It was an anxious time in the history of the kingdom of Judah. As the 700’s rolled down towards the turn of the century in the BC era, the Assyrians were proving to be a continuing menace on the northern horizon. Sennacherib (705-681BC), who had assumed control of the empire after the assassination of his predecessor, Sargon, was breathing out menacing threats against the smaller, rebellious nations situated towards the south. Arrogant and boastful, the heathen ruler taunted the lesser kingdom of Judah. But more important than this was the way he mocked Israel’s God, saying through his envoy Rabshakeh, “Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, ‘Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered?” (2Kings 19:10,11)
Now Hezekiah (715-686BC), the king of Judah, was a good king. Far better than his predecessors had been, as it is said of him: “He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden images and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any who were before him.” (2Kings 18:3-5)
In addition to the spiritual reforms he instituted, Hezekiah also – acting in response to the Assyrian threat – made preparations for war; “And he strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired the Millo in the City of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance.” (2Chronicles 32:5) However, there is one outstanding feat, a marvel of civil engineering, with which his name is inseparably linked. “This same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of upper Gihon, and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David.” (2Chronicles 32:10)
One problem facing any city which is under siege, is that of maintaining a constant supply of fresh water. Now the Spring of Gihon – also known as the Fountain of the Virgin – is situated in the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem on the eastern slope of Ophel. In ancient times this spring was an important source of water for the inhabitants of the city. And being beyond the outer wall was vulnerable. Consequently it would have very easily been brought under the control of a surrounding enemy.
With foresight, Hezekiah had his engineers bore a conduit from the spring to within the second perimeter wall. It then runs southward, finally curving over to the western side of the City of David; and terminating in the Pool of Siloam – a stone reservoir, 58 feet by 18 feet, and nearly 20 feet deep. To expedite the completion of the tunnel, the workmen began the excavation simultaneously from both ends. Considering its circuitous nature, the distance, and the underground depth involved, it is a marvel that the two teams of workers met head-on like they did.
For many centuries Hezekiah’s tunnel remained a Bible legend. Then in 1838, Edward Robinson, an American, together with a friend, Eli Smith, made the difficult passage, sometimes crawling, sometimes moving awkwardly on their stomachs, from the Spring of Gihon to the Pool of Siloam.. This was the first recorded exploration of the tunnel in modern times. Then in 1867, the tunnel was again examined this time by Captain Charles Warren. However, it was not until 1880 when a young native of the area, playing in the tunnel some 20 feet from the Siloam end, fell, and looking up, saw an inscription in the rock face above him. He informed his teacher, Conrad Schick, of the discovery, which led to it being deciphered by A.H.Sayce – helped by other scholars acquainted with ancient Hebrew.
Part of the text is missing, but that which remains reads as follows: “…when the tunnel was driven through: while … were still … axe(s), each man toward his fellow, and while there was still three cubits to be cut through, (there was heard) the voice of a man calling to his fellow, for there was an overlap in the rock on the right (and on the left). And when the tunnel was driven through, the quarrymen hewed (the rock), each man toward his fellow, axe against axe; and the water flowed from the spring toward the reservoir for 1200 cubits, and the height of the rock above the head(s) of the quarrymen was 100 cubits.” Unfortunately, someone obviously seeking monetary gain, removed the inscription from the rock face severely damaging it in the process. It was later found in the possession of a Greek in Jerusalem who claimed to have purchased it from an Arab. Confiscated by Turkish officials, the pieces were removed to the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul. The discovery of this inscription was of monumental significance; for it pinpoints the written language of a specific time in history. It has thus served as a standard for comparison in the dating of other Hebrew inscriptions.
Hezekiah’s tunnel is just under 1800 feet from end to end, and one may wonder why it was not cut in a straight line – a distance of about 760 feet. A possible explanation is – as legend has it – the tombs of David and Solomon lie right between the spring and the pool. Raymond Weill, an archaeologist, did in fact locate two long caves that do appear to be graves hewn out of the rock in the area, but the contents had long since been removed. Without supporting evidence to validate the tradition, the mystery remains unsolved. However, Hezekiah’s aqueduct itself, bored through the rock of Ophel, is no mystery. Its presence is a constant reminder that the Bible is true history.
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Bibliography:
Recent Archaeology in the Land of Israel, edited by Herschel Shanks (English Edition), Biblical Archaeological Society, Washington, DC
The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Atlas, edited by E.M.Blaiklock, The Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, General Editor, Merril C. Tenney, The Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Davis Dictionary of the Bible, edited by John D. Davis, Royal Publishers, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee.
