Thursday, April 4, 2019

ARCHAEOLOGY: Beersheva (Beersheba) Unearthed

Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; Genesis 21:31
"The find, in the city of Beersheva, revealed a rare lamp chard with a nine-branch menorah, one of the earliest ever discovered. Other artifacts include limestone vessels used for purity rituals, bronze coins, a watchtower, and underground tunnels used by Jewish rebels.

The site was uncovered while construction was underway for a new neighborhood in the southern border of what was the Kingdom of Judah. 
Beersheva is mentioned in the Bible several times in connection with the Hebrew patriarch Abraham and his son, Isaac.
In Genesis 21, Abraham and Abimelech founded the city after the two settled their differences over a well of water, forming a covenant together. The name Beersheva means "Well of Seven" or "Well of the Oath."
Isaac later built an altar in Beersheba after the Lord appeared to him there. The Bible also records that Elijah took refuge in the city after his execution was order by Jezebel."
BCN