Ostraca of Elisha found in the home town of Elisha (Abel-meholah): 830 BC
Elisha of Abel-meholah: 1 Kings 19:15-17
Tel Rehov Apiary: excavation site name for Biblical Abel-meholah
"The Lord said to Elijah [at Mt. Sinai],
“Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus,
and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram;
and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel;
and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place."
(1 Kings 19:15–16)
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Digging up Bible stories! Tel Rehov provides 3 Bible keys: 1. Tel Rehov is identified as Biblical Abel-meholah, the home town of Elisha 2. The Ostraca of with Elisha’s name: 1 Kings 19:15-17 3. Apiary (Honey bee factory) proving “a land of milk and honey” means bee honey not date honey as is currently taught throughout Israel.
"What we read in the book, we find in the ground" See also: Chronology of Elisha and Elijah. |
Introduction to the Elisha ostraca:
1. See also: Chronology of Elisha and Elijah.
2. To find an ostraca with the name of Elisha on it, in the home town of Elisha in the Bible is a stunning proof that “what you read in the book, you find in the ground”.
a. The ostraca of Elisha was discovered in 2013 AD in professional 3-dimentional archeological excavations at Tel Rehov
b. Tel Rehov is located 5 km (3 miles) due south of Beth-Shean clearly visible as a large tel (hill) on the east side of the main highway south to Jericho.
3. Tel Rehov is the home town of Elisha in the Bible called Abel-Meholah
4. While the anointing of Elisha took place in 865 BC and the Ostraca is dated to 830 BC (35 years later), this documents the Bible story perfectly.
a. The home town of Elisha would be a famous place during and after his lifetime.
5. Finds from the excavations at Tel Rehov are housed at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv which features:
a. The Elisha ostracon
b. Excavated of pagan ceramic fertility goddesses.
c. Several ceramic four horned altars.
d. Stamped jar handles unique to Tel Rehov.
e. A variety of household pottery, including a tabun (oven).
f. Mud bricks from the houses. (see photo below)
g. Reconstruction loom with excavated loom weights.
h. A display that identifies the “House of Elisha”.
i. A storage jar had the name Nimshi inscribed on it – the name identical to that of King Jehu’s grandfather (1 Kings 19:16; 2 Kings 9:2).
j. Bronze blades, arrow heads, and a sickle.
I. Excavation of Tel Rehov as biblical Abel-Meholah:
1. The Onomasticon of Eusebius: 325 AD
a. The Onomasticon is an ancient dictionary of Bible places and cities.
b. The Madaba Map was based upon Eusebius’ Onomasticon.
2. Name ring of Pharaoh Shishak: Rehov
a. See full outline on Shishak’s list of 187 cities on the wall of the Karnak temple
b. While Thutmoses III and Shishak indeed both list Rehov as an ancient city, it does not tell us where it is except for a general association with other places.
c. You cannot use the Egyptian city names list to mark with certainty, the location of Rehov.
d. The Bible never refers to this ancient city by this name.
e. The geographical information in the Bible is far more precise for Abel-Meholah.
f. Abel-Meholah is possibly an alternate name for ancient Rehov!
3. The Onomasticon on Abel-Meholah:
a. “Abelmaelai (Abelmaula). One of the capital cities of Solomon. Home of Eliseus (the prophet). There is now a village called Bethmaela (Bethmaula) in the Aulon [of which we have spoken above], ten miles from Scythopolis [Beth-Shean] (to the south). There is also a (little village Abelmea seen on the road from (between) Neapolis to (and) Scythopolis.” (Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325 AD) footnote: Abelmaelai (Abelmaula). I Kings 4:12; K. 34:20; L. 243:35.
b. Eusebius marks Abel-Meholah 10 miles (16 km) south of Beth-Shean.
c. Zarethan is 40 km south east of Beth-Shean.
4. The Onomasticon on Tel Rehov:
a. “Roōb. Through which came (crossed) the spies with Josue (son of Nun). There is a village (today called) Roōb four miles from Scythopolis. Separated to the Levites.” (Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325 AD) footnote: 766. Roōb. Numbers 13:21; K. 142:18; L. 280:82.
b. Notice that Eusebius wrongly associated the northern-most city of the the 12 spies of the conquest in 1406 BC, with Beth-Rehob (Beth-Rehov) located north west of Tel-Dan on the northern border of Israel with Hamath.
c. Eusebius said that Roōb was 4 miles south of Beth-Shean but Tel Rehov is only 3 miles south.
d. Eusebius was simply wrong.
5. We have Rehov listed on Shishak at the time of Solomon but this city is never named in the Bible.
a. The problem is that we really have no idea how to locate Rehov in the name ring.
b. The location of Abel-meholah is more certain. I think that Abel-meholah is an alternate name for Shishak’s Rehov which was never used in the Bible.
6. The bible on Rehov (Beth-Rehob) in the bible is north of Tel Dan:
a. Time of David: "Now when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the sons of Ammon sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob with 12,000 men. When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men. The sons of Ammon came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the city, while the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field." (2 Samuel 10:6–8)
b. Time of Conquest of Tel Dan 1340 BC: "Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire. And there was no one to deliver them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city and lived in it. They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born in Israel; however, the name of the city formerly was Laish." (Judges 18:27–29)
c. Northern most point at Hamath the spies went at the time of Joshua in 1406 BC. Notice that Lebo-hamath literally means in Hebrew “border of Hamath”, which was the northern border of the promised land: "So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, at Lebo-hamath." (Numbers 13:21)
7. The bible on Abel-Meholah is southwest of Beth-shean near the Chereth River and Zarethan:
a. Time of Gideon: "When they blew 300 trumpets, the LORD set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath." (Judges 7:22)
b. Time of Solomon: "Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;" (1 Kings 4:12)
c. Home of Elisha: "and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place." (1 Kings 19:16)
8. Zarethan is located 40 km south east of Beth-Shean on the Chereth River on the east side of the Jordan River.
9. Conclusions:
a. The Bible never refers to Rehov of Shishak. Rehov and Abel-Meholah are therefore never listed together. Abel-Meholah is possibly an alternate name for ancient Rehov!
b. The Rehov of the bible is Abel-Rehob which is located far north of Beth-shean on the border of Hamath.
c. The geographical information in the Bible is far more precise for Abel-Meholah.
d. There are no known archeological sites at modern “Mehola” or “Shadmot Mehola”
e. The archeology of Tel Rehov dates back to the Late Bronze age, which is the time of Joshua.
f. Ancient Rehov of Shishak is therefore an alternate name for biblical Abel-Meholah marked today as the archeological site of Tel Rehov, the home town of Elisha.
II. Excavation of Tel Rehov as biblical Abel-Meholah:
1. In 2013 AD professional three-dimensional archeological excavations were carried out which resulted in the discovery of two very important things:
a. The Elisha ostraca: A pottery sherd was found with Elisha’s name printed in large red letters in Paleo-Hebrew script
b. An apiary: This bee factory used man-made clay cylinders in which was placed a queen bee. The sophistication of this ancient Iron age site proves that Israel was a land of “Milk and BEE honey”, not date honey as is popularly fictionalized today in Israel.
2. The town of Abel-Meholah covered about 50 meters square and featured mudbrick construction:
a.
Pictured is the author pointing to ancient in situ mudbrick from
one of the town building house walls.
3. Here
is a panorama of the ancient town of Abel-Meholah as seen today
III. The Ostraca of Elisha:
1. Discovered in 2013 AD in professional 3-dimentional archeological excavations, the ostraca represents a rare and stunning find.
a.
Although the ostraca was broken, the large red letters in Paleo-Hebrew
script clearly spelled out “Elisha”
2. The excavation dump site at Tel Rehov can be seen today.
a. Archeologists have examined each and every one of the excavated sherds, recorded their forms, dates and quantity, then are discarded in a “pottery dump”.
b.
Pictured is the author at the Tel Rehov pottery dump:
IV. The Apiary at Tel Rebov:
1. This bee factory featured man-made clay cylinders in which was placed a queen bee.
a. During the excavation they found thousands of ancient dead bees, honey and honeycomb.
2. The sophistication of this ancient Iron age site proves that Israel was a land of “Milk and BEE honey”, not date honey as is popularly fictionalized today in Israel.
3. Here
is an excavation photo of the in situ ceramic bee hive cylinders:
Conclusion:
1. See also: Chronology of Elisha and Elijah.
2. Ancient Rehov of Shishak is an alternate name for biblical Abel-Meholah marked today as the archeological site of Tel Rehov, the home town of Elisha.
3. Tel Rehov has confirmed the historical accuracy of the Bible:
a. Israel was indeed a land of “milk and bee-honey”
b. Elisha was a real person. Not only have we found his town, but excavators believe they have identified his actual house.
c. The Elisha ostraca in large red print on a broken pottery sherd is a stunning find.
4. What you read in the book you find in the ground.
5. Why not attend a bible-believing church in your own home town this Sunday: Click to find church near you!
By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.
