpose is defense against the Canaanite city states and the Philistaeans in the fertile coastal plains who possess superior weaponry. Tracing their common ancestry to slaves escaped from Egypt and to semi-nomadic herdsmen, the Hebrews loath the urban society and fertility rituals of the Canaanite agriculturists. Their god YHWH endorses charismatic leaders and war lords, the biblical judges, but no permanent leader or king.
Biblical Texts Pertaining to the City of Jerusalem Before the Rise of the First Israelite Monarchy under Saul