Tel Motza Temple
An Iron IIA temple a few miles from Jerusalem
Found 2012 — Shua Kisilevitz, Anna Eirikh-Rose and Zvi Greenhut (Israel Antiquities Authority), salvage excavation ahead of highway work; renewed research excavations by Kisilevitz and Oded Lipschits (Tel Aviv University) from 2019
Where Tel Motza, Sorek Valley, about 7 km west of Jerusalem (Israel)
Dates from c. 900 BCE (possibly late 10th century) · Iron Age IIA · Shortly after Shlomo (Solomon), early kings of Judah
Now at In situ (partly covered by the highway); finds at the Israel Antiquities Authority and displayed at the Israel Museum
How Tel Motza Temple was found
Road works on Highway 1 exposed massive walls. The team found a temple with a courtyard, altar and cult objects sealed beneath later layers.
What it is
A long-room temple of the same type as Solomon's, with an entrance porch, an open courtyard with a stone altar and offering pit, and cult objects including pottery figurines of humans and horses, a decorated cult stand, and chalices. Large grain silos and storage buildings surround it.
Why it matters for the Bible
This is the only Iron Age temple found near Jerusalem, and it was in use while the First Temple stood just down the road. It shows that worship in Judah in the early monarchy was not yet centralized, and that a royal grain center at Motza had its own temple with figurines the Torah would forbid. Its plan is the same long-room type as 1 Kings 6, giving one more local example of what Solomon's Temple looked like. Whether the temple was built under Solomon or a generation later is still being refined.
The Hebrew word: bah-MAH
בָּמָה
בָּמָה is pronounced bah-MAH and means high place — a local shrine outside the central sanctuary (Strong's H1116).
People this discovery connects to
- Solomon — שְׁלֹמֹה (Shlo-MOH) — his peace
Places
- Mozah — מֹצָה (Moh-TZAH) — going forth / spring
Events
Worship outside Jerusalem in early Judah · Royal grain storage
Tel Motza Temple in Scripture
Joshua 18:26 Mozah is listed among the towns of Benjamin, the town where the temple stood.
Questions people ask
What is Tel Motza Temple?
A long-room temple of the same type as Solomon's, with an entrance porch, an open courtyard with a stone altar and offering pit, and cult objects including pottery figurines of humans and horses, a decorated cult stand, and chalices. Large grain silos and storage buildings surround it.
When was Tel Motza Temple discovered?
It was found in 2012 by Shua Kisilevitz, Anna Eirikh-Rose and Zvi Greenhut (Israel Antiquities Authority), salvage excavation ahead of highway work; renewed research excavations by Kisilevitz and Oded Lipschits (Tel Aviv University) from 2019, at Tel Motza, Sorek Valley, about 7 km west of Jerusalem.
Where is Tel Motza Temple today?
In situ (partly covered by the highway); finds at the Israel Antiquities Authority and displayed at the Israel Museum.
Which Bible verses does Tel Motza Temple relate to?
Joshua 18:26.
Related discoveries
- הַבָּמָה הַגְּדוֹלָהNebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) ExcavationsThe hilltop shrine of Samuel — and the search for Gibeon's 'great high place'
- שְׁבָאAxum Chapel of the TabletEthiopia's claim to hold the Ark of the Covenant
- דְּבַשׁTel Rehov ApiaryThe oldest industrial beehives ever found, in a 'land of honey'
- עַמּוּדThe Nuweiba Granite Column ('Solomon's Pillar')An unmarked column on the beach said to have been raised by Shlomo to mark the crossing
- אַבְנֵי גָזִיתMegiddo Ashlar Palaces (Stratum VA–IVB)Two fine-stone palaces claimed for Solomon's district capital
- צְלָעוֹתKhirbet Qeiyafa Model ShrinesTwo miniature shrines with architecture echoing Solomon's Temple
Sources
- Kisilevitz, 'The Iron IIA Judahite Temple at Tel Moza', Tel Aviv 42 (2015)
- Kisilevitz & Lipschits, 'Another Temple in Judah! The Tale of Tel Moza', BAR 46:1 (2020)
- Wikipedia: Tel Motza