Patriarchal Site
Hebron
HEE-bron · Modern Tel Rumeida, Hebron, West Bank · 31.5240° N, 35.1040° E
Hebron is where Abraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah as a burial site for Sarah, and where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their wives were later buried (Genesis 23, 49:29-32). It also served as King David's first capital, where he reigned over Judah for seven years before conquering Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:5).
Archaeology
Excavations at Tel Rumeida spanning the 1960s through renewed digs since 2014 span the Chalcolithic through Byzantine periods, including Middle Bronze Age cyclopean fortification walls, cuneiform tablets pointing to a Hurrian-Amorite population, and Iron Age four-room houses with royal seal impressions. Scholars continue to debate the intensity and continuity of Late Bronze Age occupation at the site.
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
David reigned seven years in Hebron before Jerusalem — what smaller assignment are you tempted to rush past?
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