Tel Gezer

“Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the terraces,[a] the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer.” (Kings 1 9:15)

Tel Gezer is an archaeological site near the main road from Jaffa to Jerusalem. It holds more than 5,000 years of history, and it was first excavated in 1871 by Charles Clermont-Gannneau. It has since then become an archaeological paradise for many archaeologists as there are many interesting and important findings on this Tel. Robert Macalister, an Irish archaeologist that dug from 1902 till 1909, was one of the most important archaeologists that dug this Tel.

The first time that Gezer is mentioned in the Bible is from the time of Joshua Ben-Nun that beat that King of Gezer. The Ephraim Tribe then took possession of this land. It is important to note that Gezer was part of the land of Ephraim; however it was not conquered by them. The inhabitants of Gezer paid taxes to the tribe of Ephraim.

The 2nd time Gezer is mentioned is in Kings 1 9:15. It is also mentioned many times outside of the Bible, for example: the El Amarna Letters (an archive, written on clay tablets, primarily consisting of diplomatic correspondence) that were exchanged between the King of Egypt and the King of Gezer.

The diggings continue to this day, constantly exposing new findings that provide us with much historical insights.

There is also an amazing water project that was discovered. This is a system that brought water from the spring, inside within the city walls, via a water tunnel, to a cistern. Go to my post in this Blog titled: Tel Gezer - Water Project.

Thank you Satellite Bible Atlas for this video.

Many times, Tel Gezer, is one of the sites we visit during my tours.