Hezekiah's Tunnel
Hezekiah was the son of King Ahaz and assumed the throne when he was 25 and reigned for 29 years. He did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight, just as his ancestor David had done. In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the gates of the temple of the Lord and had them repaired. He assembled a group of priests and Levites in the east courtyard of the temple and asked them to consecrate themselves and purify the Temple of the Lord along with the removal of anything that defiled it. He sent invitations through all Judah and Israel inviting them to come to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.
Hezekiah removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time.
The Genealogy of the Kings of Ancient Israel and Judah
King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians by ensuring water for the besieged city but yet denying the source of water to the Assyrian forces. The Gihon Spring was a primary water source for the ancient city of Jerusalem. The Hezekiah's Tunnel, or the Siloam Tunnel is a tunnel that was dug underneath the City of David in Jerusalem between the Gihon spring located outside the walls of old Jerusalem and the pool of Siloam inside the ancient city. The tunnel was excavated by two teams, one starting at each end of the tunnel and then meeting in the middle. The curving tunnel is 533 m long, and by using a 30 cm gradient altitude difference between each end, conveyed water along its length from the spring to the pool.
The Genealogy of the Kings of Ancient Israel and Judah
King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians by ensuring water for the besieged city but yet denying the source of water to the Assyrian forces. The Gihon Spring was a primary water source for the ancient city of Jerusalem. The Hezekiah's Tunnel, or the Siloam Tunnel is a tunnel that was dug underneath the City of David in Jerusalem between the Gihon spring located outside the walls of old Jerusalem and the pool of Siloam inside the ancient city. The tunnel was excavated by two teams, one starting at each end of the tunnel and then meeting in the middle. The curving tunnel is 533 m long, and by using a 30 cm gradient altitude difference between each end, conveyed water along its length from the spring to the pool.
Hezekiah's Tunnel's Underground Route (700 B.C.)
Hezekiah's Tunnel
The Siloam Inscription is a passage of inscribed text found in the Hezekiah tunnel which brings water from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam. The inscription records the construction of the tunnel in the 8th century BCE.
Siloam Inscription
King Hezekiah on a 17th Century Painting by Unknown Artist
Lachish Relief
