BIBLE PLACES
AND CITIES
HAZOR
HIGH AND MIGHTY HAZOR
PHOTOS, DRAWINGS
WOMEN IN
THE BIBLE
stories and
some fresh ideas about these extraordinary women, including
Jezebel, queen in Hazor, and the redoubtable Deborah
BIBLE
PAINTINGS
famous artworks of the great heroes and heroines
of the Bible
BIBLE
PEOPLE
snappy biographies of the great men and women who
lived in the world of the Bible
TOP
TEN LISTS
worst villains, including Ahab, great heroes such as
Joshua,
inspirational young people, etc. etc.
BIBLE
ARCHAEOLOGY
tombs, ziggurats, jewelry, war, houses...
BIBLE
WARFARE
battles, the army, weapons, engineering
EXTRA WEBSITES
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Archaeological Sites in Israel: Hazor
The
Jerusalem Post: Travel Guide
Tel Hatzor -
a guide for exploring the excavated site at Hatzor
Maps, weather and airports for Hazor
Tel Hazor -
the
excavated ancient city
Excavations of the glacis, moat and revetment wall from 17th century BC Hazor, northeast corner of the upper city. The glacis was an artificial bank of earth that sloped upwards towards the wall; it meant that the defenders of the city had a direct line of fire into any invading force
Think of the biggest, boldest city in your country - the one that throws its weight around and sets the pace for others. That was Hazor in ancient Canaan. It had just about everything a city could want:
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the right location, smack bang across the road that joined the two ancient superpowers, Egypt and Babylon; this meant that Hazor could make a profit from all the traders and travelers who had to pass the city
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plenty of fertile land around it
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skilful administrators who knew how to make the best of their good fortune
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a tough, competent army
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splendid fortifications.
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a view - not for pleasure, but for power. People in Hazor could see to the north, northeast and the southwest. Whoever controlled Hazor controlled entrance into Galilee and the land of Israel from the north. The Israeli army still considers Hazor a strategic position.
Reconstruction
of
a typical house of the period
Hazor excavations from above
An
excavated stone marker with
the traditional symbol of
the Canaanite god Baal
Cities like Hazor were protected by a ring of walls, with gates or posterns. The fortification could be a solid stone wall or an earthen rampart - often both. Inside the walls would be houses of varying shapes and sizes, but also monumental buildings that covered a substantial part of the area inside the wall. Among these would be the temple and the palace, often at the center of the city or in a prominent position. All the houses were accessible via narrow streets.
The site of Hazor was impressive, covering over 200 acres at the height of its power. No wonder its Canaanite population in the second millennium BC reached something like 20,000.
The city itself was made up of two sections: the acropolis on which stood the palace and temples, and the lower city, with houses, shops, markets and industry.
The temple from the 14th century BC had three large rooms, one after the other, running south to north. The entrance hall was in the south. It led to a central hall, which in turn led to a sacred inner chamber which probably held the statue of the god who protected the city. The plan of this temple is similar to the one that Solomon would later build in Jerusalem.
Archaeologists found all-too-graphic evidence for the burning of Hazor
in various places
at the site.
Despite their natural advantages, Hazor got caught up in the great migration of tribes that included the entry of the Israelites into the Promised Land. Joshua was probably just one of the groups that attacked Hazor during this period - but he was the one who succeeded.
Jabin, King of Hazor at the time, tried to avert disaster by forming a Canaanite alliance against the marauders who were roaming around the country, picking off cities one by one.
But he could not consolidate his forces quickly enough, and the Israelites overpowered Jabin and his coalition, then burned and ravaged the city. (Joshua 11:1-13)
"And Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and smote its king with the sword. Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anything that breathed, and he burned up Hazor itself . Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds - except Hazor." (Joshua 11:10-12).
Bronze swords like these were the best the Israelites could hope to have as weapons (above and below)
(Above) A
sling like this, well-aimed against an immobile foe like King
Jabin's
trapped army, was a formidable weapon
The army of
King Jabin of Hazor had iron weapons (see the Greek sword
circa 600BC above).
These could slice right through
the Israelite bronze weapons
It is one thing to conquer a territory; it is quite another to hold on to what you have won. The Israelites were not able to keep their grip on Hazor, and the Book of Judges describes a very different scenario.
Hazor was now ruled by a Canaanite, King Jabin, who decided to put his foot down against the marauding Israelite tribesmen. He led an alliance of well-armed soldiers to mop up the Israelite tribesman who lived in the hills around Hazor - on poor land that the well-heeled Canaanites did not want, or did not think worth fighting for.
King Jabin faced the poorly equipped Israelites in a valley below Mount Tabor. It seemed his general, Sisera, had all the advantages. The Israelite tribesmen had not much more than farm equipment for their weapons - slings, some bronze swords and daggers, courage - and utter faith in their God. They had been summoned by Deborah, and only her charisma had persuaded Barak, a rather sensible general, to fight. I say sensible because it appeared to be a hopelessly one-sided fight, The Canaanites had iron weapons, fearsome iron-wheeled chariots, and a well-drilled army. They appeared invincible.
But God, it seems, was on the side of the Israelites. At the crucial moment, as the iron-wheeled chariots charged, there was a tremendous downpour of rain. The heavy chariots became bogged in the sodden mud of the valley floor, and the Canaanite soldiers became easy prey for the Israelites slingshots and arrows.
Judges
4 and 5 describe what happened.
You can read Deborah's story at
WOMEN
IN THE BIBLE: DEBORAH AND JAEL
There is also a battle plan, photographs of excavated weapons, and
images of Mount Tabor where
Deborah assembled her army at
BIBLE
ARCHAEOLOGY: WAR
For some centuries after this, Hazor was no more than a village.
Solomonic gate from the 10th century BC. The gate is similar to the one at Megiddo. The entrance of the city is protected by two towers on either side of the gate, each tower have three rooms within it.
The gateway from above
But by the end of Solomon's reign, Hazor was roughly ten times the size of Jerusalem. There was a cultic 'high place', a six-chambered gate and casemate wall built sometime in the 10th century BC.
At this time, Hazor again had two distinct sections: the upper city, where the public buildings were sited, and the lower city, a fortified enclosure.
To construct these buildings, Solomon needed money, and he got it by imposing new taxes and forced labor on the Israelite tribes. They did not like this. As his reign progressed, they saw their former freedom whittled away by bureaucracy - see the quote from 1 Kings 9:15 below.
Nevertheless, his building program was impressive. Leading into the upper city is a gate similar to the ones Solomon had built in Megiddo and Gezer. It had six chambers and two towers, with a casement wall (a double wall with rooms) to the left of the gate.
Stairs leading to the water storage system
Four room house from the 8th century BC. Archaeologists found an olive press which they were able to reconstruct (opposite)
In the 9th century BC, most probably under King Ahab, husband of the notorious Queen Jezebel, the city expanded. The eastern part of the upper city was fortified by a solid wall and various important buildings, such as a store house, citadel and a water system, were added.
The water system is extraordinary - an engineering feat that even a modern builder would have difficulty with. It is situated on the south side of the city, opposite natural springs in the valley below. There is a broad shaft cut into the rock, and a wide staircase winding downwards, leading to the cistern below. The steps continue down through a long tunnel that leads to a great underground chamber, where water was stored. The people of Hazor would always have water, even during a long siege.
The olive press from Hazor
Tiglath Pileser III, whose army wrought terrible carnage on Hazor, reducing it to rubble
Hazor was too important to be left in peace. It suffered repeated destruction, as a result of both the Aramean and Assyrian invasions.
It was finally destroyed by the Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser III who, in 732 BCE, conquered the entire area of Galilee (2 Kings 15:29), in a campaign that marked the beginning of the end of the independence of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
AFTERMATH
Hazor was never again to regain its importance. During the 7th - 2nd century BC settlement was limited to small citadels erected in the western extremity of the upper city.
The last historical reference to Hazor is to be found in the book of Maccabees (I Maccabees 11:67). Here we are told that Jonathan fought against Demetrius (147 BC) in the "plain of Hazor" - read this if you can; it is an exciting account of a forgotten battle.
REFERENCES TO HAZOR IN THE BIBLE
When King Jabin of Hazor heard of this (Joshua's victories) he sent to King Jobab of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph, and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowlands, and in Naphoth-dor on the west........ Joshua 11:1-2
Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and struck its king down with the sword. Before that time Hazor was the head of all those kingdoms. And they put to the sword all who were in it, utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed, and he burned Hazor with fire. And all the towns of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took, and struck them with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. But Israel burned none of the towns that stood on mounds except Hazor, which Joshua did burn. Joshua 11:1013
Joshua 12:19
The king of Hazor is in a list of kings defeated by Joshua
Joshua 19:36
Hazor is one of the cities listed as being allocated to the tribe of Naphtali
The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Judges 4:1-2
Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. Judges 4:17
1 Samuel 12:9
But they forgot the Lord their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of King Jabin of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them.
This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon conscripted to build the house of the lord and his own house, the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, Gezer......
In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried the people captive to Assyria.
Nehemiah 11:33
After the Exile, the people of Judah were restored to their homeland. Among the villages listed where they resettle was Hazor.
Jonathan and his army encamped by the waters of Gennesaret. Early in the morning they marched to the plain of Hazor, and there in the plain the army of the foreigners met him; they had set an ambush against him in the mountains, but they themselves met him face to face. Then the men in ambush emerged from their places and joined battle. All the men with Jonathan fled.......
EXTRA WEBSITES - stories, pictures, reconstructions
Deborah's arch enemy was King Jabin of Hazor, WOMEN IN THE BIBLE: DEBORAH AND JAEL
Battle plan, weapons, Mount Tabor where
Deborah assembled her army, BIBLE
ARCHAEOLOGY: WAR
SUMMARY
Inhabited first by the Canaanites, who built it up into the major city of the area. Taken over, then lost by Joshua. Fought a disastrous battle against the Israelites led by Deborah. Ruled by the kings of Israel, including Omri and Ahab, husband of Jezebel.
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Lands and Cities of the Old and New Testament - Information
for Travelers in Israel and Palestine -
Bible Study Resource
High and Mighty Hazor, defeated and burnt by Joshua, its
armies destroyed by the hand of God