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Beth-zur Fortress

The border stronghold that Judas Maccabeus fortified and Antiochus's generals besieged

Return, Persia & the Maccabees · fortification / gate, city / site, coin · Accepted by scholars · found 1931

Rocky hilltop with remains of ancient fortification walls
Photo: PALÄSTINA und das OSTJORDANLAND (Julius Hoffmann, Stuttgart, 1925} · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

Found 1931 — Ovid R. Sellers and William F. Albright (Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Chicago, and American School of Oriental Research, Jerusalem), 1931; second season by Sellers, 1957

Where Khirbet et-Tubeiqa (Beth-zur), north of Hebron (West Bank (Palestinian Territories))

Dates from c. 5th–2nd century BCE · Persian to Hasmonean · Nehemiah 3 (Persian district) and the Maccabean wars (1 Maccabees 4, 6, 9, 14)

Now at In situ; finds in the Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem, and American collections

How Beth-zur Fortress was found

Excavation of the hilltop of Khirbet et-Tubeiqa on the Hebron road exposed a Hellenistic citadel with three building phases, a Persian-period settlement, and hundreds of coins including many of Antiochus IV and early Yehud issues.

What it is

A fortress on a hill about 1,000 m above sea level with a large citadel rebuilt at least three times, a fortified gate, cisterns and a bathhouse. The coin sequence peaks under Antiochus IV and includes some of the earliest Yehud coins found in excavation.

Why it matters for the Bible

Beth-zur guarded the road from Idumea into Judea. 1 Maccabees says Judas fortified it after the battle of Emmaus, Lysias besieged it in 162 BCE, Bacchides strengthened it, and Simon finally garrisoned it with Jews. The excavated citadel phases match this sequence of Jewish and Seleucid rebuilding, and the flood of Antiochus IV coins matches the Seleucid garrison. It also confirms Nehemiah 3:16, where a 'ruler of half the district of Beth-zur' helps rebuild Jerusalem's wall.

The Hebrew word: miv-TSAHR

מִבְצָר

מִבְצָר is pronounced miv-TSAHR and means fortress, fortified city (Strong's H4013).

People this discovery connects to

Places

Events

Battle of Beth-zur, 164 BCE · Siege of Beth-zur by Lysias, 162 BCE · Simon's garrisoning of Beth-zur

Beth-zur Fortress in Scripture

Joshua 15:58 First mention of Beth-zur in Scripture.

Nehemiah 3:16 Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repairs part of Jerusalem's wall; the Persian-period town was found.

1 Maccabees 4:61 Judas stations a garrison at Beth-zur 'so the people might have a stronghold facing Idumea'; the excavated citadel is that stronghold.

Questions people ask

What is Beth-zur Fortress?
A fortress on a hill about 1,000 m above sea level with a large citadel rebuilt at least three times, a fortified gate, cisterns and a bathhouse. The coin sequence peaks under Antiochus IV and includes some of the earliest Yehud coins found in excavation.

When was Beth-zur Fortress discovered?
It was found in 1931 by Ovid R. Sellers and William F. Albright (Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Chicago, and American School of Oriental Research, Jerusalem), 1931; second season by Sellers, 1957, at Khirbet et-Tubeiqa (Beth-zur), north of Hebron.

Where is Beth-zur Fortress today?
In situ; finds in the Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem, and American collections.

Which Bible verses does Beth-zur Fortress relate to?
Joshua 15:58, Nehemiah 3:16, 1 Maccabees 4:61.

Related discoveries

Sources

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