Welcome to Tel Lachish! Here is one of the most exciting Tel’s in Israel and also my one of my favorites! Here is where we see remains of an ancient biblical battle!
First, what is a Tel? A Tel or Tel is a term applied to a city mound. When a city begins to fall down, its residents or conquering army knock down the walls and build on top of the rubble. Over time the level on which the city is built rises on this mound.
Let’s first get oriented where we are. Tel Lachish is located in the Judean Lowlands, near the national park Beit Guvrin, and 15 min from Bet Shemesh.
Let’s take a look at Lachish throughout history.
First we know that Lachish was a Fortified Canaanite city from Pre 14th cent BCE from Archeological evidence obtained here in the 1930’s by Archaeologist James Leslie Starkey.
Lachish is generally regarded as the second most important city in the southern kingdom of Judah. It enters the biblical narrative in the battle accounts of Joshua, Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar.
Next, from the 14th cent BCE we actually find the oldest mentioning of Lachish in the Armana letters of Egypt. These were sent by the leaders of Lachish to their overlords, (Egyptian Pharos) proving that Lachish was an important urban center controlled now by Egypt.
In the 12 century BCE, Yehoshua and the Israelites fight and destroy the five Canaanite kings, with Lachish as one of the cities conquered – look in Yehoshua 10:31–
10:31 And Yehoshua passed from Libnah, and all of Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it.
As it became a Jewish stronghold, around 926 King Solomon’s Son, King Rahoboan, fortified Lachish into a massive fortress. How massive was it? The inner wall was built on the top perimeter of the Tel and was 20 feet in thickness. The outer wall was erected some 52 feet down the slope of the Tel. What a massive fortification….
In the year 701 Sennacherib of Assyria lays siege and conquers Lachish. As it states in Melachim 2:13
2:13 - Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all of the fortified cities or Judah, and he took them.
How did Sennacherib conquer this most fortified city in Judah? Well, you can’t just knock on the door. Sennacherib built a siege ramp. You will find here the oldest biblical siege ramp in Israel and the World!
This is what they used to conquer Lachish. Archeologists say this siege ramp has over 17,000 tons of dirt and rock, covered by a plaster road for the battering rams and soldiers to penetrate this city!
We know the biblical story now, what about Sennacherib’s story? Where did he come from? He came from the town of Ninveh, which was in modern day Iraq today.
He was a cruel war monger. He and his predecessors exiled the Tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Now he has his sights on Lachish and Jerusalem. In today’s times, when an Army is in battle, the army brings a war correspondent to record the battle. Sancheriv was more than happy to record his victory…. He had an artist depict the battle on parchment, and then had it chiseled onto stone reliefs built in the hallways of his palace. So we have a non biblical account of this battle… In his reliefs, we see the siege ramp, and the soldiers going up with their weapons. We see the Israelites throwing torches. We see Israelites being hung from spears. The Assyrians were brutal. This was a battle! Sancheriv fights and conquers with his powerful war machine - In a cave nearby there was found 1,500 skulls….
Lachish falls.
Sancheriv now uses Lachish as a base, to conquer Jerusalem. We know the stories ending. Sancheriv does not conquer Jerusalem. He is stopped at the walls of Jerusalem, and this is where part of the City of David comes alive via the water tunnel dug by Hezekiah.
And now, less than 125 years later in 586 BCE, Lachish is conquered and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, who then destroys the First Temple.
In Yermiahu (34:7) confirms that Azeka and Lachish were the last cities to fall, leaving Jerusalem alone.
There are many more amazing stories on Tel Lachish. I hope you can join me here as we make this story come alive!
Happy Touring,
Moshe
