A Stone Altar Southeast of Shiloh
A large, stone-built altar has been discovered southeast of the ancient city of Shiloh. Like the altar at nearby Givat Harel, this one is about a mile from the ancient city. Unlike the altar at Givat Harel, this altar is not monolithic, but is built of un-worked field stones. This is in accordance with the guidelines in the Hebrew Bible for the construction of an altar built to Yahweh. “‘If you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool......
An Altar West of Shiloh
A rock-hewn altar was discovered west of ancient Shiloh in 2002. It is situated at the edge of the Israeli settlement of Givat Harel, about a mile west of Shiloh. The altar is hewn from a single, massive stone, and features four horns. The altar was studied by Yoel Elitzur, an archaeologist who lives in nearby Ophrah. Part of what makes this altar so interesting is its massive size, as well at its proximity to Shiloh, home of the Israelite tabernacle for over three centuries. The altar is located about half way......
“Manoah’s Altar” Near Ancient Zorah
I recently had the opportunity to visit the site of a large stone altar near the ancient city of Zorah. This altar has been known to scholars since the late 1800’s, but to my knowledge it has never been thoroughly investigated. The name “Manoah’s altar” reflects its proximity to Zorah, the hometown of Samson and his father Manoah (Judg 13:2). When Manoah and his wife were informed that they would have a son, Manoah made an offering. “So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it on the......
Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal
It is unusual for a structure that is mentioned in the Bible to be uncovered by archaeologists. A short list might include examples like the “Temple of Baal-berith” at Shechem (Judg 9:4), the palace of Eglon at Jericho (Judg 3:20), the palace/fortress of Saul at Gibeah (1 Sam 15:34), or the palace of Omri and Ahab at Samaria (1 Kgs 16:29). We can probably add to this list the altar built by Joshua on Mount Ebal. After the conquest of Ai, Joshua and the Israelites traveled up to Mount Ebal to offer......
