Beersheba Horned Altar
A dismantled four-horned altar from an Israelite border town
Found 1973 — Yohanan Aharoni (Tel Aviv University), Tel Beersheba excavations
Where Tel Beersheba, northern Negev (Israel)
Dates from c. 9th–8th century BCE (dismantled by the late 8th) · Iron Age IIA–B · Kings of Judah, ending with Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah)
Now at Israel Museum, Jerusalem (original); replica at Tel Be'er Sheva National Park
How Beersheba Horned Altar was found
The dressed stones, three of them with horns, were found reused in the wall of a storehouse. Aharoni recognized them and reassembled the altar.
What it is
A large altar of well-cut sandstone blocks about 1.6 m tall and 1.6 m square, with a horn projecting from each top corner. One stone shows a carved snake. The stones had been taken apart and built into a wall, and the altar's original location was never found.
Why it matters for the Bible
This is the largest Israelite horned altar known and matches the Torah's description of altars with horns at the corners, the horns that people grasped for refuge. Its careful dismantling and reuse fits the reports that Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah) removed the high places and altars outside Jerusalem, though some assign it to Yoshiyahu (Josiah) instead. It is also a warning: the altar was made of cut stone, which Exodus 20:25 forbids, showing that worship in the provinces did not always follow the Torah.
The Hebrew word: kar-NOHT ha-miz-BEH-ach
קַרְנֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ
קַרְנֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ is pronounced kar-NOHT ha-miz-BEH-ach and means the horns of the altar (Strong's H7161 + H4196).
People this discovery connects to
- Hezekiah — חִזְקִיָּהוּ (Chiz-kee-YAH-hoo) — YHVH strengthens
- Amos — עָמוֹס (Ah-MOHS) — burden-bearer
Places
- Beersheba — בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע (Beh-EHR SHEH-vah) — well of the oath
Events
Hezekiah's removal of the high places · Amos's warning against swearing by Beersheba
Beersheba Horned Altar in Scripture
Genesis 21:14 First mention of Beersheba in Scripture.
Exodus 27:2 The altar is to have horns on its four corners, exactly as the Beersheba altar does.
2 Kings 18:4 Hezekiah removes the high places; the altar's dismantling is often tied to this reform.
Questions people ask
What is Beersheba Horned Altar?
A large altar of well-cut sandstone blocks about 1.6 m tall and 1.6 m square, with a horn projecting from each top corner. One stone shows a carved snake. The stones had been taken apart and built into a wall, and the altar's original location was never found.
When was Beersheba Horned Altar discovered?
It was found in 1973 by Yohanan Aharoni (Tel Aviv University), Tel Beersheba excavations, at Tel Beersheba, northern Negev.
Where is Beersheba Horned Altar today?
Israel Museum, Jerusalem (original); replica at Tel Be'er Sheva National Park.
Which Bible verses does Beersheba Horned Altar relate to?
Genesis 21:14, Exodus 27:2, 2 Kings 18:4.
Related discoveries
- קֶרֶןTel Beersheba Stratum II and the Dismantled Horned AltarA Judean city burned in 701 BCE, whose great altar had already been taken apart
- בָּמָהCity of David Rock-Cut Sanctuary RoomsEight bedrock chambers near the Gihon with an altar, olive press and winepress, sealed in the 8th century BCE
- מַצֵּבָהThe Gihon Standing Stone (Matzevah)A thin upright stone on a rock-cut platform beside the spring, still standing where it was set
- בְּאֵר שֶׁבַעTel Beersheba Planned CityA royal administrative town laid out on a single plan in the Negev
- תְּעָלָהHezekiah's Tunnel (Siloam Tunnel)533-metre rock-cut water channel bringing the Gihon Spring inside Jerusalem's walls
- מָצוֹרSennacherib's Prism (Taylor, Chicago and Jerusalem Prisms)Assyrian annals: 'Hezekiah the Judean I shut up like a bird in a cage'
Sources
- Aharoni, 'The Horned Altar of Beer-sheba', Biblical Archaeologist 37 (1974)
- Wikipedia: Tel Be'er Sheva
- HolyLandPhotos, 'Sacrificial Altar' (found 1973 by Y. Aharoni)
- Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Tel Beer Sheva National Park (original in the Israel Museum; reconstruction at park entrance)
- BAR, 'Horned Altar for Animal Sacrifice Unearthed at Beer-Sheva' (March 1975)