Lachish

Lachish, an Old Testament place name, was a heavily fortified town located in the southwestern Judean Plain, near the Philistine border, approximately 24 kilometers west of Hebron and 36 kilometers north of Beersheba. Controlling the passage from the coastal plain to Hebron and Jerusalem, it has historically been a crucial military stronghold. In the Bible, it’s mentioned alongside Bozkat and Eglon (Joshua 15:39). Archaeological excavations of its tell (mound of ruins) reveal a height of about 50 meters above the surrounding ground, with eight layers of occupation dating back to 1567 BC. Evidence from the surrounding area indicates human activity in the Lachish region as early as the 8th millennium BC, and city walls existed by the 2nd millennium BC. The city was destroyed multiple times, most recently in 598 BC. Covering an area of about 9 hectares, it was larger than both Megiddo and Jerusalem at the time. Its fortifications included a double wall system: an outer wall 4 meters thick and an inner wall 6 meters thick, separated by 15 meters, with three gates, demonstrating its formidable defenses, truly making it a fortified city.

Modern archaeologists have discovered 10 distinct towns (or layers of occupation) at Lachish, built layer upon layer. The Bible first mentions Lachish in the Book of Joshua. According to ancient Assyrian inscriptions, the site was occupied by the Assyrians in 701 BC. The prophet Micah subtly referred to this event (Micah 1:13). As the Phoenicians, Palestinians (Philistines), and Arabs rebelled against Assyria and sought help from Egypt, the prophet Isaiah at the time warned Judah not to rely on Egypt and become overconfident (Isaiah 20:4,6; 30:1-5; 31:1).

Another significant archaeological discovery is the “Lachish Letters” collection, totaling twenty-one documents. Among them are official communications from Judah seeking aid from Egypt. These documents resolved lingering questions about the common script used during Jeremiah’s time. Furthermore, on a wall within the royal palace of Nineveh, there is a stone relief depicting the Assyrian King Sennacherib’s actual siege of Lachish. Lachish, as a frontier fortress, had always maintained ties with Egypt, leading King Sennacherib of Assyria to destroy it. However, it was soon rebuilt.

In the first half of the 6th century BC, Babylon captured Lachish and burned the city. Decades later, when the Israelites returned from exile in Babylon, some Judeans lived there, but the city was greatly diminished from its former glory. It was abandoned around 150 BC (Joshua 10; 12:11; 15:39; 2 Kings 14:19-20; 18:14-21; 19:8; 2 Chronicles 11:9; 25:27; 32:9; Nehemiah 11:25-30; Isaiah 36-37; Jeremiah 34:7). There are various theories regarding the precise location of Lachish’s ruins, but most scholars identify it with modern-day Tell ed-Duweir.

Biblical Records:

Joshua 12:11: One of the thirty-one Canaanite kings whom Joshua defeated.

Joshua 15:39: One of the sixteen cities in the second group of the inheritance of the tribe of Judah in the lowlands.

2 Kings 14:19, 2 Chronicles 25:27: When a conspiracy was formed in Jerusalem against King Amaziah of Judah, he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there.

2 Kings 18:14, 17; 2 Chronicles 32:9; Isaiah 36:2: In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah of Judah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. King Hezekiah of Judah sent messengers to the king of Assyria at Lachish to seek peace, but the Assyrian king still sent a great army from Lachish to attack Jerusalem.

2 Kings 19:8; Isaiah 37:8: Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp from Lachish and attacked Libnah.

2 Chronicles 11:9: King Rehoboam of Judah rebuilt Lachish and fifteen other cities as fortified cities.

Nehemiah 11:30: One of the cities inhabited by the Judeans who returned from Babylon.

Jeremiah 34:7: The prophet Jeremiah spoke all these words to King Zedekiah of Judah when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against the remaining cities of Judah, namely Lachish and Azekah, for only these two fortified cities of Judah remained.

Micah 1:13: “Harness the chariots to the swift steeds, you inhabitants of Lachish; it was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion, for in you were found the transgressions of Israel.”