David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 2 Samuel 5:4 I remember seeing from Tel Azekah a few years ago a new excavation at a site called Khirbet Qeiyafa. It has received quite a bit of press the last few years. I was excited to visit it a couple weeks ago. Khirbet Qeiyafa is situated overlooking the Elah Valley (where David fought Goliath) in the Shephelah (foothills). There are two gates through the city walls, making many think it may be Biblical Shaaraim (Hebrew for “two gates”) (Joshua 15:36, 1 Samuel 17:52). What […]
Tag Archives: Azekah
Swinging Doors of the Shephelah
When moving from the Mediterranean coast into the hills of Judah (places like Jerusalem and Bethlehem), travelers had several parallel routes to choose from. They were dominated by several valleys in a region called the Shephelah. I want to focus on the three most prominent today. The first, in the north, is the Aijalon Valley, dominated by the cities of Aijalon and Gezer. There was a road from here that led east up to lower and upper Beth Horon, to Gibeon and beyond. This route is mentioned a couple times with the Israelites routing their enemies westward (Joshua 10:12, 1 […]
Shephelah
Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out–Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah. Jeremish 34:6-7 We continued our journey west, emerging from the hill country to the shephelah, the low foothills. This region is characterized by low, rolling hills and wide valleys. The Sorek valley (mentioned last time) opened up as we crossed the limestone line. Sitting near the border is the ancient site of […]
The Wheat Harvest
He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat. Psalm 147:14 As I continue to travel around Israel, one of the blessings of visiting at this time of year is it’s the time of the wheat harvest. Last time I mentioned that Shavuot (Pentecost) marks the beginning of the wheat harvest. As we’ve gone around, I’ve noticed the wheat fields and many of them have been harvested already. As we stood on top of Tel Azekah, we saw a combine harvesting the wheat fields below us. The Bible mentions several stories happening at the time […]
I See Dead Archaeologists
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 I’ve been back from Galilee for over a week. There’s just one more Physical Settings trip remaining, which will begin this […]
Signal Fires
And may (my lord) be apprised that we are watching for the fire signals of Lachish according to all the signs which my lord has given, because we cannot see Azekah. Lachish Letter 4 Saturday was another field study, but for another class than Physical Settings. We visited Lachish and Mareshah, two cities in the Shephelah. Lachish was probably the second most important city in the kingdom of Judah, having large fortifications. The Assyrians (c. 701 BC) and Babylonians (c. 587 BC) both besieged here and destroyed the city. There were ostraca (potsherds with writing on them) found here which […]
From Mountains to Plains
The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore he would give to your fathers–to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob–and to their descendants […]