Siloam Inscription
Does this inscription reveal God's
protection of Jerusalem and a miracle?
The Siloam Inscription is a description in ancient Hebrew of the cutting and completion of the Siloam Tunnel built by king Hezekiah (727-698 BC). King Hezekiah desiring to protect Jerusalem from the Assyrians had a tunnel cut through solid rock to bring water from the Spring of Gihon within the cities walls, after which the Spring was sealed off.
The carving was found in the tunnel itself in 1880 by a boy accidently. It records how two groups of workers started from opposite ends, digging through the solid rock underground and meeting in the middle. The Hebrew inscription talks about how one group miraculously heard sounds of pick-axes so they would know which way to go through the windy tunnel. The tunnel now channels water to the Pool of Siloam and can be seen in Jerusalem.
The Siloam Inscription is important in the study of Biblical Archaeology.
2 Kings 20:20 "And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?"
2 Chronicles 32:2-4 "And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which [were] without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?"
John 9:5-7 "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (Meaning Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing."
The 6-Line Inscription Reads:
... the tunnel ... and this is the story of the
tunnel while ...
the axes were against each other and while three cubits were left to
cut? ... the voice of a man ...
called to his counterpart, (for) there was ZADA in the rock, on the
right ... and on the day of the
tunnel (being finished) the stonecutters struck each man towards his
counterpart, ax against ax and flowed
water from the source to the pool for 1200 cubits. and 100?
cubits was the height over the head of the stonecutters ...
Interesting Note: The inscription reveals 1200 cubits for approximately 1760 feet which confirms the Biblical measurement for a cubit to equal 18 inches as Josephus mentions in the construction of Herod's Temple.
Location: Istanbul Archaeological Museum
The Kings of Israel (all wicked)
Jeroboam I (933-911 BC) twenty-two years
Nadab (911-910) two years
Baasha (910-887) twenty-four years
Elah (887-886) two years
Zimri (886) seven days
Omri (886-875) twelve years
Ahab (875-854) twenty-two years
Ahaziah (855-854) two years
Jehoram (Joram) (854-843) twelve years
Jehu (843-816) twenty-eight years
Jehoahaz (820-804) seventeen years
Jehoash (Joash) (806-790) sixteen years
Jeroboam II (790-749) forty-one years
Zechariah' (748) six months
Shallum (748) one month
Menahem (748-738) ten years
Pekahiah (738-736) two years
Pekah (748-730) twenty years
Hoshea (730-721) nine years
The Kings of Judah (8 were good)
Rehoboam (933-916 BC) seventeen years
Abijam (915-913) three years
Asa (Good) (912-872) forty-one years
Jehoshaphat (Good) (874-850) twenty-five years
Jehoram (850-843) eight years
Ahaziah (843) one year
Athaliah (843-837) six years
Joash (Good) (843-803) forty years
Amaziah (Good) (803-775) 29 years
Azariah (Uzziah) (Good) (787-735) fifty-two years
Jotham (Good) (749-734) sixteen years
Ahaz (741-726) sixteen years
Hezekiah (Good) (726-697) 29 years
Manasseh (697-642) fifty-five years
Amon (641-640) two years
Josiah (Good) (639-608) thirty-one years
Jehoahaz (608) three months
Jehoiachim (608-597) eleven years
Jehoiachin (597) three months
Zedekiah (597-586) eleven years
Related Pages:
Recent Picture of the Stone at Istanbul Archaeological Museum
Siloam in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE
Siloam Tower in Easton's Bible Dictionary
Picture of the Siloam Tunnel - Wikipedia
Gihon in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE
Gihon in Easton's Bible Dictionary
Seal in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE
Seal in Smith's Bible Dictionary
Jeroboam in Easton's Bible Dictionary
Jeroboam in the ISBE Bible Encyclopedia
Jeroboam's Golden Calves (Bulls)
Lachish in Fausset's Bible Dictionary
Lachish in the ISBE Bible Encyclopedia
Lachish in Smith's Bible Dictionary
The Babylonian Captivity and Archaeology
The Babylonian Captivity in the ISBE Bible Encyclopedia
David in Easton's Bible Dictionary
Map of the Kingdom of David and Solomon
Solomon in Smith's Bible Dictionary
Solomon's Temple in Easton's Bible Dictionary
Beersheba in the ISBE Bible Encyclopedia
Biblical Definition of Beersheba
Altar - Background Bible Study
Altar in Smith's Bible Dictionary
Altar in the ISBE Bible Encyclopedia
Israel - The Center of the Ancient World
Israel - Archaeology Links and Resources
The Destruction of Israel in the Old Testament
Archaeological Resources - Israel
Free Bible - Fallen Empires (Biblical Archaeology)
Bible History Links - Ancient Near East : Art & Images
Free Bible - Ancient Art
The Destruction of Israel - Kings of Israel, Judah and Assyria
Timeline 800 - 700 BC
The Assyrians
The Captivity of Israel
The Impregnable Strength of Jerusalem
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