Khirbet Qeiyafa Model Shrines
Two miniature shrines with architecture echoing Solomon's Temple
Found 2011 — Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor; announced May 2012
Where Khirbet Qeiyafa, Elah Valley (Israel)
Dates from c. 1020–980 BCE · Iron Age IIA (early) · Reigns of Shaul (Saul) and David, a generation before the Temple
Now at Israel Antiquities Authority; displayed at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem
How Khirbet Qeiyafa Model Shrines was found
Found in rooms that the excavators interpret as cult rooms, alongside basalt altars, libation vessels, and standing stones. No human or animal figurines were found with them.
What it is
Two portable shrines about 20–35 cm tall. One is pottery, with a doorway flanked by two pillars and lions and birds on the roof line. The other is carved limestone with a recessed doorway, a triple-frame entrance, and a row of seven roof 'beams' with what look like triglyph-style decoration.
Why it matters for the Bible
The stone shrine's recessed doorframe and roof beams give a picture of what tenth-century Judahite sacred architecture looked like, and Garfinkel connects them to hard-to-translate words in the Temple description in 1 Kings 6–7 (such as the 'framed' openings and the cedar beams). They also show organized worship without images in a Judahite town before the Temple was built. Critics note that similar model shrines are known from Philistine and Canaanite sites, so the connection to Shlomo's (Solomon's) Temple is an interpretation rather than proof.
The Hebrew word: tze-lah-OHT
צְלָעוֹת
צְלָעוֹת is pronounced tze-lah-OHT and means side chambers / planks (1 Kings 6:5) — one of the Temple terms the shrines may illustrate (Strong's H6763).
People this discovery connects to
- Solomon — שְׁלֹמֹה (Shlo-MOH) — his peace
- David — דָּוִד (Dah-VEED) — beloved
Places
- Shaaraim — שַׁעֲרַיִם (Sha-ah-RAH-yim) — two gates
Events
Worship in Judah before the Temple · Building of Solomon's Temple
Khirbet Qeiyafa Model Shrines in Scripture
2 Samuel 5:14 First mention of Solomon in Scripture.
1 Kings 6:5-6 The Temple's side structure and recessed ledges; the stone shrine's recessed door frames are compared to this design.
1 Kings 7:2-3 The rows of cedar beams in Solomon's buildings; the shrine roof shows seven beam ends.
Questions people ask
What is Khirbet Qeiyafa Model Shrines?
Two portable shrines about 20–35 cm tall. One is pottery, with a doorway flanked by two pillars and lions and birds on the roof line. The other is carved limestone with a recessed doorway, a triple-frame entrance, and a row of seven roof 'beams' with what look like triglyph-style decoration.
When was Khirbet Qeiyafa Model Shrines discovered?
It was found in 2011 by Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor; announced May 2012, at Khirbet Qeiyafa, Elah Valley.
Where is Khirbet Qeiyafa Model Shrines today?
Israel Antiquities Authority; displayed at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Which Bible verses does Khirbet Qeiyafa Model Shrines relate to?
2 Samuel 5:14, 1 Kings 6:5-6, 1 Kings 7:2-3.
Is Khirbet Qeiyafa Model Shrines authentic?
The objects and their date are not questioned. Their identification as Judahite (rather than Canaanite) cult objects and the link to specific Temple terms are debated.
Related discoveries
- שַׁעֲרַיִםKhirbet QeiyafaA fortified Judahite city with two gates overlooking the Elah Valley
- שָׁפַטKhirbet Qeiyafa OstraconFive lines of early alphabetic writing from the days of David
- אַרְגָּמָןTimna Valley Copper Mines and 'Slaves' Hill'Tenth-century smelting camps and a scrap of royal purple cloth
- גִּיחוֹןGihon Spring Tower and Pool TowerGiant fortifications guarding Jerusalem's only spring
- מִלּוֹאStepped Stone StructureA giant stone rampart on the slope of the City of David, perhaps the biblical Millo
- גָּזִיתTel 'Eton Governor's ResidencyA tenth-century ashlar building in the Judean lowlands
Sources
- Garfinkel & Ganor, 'Cult in Khirbet Qeiyafa from the Iron Age IIa', Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 12 (2012)
- Garfinkel & Mumcuoglu, Solomon's Temple and Palace: New Archaeological Discoveries (2016)