Megiddo Water Tunnel
A deep shaft and tunnel giving the city hidden access to its spring in wartime
Found 1928 — Oriental Institute expedition; excavated and published by Robert S. Lamon (1935)
Where Tel Megiddo, Israel (Israel)
Dates from 9th century BCE · Iron Age IIB · Divided Kingdom (Omrides)
Now at In situ, Megiddo National Park (visitors descend the shaft and walk the tunnel)
How Megiddo Water Tunnel was found
Cleared during the Chicago excavations; Yadin later argued the system dates to Ahab's time on the basis of its link to the Stratum IVA city.
What it is
A square vertical shaft about 35 m deep cut through earlier ruins and bedrock, with a spiral staircase, leading to a horizontal tunnel roughly 70–100 m long that reaches a spring cave outside the city wall. The old outside entrance to the spring was then blocked so enemies could not find it.
Why it matters for the Bible
Along with Hazor and Gezer, Megiddo shows that Israel's kings invested in huge engineering works so cities could survive siege — the same concern that later drove Hezekiah's tunnel in Jerusalem. The system is generally credited to the Omride kings, the period the Bible and Assyrian records both describe as one of Israel's greatest military strength.
The Hebrew word: mah-YAHN
מַעְיָן
מַעְיָן is pronounced mah-YAHN and means spring; fountain (Strong's H4599).
People this discovery connects to
- Ahab — אַחְאָב (Ach-AHV) — father's brother
Places
- Megiddo — מְגִדּוֹ (Me-gid-DOE) — place of troops (uncertain)
Events
Fortification of Israel's cities against Aram and Assyria
Megiddo Water Tunnel in Scripture
Joshua 12:21 First mention of Megiddo in Scripture.
2 Kings 9:27 Ahaziah flees toward Megiddo and dies there — the fortified city of this water system.
2 Chronicles 32:3-4 Hezekiah stops the springs outside Jerusalem before siege; Megiddo's kings did the same a century earlier.
Questions people ask
What is Megiddo Water Tunnel?
A square vertical shaft about 35 m deep cut through earlier ruins and bedrock, with a spiral staircase, leading to a horizontal tunnel roughly 70–100 m long that reaches a spring cave outside the city wall. The old outside entrance to the spring was then blocked so enemies could not find it.
When was Megiddo Water Tunnel discovered?
It was found in 1928 by Oriental Institute expedition; excavated and published by Robert S. Lamon (1935), at Tel Megiddo, Israel.
Where is Megiddo Water Tunnel today?
In situ, Megiddo National Park (visitors descend the shaft and walk the tunnel).
Which Bible verses does Megiddo Water Tunnel relate to?
Joshua 12:21, 2 Kings 9:27, 2 Chronicles 32:3-4.
Related discoveries
- אֻרְוֹתMegiddo Pillared StablesRows of stone-pillared buildings for hundreds of horses in Israel's chariot city
- עֶבֶד הַמֶּלֶךְSeal of Shema, Servant of JeroboamA roaring lion and the name of a royal official of Jeroboam II, from Megiddo
- מִזְבֵּחַMegiddo Round Altar and Early Bronze TemplesA stepped stone altar and a row of temples in Canaan's oldest sacred area
- פַּרְעֹה נְכֹהMegiddo Area X: Necho's Army and the Death of JosiahA layer of Egyptian and Greek pottery from the time Pharaoh Necho killed King Yoshiyahu (2025)
- מְגִדּוֹMegiddo Shoshenq Stele FragmentA piece of Pharaoh Shishak's monument found in the city his list names
- מְגִדּוֹMegiddo Stratum II and the Death of JosiahThe fortress where Pharaoh Necho II killed Judah's reforming king on his way to the Euphrates
Sources
- Lamon, The Megiddo Water System (OIP 32), 1935
- Wikipedia: Tel Megiddo