Tel Masos
A large open settlement in the Beersheba Valley on the eve of the monarchy
Found 1972 — Aharon Kempinski (Tel Aviv University) and Volkmar Fritz (University of Mainz), excavations 1972, 1974–1975
Where Tel Masos (Khirbet el-Meshash), Beersheba Valley, about 12 km east of Beersheba (Israel)
Dates from c. 1200–1000 BCE (main phase) · Iron Age I–IIA · Judges to Shaul (Saul) and David
Now at In situ; finds at Tel Aviv University
How Tel Masos was found
An Israeli-German team excavated the low mound and found a ring of four-room houses around an open center, with imported pottery from the coast and Egypt.
What it is
An unwalled settlement of about 6 hectares with roughly ten four-room houses arranged in a circle to form an enclosure, plus workshops with copper slag and evidence of trade in Philistine, Phoenician and Egyptian goods. It was the largest Iron I site in the northern Negev.
Why it matters for the Bible
Tel Masos shows a prosperous, well-connected community in the Negev just before David's time, controlling the copper trade from the Arabah. Aharoni proposed it was biblical Hormah; Finkelstein has argued it was the center of a desert chiefdom, perhaps Amalekite, which David's raids from Ziklag would have targeted. Its decline around 1000 BCE fits the biblical picture of David defeating the Amalekites and Judah taking over the south, though every identification is uncertain.
The Hebrew word: Chor-MAH
חָרְמָה
חָרְמָה is pronounced Chor-MAH and means Hormah — a Negev town, a proposed identification of Tel Masos (Strong's H2767).
People this discovery connects to
- David — דָּוִד (Dah-VEED) — beloved
- Saul — שָׁאוּל (Shah-OOL) — asked for
Places
- Hormah — חָרְמָה (Chor-MAH) — devoted to destruction
- Negev — נֶגֶב (NEH-gev) — dry land, south
Events
Saul's war with Amalek · David's raids from Ziklag · David sends spoil to the elders of Judah
Tel Masos in Scripture
Numbers 14:45 First mention of Hormah in Scripture.
1 Samuel 15:7 Saul strikes the Amalekites across the Negev; some see Tel Masos as an Amalekite center.
1 Samuel 30:30 David sends spoil to the elders of Hormah, one of the Negev towns tied to Tel Masos.
Questions people ask
What is Tel Masos?
An unwalled settlement of about 6 hectares with roughly ten four-room houses arranged in a circle to form an enclosure, plus workshops with copper slag and evidence of trade in Philistine, Phoenician and Egyptian goods. It was the largest Iron I site in the northern Negev.
When was Tel Masos discovered?
It was found in 1972 by Aharon Kempinski (Tel Aviv University) and Volkmar Fritz (University of Mainz), excavations 1972, 1974–1975, at Tel Masos (Khirbet el-Meshash), Beersheba Valley, about 12 km east of Beersheba.
Where is Tel Masos today?
In situ; finds at Tel Aviv University.
Which Bible verses does Tel Masos relate to?
Numbers 14:45, 1 Samuel 15:7, 1 Samuel 30:30.
Is Tel Masos authentic?
Site and date are secure; identification with Hormah or with an Amalekite center is speculative.
Related discoveries
- שַׁעֲרַיִםKhirbet QeiyafaA fortified Judahite city with two gates overlooking the Elah Valley
- צִקְלַגTel Sera' (Tell esh-Shari'a): Ziklag CandidateAn Egyptian governor's residence and hieratic tax receipts in the town many identify as David's Ziklag
- גָּזִיתTel 'Eton Governor's ResidencyA tenth-century ashlar building in the Judean lowlands
- בְּאֵר שֶׁבַעTel Beersheba Planned CityA royal administrative town laid out on a single plan in the Negev
- צְלָעוֹתKhirbet Qeiyafa Model ShrinesTwo miniature shrines with architecture echoing Solomon's Temple
- אַרְגָּמָןTimna Valley Copper Mines and 'Slaves' Hill'Tenth-century smelting camps and a scrap of royal purple cloth
Sources
- Fritz & Kempinski, Ergebnisse der Ausgrabungen auf der Hirbet el-Msas (Tel Masos) 1972–1975 (1983)
- Wikipedia: Tel Masos