Even the novice student of the New Testament will know about the town of Capernaum, often referred to as the headquarters for Yeshua’s ministry in the Galilee. Capernaum is located on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret). In antiquity, Capernaum was an important town–large enough to have a Synagogue and a Roman cohort because it was located along ancient trade route which was still being used in the first century A.D.
Capernaum was the eastern-most city in the Galilee region. As such, it was a place where taxes were collected which explained why there was a Roman presence. In fact Capernaum was home to a Roman garrison with at least 100 soldiers indicated by the presence of a Centurion there. (See Luke 2)
In the time of Yeshua, there were more docks in Capernaum than any other town on the Sea of Galilee speaking again to its size and the nature of trade and industry there.
In the photos below, you will notice that much was built from the local rock–Basalt (volcanic rock). The area nearby was covered with a layer of volcanic rock, so that was the common rock used for building.
Capernaum – Basalt CapernaumCapernaum – Pillared housesCapernaumCapernaumSynagogue at Capernaum (on the site of 1st Century Synagogue)Synagogue – Capernaum
It is our desire to help you grow in your knowledge of Adonai and His Word. If you are looking for additional information and/or materials, please visit our website at RootedinHisWord.org and our Facebook page.
When you travel in Israel, you can’t help but notice that water is not plentiful. It is, after all, mostly desert. As a result, few rivers or lakes or other bodies of fresh water are available. How did those living in antiquity survive without water being readily available? The answer in many parts of the country was–cisterns. A cistern is not the same as a well. A cistern is a device for rain water collection, and it is typically carved out of rock. This is possible because in many parts of Israel, the rock is limestone which is relatively soft and easily carved. The problem; however, with limestone is that it is very porous, and so to keep the water in the cisterns, the walls were plastered over. The following are some of the cisterns I have visited in Israel.
Looking up out of the cistern in BeershevaThe evidence of plastering of walls of cistern in BeershevaCistern at Beit ShemeshEntrance into the cistern at Beit Shemesh (notice how water has carved the stone)Cistern Qumran (by the Dead Sea)One of several cisterns at HerodianDifferent cistern at Herodian
It is our desire to help you grow in your knowledge of Adonai and His Word. If you are looking for additional information and/or materials, please visit our website at RootedinHisWord.org and our Facebook page.
In the south of the Holy Land, on the barren and other-worldly banks of the Salt Sea (Dead Sea), we can find the remains of a community of pious Jews many believe were the Essenes. It is this community of ultra devout Jews, seeking purity and piety for God that is believed to be the source of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Dead Sea scrolls are ancient “books” which were written on parchment and stored in clay jars in the caves surrounding and located near the Dead Sea. These scrolls were discovered initially by shepherds who tended flocks in the area between the Dead Sea and Bethlehem. The story of the discovery and sale of the scrolls is interesting and you should explore it, but for the purposes of this post, suffice it to say that the discovery of the scrolls gives further convincing evidence for the reliability of the Bible.
The scrolls included information beyond the actual scriptures, including information regarding the daily life and conduct of those living in the community. They also reflect a focus among the authors on the coming Messiah. This is all very helpful to understanding the time period into which Messiah Yeshua was born and ministered in the late 2nd-Temple era.
Qumran, as an archaeological site, is notably a place to observe the collection and use of water in antiquity in what is a very dry region with few natural potable water sources. The site has several cisterns for water collection, a water canal which carried water to various parts of the site and from the mountains above the site. It is also marked by a several mikvaot (Jewish immersion pools), evidencing the focus on piety and purity of those living there.
Caves near QumranCave near QumranMikveh – Ritual immersion pool at QumranWater canal at QumranHuge cistern at QumranView looking east toward the Dead Sea and Transjordan from Qumran
It is our desire to help you grow in your knowledge of Adonai and His Word. If you are looking for additional information and/or materials, please visit our website at RootedinHisWord.org and our Facebook page.
Magdala is a place that the student of the Apostolic writings (Newer Testament) must visit. This location offers what few places in Israel offer, namely a sight that wasn’t build over several times in the 2000 years since the ministry of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). It offers archeological remains which were not disturbed or robbed in order to build other structures in the area.
The most significant finds at Magdala are the two synagogues. The one pictured in this post is the first one discovered. A second synagogue was found recently and excavations have begun in that location.
The synagogue in Magdala offers us a glimpse into the life of the Messiah Yeshua. We know from scripture that Yeshua (Jesus) taught in the synagogues around the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). (Matthew 4:23) Thus, given that this synagogue is believed to have been in existence in the first century, it can reasonably be assumed that Yeshua taught in this synagogue. He read the scriptures from the scroll. He sat on the bench where the teacher sat. Few other places in Israel today offer such direct connection to Messiah.
Magdala was a thriving city during the first century. It was a port city on the west coast of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). The city is believed, based on the archeological finds, to have been a wealthy city and Torah-observant city.
With regard to Torah observance, we find in Magdala evidence of many mikveh (ritual purity baths). These were used and continue to be used today by Torah-observant Jews as a means to ritual purity. Use of the mikveh involved immersing oneself into the mikveh and reciting certain scriptures and blessings. The land of Israel has many, many mikvaot. These testify of the strong faith culture of this city as well as the Galilee region.
The main industry in Magdala appears to have been fish processing. It is believed that fish were brought to Magdala and held in shallow pools until being salted and dried for transport and sale to locations throughout Israel and the Roman Empire.
When you visit the site, you are able to see the synagogue, the mikvaot, the pools and other remains of the industry and housing in Magdala. There is also a beautiful hotel and guest center.
Pedestal for holding Torah scrollRitual bath (Mikveh)Pools for holding fishWater channel for moving water from one location to anotherMurals inside the chapel at MagdalaChapel at MagdalaView of Mt Arbel from Magdala
It is our desire to help you grow in your knowledge of Adonai and His Word. If you are looking for additional information and/or materials, please visit our website at RootedinHisWord.org and our Facebook page.
The last day I was in Israel was a Sunday, and I was staying in Jerusalem. As a final way to close the trip, my friends and I visited the Old City one last time. It was a beautiful day. In this post, I will share with you some of the splendor of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is a place that can be difficult to navigate for all the apparent organized chaos and the different manifestations of faith and ritual that are all around. This time, perhaps because it was a Sunday, I was able to genuinely enjoy the beauty and serenity of the church. Whatever you may believe about where Yeshua, the Messiah (Jesus Christ) was buried, this church is a place where generations of believers have come and remembered the crucifixion and burial of Yeshua. God said that He would be found by those who seek Him with all their heart. See Jeremiah 29:13.
Church of Holy SepulchreChurch of the Holy SepulchreWorshiper at the Holy Sepulchreworshipers at Holy SepulchreHoly Sepulchre First Century burial tomb – Holy Sepulchrestructure covering the tomb (according to Helena) of Christ
I apologize for taking a few days to get back to the tour highlights. I left off in my last post about our recent tour of Israel with our visit to Tel Arad. That is definitely a place to visit. From Tel Arad, we headed north and made our way out of the Negev basin. As we climbed, we noted places along the way such as Maon, Carmel (not the Mt Carmel on the coast), and Ziph. (See Joshua 15:55 for the reference to these cities as being part of the allotment to the Tribe of Judah).
We were not able to visit all the tels, but from a vantage point in the wilderness of Ziph, we were able to remember David’s time in the wilderness of Ziph as described in 1 Samuel 23. We were able to see the route by which David would have easily traveled to En Gedi from Ziph. These connection in the land bring the scriptures to life.
In this area, we were also able to remember the story of Abraham and the three visitors. We could look out and see the Salt Sea, and the traditional location of Zoar at the south end and remember that Lot had asked to be able to go to Zoar after leaving Sodom when it was slated for destruction. Recent excavations and other findings at Tall el-Hamman to the north east of the Salt Sea suggest that the location for Sodom may be in that area, but I leave that for another day. (See article in Nature Journal A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea)
We reached our final destination, Hebron, with time to visit both the tel and the cave of the Patriarchs. This was not the first time I visited tel Hebron or the Cave of Machpelah. You can see my earlier post here.
We visited the tel first. This is definitely worth the climb. The tel has been partially excavated.
tel Hebron excavationstel Hebron excavationsexcavated area on tel HebronOlive press found at tel Hebron excavationsOlive press at tel HebronMikveh (ritual bathing pool) at tel Hebron (notice the three sets of stairs which is unusual)stepped streets found in the excavations at tel Hebronwall from the Middle Bronze Age (age of the Patriarchs)closer look at Middle Bronze Age wallcity wall – tel Hebronancient city wall – likely from the time of King David
After visiting the tel, we visited the cave of Machpelah – the burial place of the patriarchs. Here are some images from our visit.
Cave of Machpelahinside the building on the Jewish sideArk for the Torah scrolls.
On day two we started in Beersheva and then made our way to the east to tel Arad. Tel Arad is located in the eastern Negev. Its location is strategic as being on the route which led to both Sinai and Transjordan. Tel Arad was the site of a Canaanite city from the early Bronze Age. The city was a as large as 10 hectares at its peak. The Israelites occupied the site during the Iron Age, building a fortress on the northern portion of the city. Within the fortress, the excavators found a Judahite temple (a cultic site) with two standing stones and two incense altars. The fortress and the lower city both have water systems to collect rain water run off.
tel Arad – the Israelite fortresstel Arad – the rampart and glacisWall structurecasemate walls of tel Arad fortressJudahite temple – standing stones/incense altartsJudahite temple – evidence of cultic worshipFortress – tel Aradruins tel Aradview of the lower city from fortress at tel Aradview of lower city and surrounding area from tel Aradtel Arad
Our second day of touring on the recent Rooted in His Word Israel tour began in Beersheva. We were starting our “Dan to Beersheva” in earnest.
Some things to know about Beersheva:
the ancient tel is located in the south of Israel and 25 miles north of the Wilderness of Zin where Israelites wandered for 40 years after leaving Egypt
Tel Beersheba is one of the oldest Biblical sites in Israel dating back to the time of the patriarchs. See
Excavations at Beersheba have identified many strata (different civilizations/occupations of the site) When the land was divided under the leadership of Joshua, Beersheba was part of the allotment of Simeon
The original water system for the town in ancient times was centered around the well. Later, rain water was collected from roofs and courtyards and diverted by a channel beneath the street into the cistern.
This gives us a good view of the ramparts of the city wall.This provides a view of the rampart (glaci) outside of the city provided added protection for the city.entering the city gateChamber inside of the gate. These areas would be used for conducting civil matters as well as business matters. Note the benches along the walls.Benches inside the city gate where legal matters were handled by the elders of the cityReconstruction in the gate niche showing it was plasteredanother view of the gate niche which would hold soldiers in time of siegeevidence of the casemate wall that existed around the cityBeersheva – ruins of ancient televidence of Israelite occupation – pillared housesview from the observation tower – showing the extent of the ancient telentrance into the cistern (modern)View looking up out of the cisternEvidence of plastering of the cistern wallsThe land/terrain surrounding Tel Beersheva Artist’s rendering of the city in ancient times
Finally, we come to the last two places we visited on day one of our recent Rooted in His Word Israel tour.
The first of the two was Ziklag. This was a little off the beaten path. Literally, we had to wait for the herd of goats to pass before we could proceed. We reached a point where the road was impassible, and from there we climbed the tel. Ziklag, you may recall, was where David was at one point hiding out from Saul in the region of the Philistines. Ziklag was a town given to David by Achish, a Philistine king. (See 1 Samuel 27:6) While David was out with his men on a “mission,” his wives and the wives of his men were kidnapped by the Amalekites and the city was burned. (See 1 Samuel 30)
The ruins at this site have not been fully excavated yet, but it is very helpful to put a place to a name in a Bible story.
Tel Ziklag ruinstel Ziklag Iron Age ruinstel Ziklag Iron Age ruinsview from tel Ziklagview from tel Ziklag
The final site of the day was another new stop on the tour. The parks service has done a wonderful job at this site. Lachish, you may recall from Bible history, was a great city of the Canaanites even before it was occupied by the Israelites. It is known as one of the fortified cities of Hezekiah, a city that was under siege by Sennacherib, king of Assyria, in 701 BC during the reign of Hezekiah, King of Judah. Lachish was, at the time, a highly fortified city, virtually impenetrable–or so it seemed. It had thick, tall walls, steep ramparts, and a well-fortified gate complex. The Assyrians were formidable foes, building a siege ramp against the ramparts of the city. Their custom was to use locals from surrounding towns and villages that they had already captured to build the ramp to discourage attacks on the builders. The residents of Lachish built their own counter-siege ramp, the remains of which can still be seen. To look up the siege ramp is to take in the amazing defenses of the city and to also know that they could see their end coming–closer and closer, day by day. The Assyrians were known to be such brutal enemies that some surrendered without opposition. This was not the way of the Israelites. They fought courageously until the end.
The tel at Lachish is quite extensive. The remains of the royal palace can be seen with a large open area believed to have been used for horses and chariots.
This site is a must-see and hopefully, we can add it to our future tours.
Assyrian siege ramp at LachishWalls of city of ancient LachishRampart of cityJudeans fleeing Assyriansouter gate at LachishGate structure – with nicheGate structure – LachishView of the expanse of the city of Lachish (much remains to be excavated)Part of water system at Lachish
Rooted and Grounded 
