The Siloam Tunnel, which is otherwise known as the Hezekiah's Tunnel, is a water channel, which is believed to have been designed and built the time of Hezekiah beneath the City of Jerusalem (Rogerson & Davies, 1996). The name is derived from the fact that the tunnels were developed during the reign of Hezekiah of Judah, which can be dated to a period between late 8th and early 7th century BC. The discovery of this archeology has played a critical role towards supporting the some of the biblical texts, as can be seen from some of the verses in the Bible. Scientific methods that include radiocarbon dating, as well as, the use of biblical texts have been used by archeologists in their bid to dating the tunnels. The methods have placed the tunnel at the exact period during which time Hezekiah of Judah was the leader in Jerusalem.
The design and construction of the tunnel is considered as being articulate, as it links the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam, which serves as a clear indication of the fact that Hezekiah was preparing for a siege by the Assyrians, who were led by Sennacherib. That can be seen from the biblical texts, which point to the fact that Hezekiah sought to protect the City of Jerusalem during the siege. Regarding the issue of dating of the tunnel, it must be noted that the dating of the tunnel has been challenged through new excavations, which have sought to build on the understanding that the construction of the tunnels can be dated to the late 9th century BC. The main intention of this report is to examine how this archeology can be used to support biblical texts from the Bible.
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Discovery and Interpretation
Franciscus Quaresmius, who was an Italian writer and orientalist, was the first person in modern history to discover the tunnel in 1625 paving the way for their examination and interpretation. Between 1838 and 1865, American scholars, Edward Robinson and Charles Warren, were involved in the examination of the tunnel with the main intention being towards highlighting its significance to the history of Jerusalem. Both Quaresmius and Robinson failed to recognize the connection that the tunnel had with Hezekiah, which was later highlighted by, Warren. According to Warren, the fact that the tunnel was linked to the Pool of Siloam serves as a clear indication of the fact that it has been dug during the time of Hezekiah (Rogerson & Davies, 1996). On the other hand, the interpretation of the Siloam inscription within the tunnel may have worked towards projecting the overall understanding that indeed the tunnel can be traced back to the period of Hezekiah of Judah.
Function and Origin
According to the description of the ancient City of Jerusalem, from multiple sources including the Bible, one key aspect to note is that it was within a place where it would be able to defend itself in the event of an external attack (Norin, 1998). However, one of the main challenges that the city would have faced revolved around its fresh water supply, the Gihon Spring, which was outside the city. King Hezekiah, who was fearful of a siege from the Assyrians, believed that although the city would be able to defend itself in the event of a siege, it would not be able to defend the fresh water source. That would mean that the people in the city would suffer significantly due to lack of fresh water.
Ultimately, that may have served as one of the reasons why King Hezekiah opted to block the spring water outside the city, instead, diverting it to the Pool of Siloam. From the earlier interpretations of the tunnel, based on discovery, it was clear that the tunnel was dug with the sole purpose being to ensure that people would have unlimited access to the Pool of Siloam. Within the City of Jerusalem, the entrance to the tunnel was covered by a huge rock slab, which meant that people from outside would not be able to know of its existence (Norin, 1998). From an overall perspective, it can be argued that the tunnel may have sought to build on the idea that the people of Jerusalem would be safe regardless of the possibility of an external siege by the Assyrians, which was according to King Hezekiah.
Siloam Tunnel Inscription
In 1880, the Siloam Tunnel Inscription was discovered, which sought to highlight and narrate the dramatic history that characterized the history of the City of Jerusalem (Christopher, 2010). The inscription sought to highlight the story in which thousands of people from Jerusalem sought to undertake a project that would not only seek to protect the future of the city but guarantee unlimited supply of water from outside the city. The inscription, which can be seen on the wall of the tunnel, reveals a story of two crew of workmen, which was involved as part of the overall process of tunneling through the bedrock. The story can be defined clearly based on the understanding of the overall pressure that the crew had towards creating the tunnel due to the fear of an external siege.
Specifically, it must be noted that the inscription that has been translated to date focus on six specific lines of text, which have been translated from Old Hebrew. According to Christopher, the texts narrate:
“[. . .] the tunneling. And this is the narrative of the tunneling: While (the stone-cutters were wielding)
the picks, each toward his co-worker, the picks, each toward his coworker, and while there were still three cubits to tunnel through, the voice of a man was heard calling out
to his co-worker, because there was a fissure in the rock, running from south [to north]. And on the (final) day of
tunneling, each of the stonecutters was striking (the stone) forcefully so as to meet his co-worker, pick after pick. And
then the water began to flow from the source to the pool, a distance of 1200 cubits. And 100
cubits was the height of the rock above the head of the stone-cutters” (p.1)
From the translation, as has been presented, what was clear is the fact that the workers involved in the tunneling understood the importance of having to ensure that they worked hard to create the tunnel. Additionally, the texts also reflect on the fact that the inscription may have been considered as being one of the ways through which the persons involved in tunneling would be able to keep a historical account of their activities. Lastly, the texts also reflect on the joy that the persons had after the completion of the tunnel, which was after the began to flow for the source to the pool.
The inscription also seeks to reflect on the total length of the tunnel suggesting that the workers dug over a distance of 1200 cubits with 1 cubit being considered as being approximately 18 inches. From that view, it can be noted that the modern measurement of the tunnel is approximately 1800 feet (Christopher, 2010). On the other hand, the inscription also suggest that the ceiling of the tunnel was 100 cubit, which means that its height would have been 150 feet. The analysis of the texts from the inscription has been considered as one of the key factors that contributes to a significant understanding of reasons why the tunnel may have been created in the first place and its importance of the people of Jerusalem.
How the archeology supports Biblical texts
An in-depth analysis of Hezekiah’s Tunnel, it becomes clear that it indeed supports biblical texts in many ways, as it seeks to build on the generalized understanding of the fact that indeed the tunnel may have been built during the period of King Hezekiah. When evaluating how the tunnel may support biblical texts, it is important to consider several key verses from the Bible. The verses can be supported by the existence of the tunnel, as they seek to provide readers with an account of the fact that indeed what is written in the Bible can be seen within the cities within which the texts are based. That serves as one of the factors to consider when embarking on a process of having to determine how the archeology supports biblical texts.
The first verse in the Bible that is supported by the discovery of the tunnels is:
“As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?” (2 King 20:20 New International Version).
In this verse, what is clear is that it seeks to highlight the achievements that can be associated with the reign of King Hezekiah. The main achievement that the verse reflects upon is the construction of the tunnel through which water was brought into the city. It becomes clear that indeed the construction of the tunnel may have been considered as a key aspect that sought to describe the life of King Hezekiah.
The actual discovery of the tunnel meant that biblical scholars would be able to use the existence of the tunnel as a way of justifying the validity of this verse in the Bible. Additionally, both biblical and archeological scholars would be in a rather effective position through which to use this verse of the Bible to support the fact that the tunnel may have been constructed during the reign of King Hezekiah. From that view, it becomes clear that indeed the archeology able to build on a general understanding of the fact King Hezekiah believed in the need for having to protect the period of Jerusalem. Consequently, this sought to define his decision to use the available resources for purposes of having to create a water source that the people would be guaranteed of regardless of the threat of a siege.
Another key verse of the Bible that can be supported by the discovery of the tunnel is:
“When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. 'Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?' they said.” (2 Chronicles 32:2-4 New International Version).
In this verse, what is clear is the reason as to why King Hezekiah made the actual decision to engage in the construction of the tunnel, which was the fact that the king held the believe that the City of Jerusalem was facing a serious threat from the kings of Assyria. That meant that the construction of the tunnel would help towards preventing the possibility of the people in Jerusalem facing serious threats of lack of fresh water.
Another key verse of the Bible that is seen from the actual discovery of the tunnel is:
“It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook.” (2 Chronicles 32:30 New International Version).
The verse seeks to describe the process through which King Hezekiah was able to create the tunnel, which involved the blocking of the upper outlet of Gihon spring with the intention being to channel the water through the tunnel. That reflects on the fact that King Hezekiah believed in the construction of this tunnel to serve as one of the key ways through which to guarantee an effective supply of fresh water to the people in Jerusalem.
Lastly, the Bible says that,
“You also saw the City of David, that it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you have respect for him who fashioned it long ago.” (Isaiah 22:11 New International Version).
The Bible verse points to the fact that the construction of the tunnel is a fact that does not only show the superiority in the design and architecture during that period but also reflects on the fact that indeed this was aimed at glorifying God. The verse is able to reflect on the importance of the tunnel created by King Hezekiah in the glorification and manifestation of God among the people in the City of David (Jerusalem).
Doubts over dating of the archeology
Ronny Reich, a scholar from the University of Haifa, and Eli Shukron, who is from the Israel Antiquities Authority, have been engaged in a wide array of excavation works aimed at creating a situation where it would be much easier to determine the actual timeline of the tunnel. According to the justifications that have been presented by both scholars, the tunnel may have been constructed in the late 9th century or in the early 8th century BC. That serves as a contradiction of the dating that has been presented through radiocarbon dating and the biblical texts focusing on the construction of the tunnel.
According to the two scholars, who have sought to dispute the fact that the construction of the tunnel may have occurred in the time indicated, the biblical text that links King Hezekiah to the tunnel does not highlight the city in which the construction may have occurred. From that view, the two scholars believe in the fact that the construction works that have been described extensively within the Bible relating to King Hezekiah are within the Mamilla area. The arguments presented seek to build on the understanding that the tunnel already existed during the leadership of King Hezekiah, which means that he may not have been involved in its actual construction.
Conclusion
In summary, the Siloam Tunnel, which is otherwise known as the Hezekiah's Tunnel, is a water channel, which is believed to have been designed and built the time of Hezekiah beneath the City of Jerusalem. The design and construction of the tunnel is considered as being articulate, as it links the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam. From the earlier interpretations of the tunnel, based on discovery, it was clear that the tunnel was dug with the sole purpose being to ensure that people would have unlimited access to the Pool of Siloam. In 1880, the Siloam Tunnel Inscription was discovered, which sought to highlight and narrate the dramatic history that characterized the history of the City of Jerusalem. The inscription also seeks to reflect on the total length of the tunnel suggesting that the workers dug over a distance of 1200 cubits with 1 cubit being considered as being approximately 18 inches.
References
Christopher, R. (2010). The Siloam Inscription and Hezekiah’s Tunnel . Retrieved from https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/places/related-articles/siloam-inscription-and-hezekiahs-tunnel
Norin, S. (1998). The age of the Siloam inscription and Hezekiah's tunnel. Vetus Testamentum , 48 , 37-48.
Rogerson, J., & Davies, P. R. (1996). Was the Siloam tunnel built by Hezekiah?. The Biblical Archaeologist , 59 (3), 138-149.
