Day 6-1: Tel Beersheba (The Biblical Negev)

Sheba in Hebrew means both "oath" and it's the number "seven." Therefore, Beersheba means "the well of the oath" or "the well of the seven." The town of Beersheba gets its name from a story from the life of our patriarch, Abraham. In Genesis 12 we read where God called Abraham to leave the land of Ur in Babylon and go to a "land that I will show you." With the calling came the great Abrahamic promise:

"And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."  Genesis 12:2

So Abraham did what God asked him to do and he came to the geographical region in Israel known as the Negev he began to look for a place to settle. However, there were Philistines in the land who didn't like Abraham grazing his flocks in their fields or drinking out of their wells. So Abraham dug his own well, which is no small amount of work, mind you.  However, his well was seized by the servants of a Philistine named Abimelech.

25 When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized, 26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. 29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 30 He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this[c] may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore that place was called Beersheba,[d] because there both of them swore an oath. 32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.  (Genesis 21:25-34)

Pictured below is most likely the well (or one just like it) that Abraham dug at Beersheba. This town is called "the well of the oath" or "the well of the seven" because it was here he dug his own well and then made a treaty (or oath) by giving seven ewe lambs to Abimelech to keep the well he dug as his own. This was the great length that Abraham had to go to in order to establish himself as a foreigner in a new land.

The Well at Beersheba

This well is 70 m deep (230 ft.). With a water source and God's blessing, of course, Abraham was able to establish his family and the city of Beersheba grew to about a population of 300 people with about 70 homes in Abraham's time. The 2nd Stratum of Tel Beersheba reveals the level of habitation during Abraham's lifetime (Iron Age).

Looking Down into Abraham's Well at Beersheba

Well Platform

 There's also a very impressive water cistern that feeds the town of Beersheba.

Water Cistern at Tel Beersheba

View of Tel Beersheba from Observation Tower

Model of Tel Beersheba in Foregrund

Four-Room Homes in Tel Beersheba

Demonstrating Columns that Held Up Second Floor of Home

Replica of Four Horned Altar - Beersheba Served as a High Place for Worship

Other things to note at Tel Beersheba are the following:

1. Casemate walls surrounding the city
2. The Outer Gate requiring two right turns and the main gate with guard rooms
3. The cellar building is built on bedrock, demonstrating the depth of loess soil (loess means "windblown")
4. The typical four-room houses. All exhibit the same plan: a room parallel to the street with an oven and stairs to the roof, two storage rooms separated by pillars, and a living room in the casemate wall.
5. The storehouses
6. The Four Horned Altar (replica)