Nebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) Excavations
The hilltop shrine of Samuel — and the search for Gibeon's 'great high place'
Found 1992 — Yitzhak Magen, Staff Officer for Archaeology in Judea and Samaria (1992–2003)
Where Nebi Samwil, 890 m hill north-west of Jerusalem, near el-Jib (Gibeon) (West Bank (Palestinian Territories, Israeli-administered))
Dates from c. 8th century BCE to 12th century CE · Iron Age IIB–C, Hellenistic, Byzantine, Crusader · Kings of Judah; tradition links it to Samuel and to Solomon's sacrifice at Gibeon
Now at Nebi Samwil National Park; Crusader church now a mosque with a synagogue in the crypt around the traditional tomb
How Nebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) Excavations was found
Large-scale excavation around the mosque-church on the summit north of Jerusalem exposed an Iron Age II village with rock-cut installations, a fortified Hellenistic (Seleucid-period) settlement, a Byzantine monastery, and the Crusader church and fortress; the hoped-for Iron I sanctuary was not found.
What it is
A commanding hilltop whose summit building — a Crusader church of St Samuel, later a mosque — stands over a cenotaph honored by Jews, Christians and Muslims as Samuel's tomb since at least the 6th century. Beneath and around it Magen found 8th–7th-century BCE houses, olive and wine installations, a 2nd-century BCE fort with a quarry and rock-cut streets, and Byzantine pilgrim buildings.
Why it matters for the Bible
Two biblical questions meet here. First, Samuel: the Bible buries him at Ramah (1 Samuel 25:1), and most scholars put Ramah elsewhere, so the tomb tradition is late even though it is old and beloved. Second, the tabernacle: after Shiloh and Nob, the tent of meeting stood at 'the great high place' of Gibeon, where Shlomo (Solomon) offered a thousand burnt offerings (1 Kings 3:4; 1 Chronicles 16:39). Nebi Samwil, the highest point beside Gibeon, is the natural candidate — but Magen found no Iron I or 10th-century remains on the summit, so the high place either lies unexcavated, was on the tell of Gibeon itself, or left no trace. Magen instead argued the site was Mizpah, a view most reject in favor of Tell en-Nasbeh.
The Hebrew word: hab-bah-MAH hag-ge-doh-LAH
הַבָּמָה הַגְּדוֹלָה
הַבָּמָה הַגְּדוֹלָה is pronounced hab-bah-MAH hag-ge-doh-LAH and means the great high place (at Gibeon) (Strong's H1116 + H1419).
People this discovery connects to
- Samuel — שְׁמוּאֵל (she-moo-EL) — heard of God
- Solomon — שְׁלֹמֹה (she-lo-MOH) — peaceful
Places
- Gibeon — גִּבְעוֹן (giv-OHN) — hill town
- Ramah — רָמָה (rah-MAH) — height
Events
Tabernacle at the high place of Gibeon · Solomon's sacrifice and dream at Gibeon (1 Kings 3) · Burial of Samuel at Ramah
Nebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) Excavations in Scripture
1 Samuel 1:20 First mention of Samuel in Scripture.
1 Kings 3:4-5 Solomon sacrifices at Gibeon, 'the great high place,' and YHVH appears to him in a dream; Nebi Samwil is the leading candidate for that height.
1 Chronicles 16:39 The tabernacle of YHVH stands 'at the high place at Gibeon' under Zadok during David's reign.
Questions people ask
What is Nebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) Excavations?
A commanding hilltop whose summit building — a Crusader church of St Samuel, later a mosque — stands over a cenotaph honored by Jews, Christians and Muslims as Samuel's tomb since at least the 6th century. Beneath and around it Magen found 8th–7th-century BCE houses, olive and wine installations, a 2nd-century BCE fort with a quarry and rock-cut streets, and Byzantine pilgrim buildings.
When was Nebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) Excavations discovered?
It was found in 1992 by Yitzhak Magen, Staff Officer for Archaeology in Judea and Samaria (1992–2003), at Nebi Samwil, 890 m hill north-west of Jerusalem, near el-Jib (Gibeon).
Where is Nebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) Excavations today?
Nebi Samwil National Park; Crusader church now a mosque with a synagogue in the crypt around the traditional tomb.
Which Bible verses does Nebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) Excavations relate to?
1 Samuel 1:20, 1 Kings 3:4-5, 1 Chronicles 16:39.
Is Nebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) Excavations authentic?
Excavation results are published (Magen and Dadon); the site's identification (Gibeon's high place, Mizpah, or neither) and the Samuel tomb tradition are both debated, and no Iron I sanctuary was found.
Related discoveries
- מִשְׁכָּןShiloh (Tel Shiloh / Khirbet Seilun)Iron I storerooms, collared-rim jars, and an altar horn at the home of the Tabernacle
- מִשְׁכָּןShiloh Monumental Iron I BuildingEast-west structure on the northern platform proposed as the tabernacle's resting place
- נֻסָּחSamuel Scrolls from Cave 4 (4QSama-c)Fragments of Samuel that preserve readings lost from the traditional Hebrew text
- מִצְפָּהMizpah (Tell en-Nasbeh)Benjamin's gathering place with a great Iron Age wall
- בָּמָהTel Motza TempleAn Iron IIA temple a few miles from Jerusalem
- אֶבֶן גְּדוֹלָהBeth Shemesh Iron I Temple and Stone TableA 12th-century shrine with a massive flat stone — the 'large stone' where the ark rested?
Sources
- Y. Magen, 'Nebi Samwil: Where Samuel Crowned Israel's First King', BAR 34:3 (2008)
- BAS Library, NEAEHL supplement 'Nebi Samwil'
- BiblePlaces, 'Nebi Samwil'
- BiblePlaces Blog, 'Nebi Samwil is not Mizpah' (2008)
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