Huqoq Synagogue Mosaics
Samson, Jonah, the Red Sea and an 'elephant' panel in a Galilean village synagogue
Found 2012 — Jodi Magness (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) with Shua Kisilevitz (Israel Antiquities Authority); excavations 2011–2023 with partners from Baylor, Brigham Young, Toronto, Wyoming and Malta
Where Huqoq (Yaquq), Lower Galilee, 5 km west of Capernaum (Israel)
Dates from c. 400–500 CE (synagogue); village occupied from Late Hellenistic times · Late Roman · Jewish Galilee after the Bar Kokhba revolt; scenes from Judges, Exodus, Jonah, Daniel and Genesis
Now at Mosaics removed for conservation by the Israel Antiquities Authority; selected panels exhibited from 2026; site partly backfilled
How Huqoq Synagogue Mosaics was found
A 2011 probe on the ruined village of Huqoq near the Sea of Galilee found a monumental limestone synagogue; from 2012 each summer exposed more of a mosaic floor of unusual quality and subject matter. Work concluded in the 2023 season; the mosaics were lifted for conservation and an exhibit opened in 2026.
What it is
A large late-Roman synagogue whose floor mosaics show Samson carrying the gate of Gaza and tying torches to foxes' tails, Jonah swallowed by three successively larger fish, the parting of the Red Sea with Pharaoh's soldiers drowning, Noah's ark with paired animals, the spies with the giant grape cluster, Daniel in the lions' den, the Tower of Babel under construction, a sun-chariot zodiac, and a unique 'elephant panel' showing a meeting between a Greek general and Jewish priests, possibly Alexander the Great and the high priest. Hebrew and Aramaic dedicatory inscriptions name donors.
Why it matters for the Bible
Huqoq is the richest set of biblical scenes ever found in an ancient synagogue, and it shows Jewish villagers in Galilee retelling Torah and Prophets in pictures at a time scholars once thought Jewish life there was in decline. The Jonah scene and the Red Sea scene are the first known in synagogue art. Its village setting, a short walk from Capernaum, illustrates the kind of community where Yeshua taught in synagogues three centuries earlier, and shows that Jews and Christians shared a visual Bible. Huqoq itself is named once in Scripture as a border town of Naphtali.
The Hebrew word: beit ke-NEH-set
בֵּית כְּנֶסֶת
בֵּית כְּנֶסֶת is pronounced beit ke-NEH-set and means synagogue, 'house of assembly' (Strong's H1004 + H3673 (root kanas)).
People this discovery connects to
- Samson — שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shim-SHOHN) — little sun
- Jonah — יוֹנָה (Yo-NAH) — dove
Places
- Hukkok — חוּקֹק (Choo-KOHK) — decreed, appointed
Events
Samson and the foxes · Jonah and the great fish · Crossing of the Red Sea · Spies return with the grape cluster
Huqoq Synagogue Mosaics in Scripture
Joshua 19:34 Hukkok listed on Naphtali's border; the only biblical mention of the village.
1 Chronicles 6:75 One of only 2 verses that name Hukkok.
Questions people ask
What is Huqoq Synagogue Mosaics?
A large late-Roman synagogue whose floor mosaics show Samson carrying the gate of Gaza and tying torches to foxes' tails, Jonah swallowed by three successively larger fish, the parting of the Red Sea with Pharaoh's soldiers drowning, Noah's ark with paired animals, the spies with the giant grape cluster, Daniel in the lions' den, the Tower of Babel under construction, a sun-chariot zodiac, and a unique 'elephant panel' showing a meeting between a Greek general and Jewish priests, possibly Alexander the Great and the high priest. Hebrew and Aramaic dedicatory inscriptions name donors.
When was Huqoq Synagogue Mosaics discovered?
It was found in 2012 by Jodi Magness (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) with Shua Kisilevitz (Israel Antiquities Authority); excavations 2011–2023 with partners from Baylor, Brigham Young, Toronto, Wyoming and Malta, at Huqoq (Yaquq), Lower Galilee, 5 km west of Capernaum.
Where is Huqoq Synagogue Mosaics today?
Mosaics removed for conservation by the Israel Antiquities Authority; selected panels exhibited from 2026; site partly backfilled.
Which Bible verses does Huqoq Synagogue Mosaics relate to?
Joshua 19:34, 1 Chronicles 6:75.
Related discoveries
- אֶבֶן גְּדוֹלָהTel Beth-ShemeshA border town in Samson's valley that avoided pork
- עַמּוּדִיםTell Qasile Philistine TemplesThree superimposed shrines with roof-bearing pillars
- וַיֵּרֶדTimnah (Tel Batash)The Philistine town where Samson sought a wife
- יָפוֹJaffa (Joppa): The Ramesses II GateAn Egyptian fortress gate inscribed with Pharaoh's names in the port of Jonah and Peter
- פְּלִשְׁתִּיםEkron (Tel Miqne): Philistine SettlementFrom Sea Peoples' arrival to the world's largest olive-oil industry
- אֶבֶן גְּדוֹלָהTel Beth Shemesh Iron IIA TownA border town of Judah facing the Philistines, with a giant water reservoir
Sources
- UNC News, 'Carolina-led archaeological dig in Galilee uncovers mosaics of Samson and commemorative inscriptions' (July 2023)
- Times of Israel, 'In vivid color: 1,500-year-old Huqoq mosaic depicts Samson, animals hunting'
- J. Magness et al., 'The Huqoq Excavation Project: 2014–2017 Interim Report', BASOR 380 (2018)