larshaukeland

Hezekiah’s tunnel (2 Kings 20)

One of king Hezekiah’s major accomplishments was the construction of the tunnel, or conduit, that still bears his name (2 Kings 20:20). He was able to ensure a steady supply of water into Jerusalem through this tunnel when the city was under siege by the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib in approximately 701 B.C., thus saving the city from almost certain destruction. Water was redirected into Jerusalem from the Gihon spring through this underground tunnel, cut through solid rock for 533 m. The tunnel followed a winding route, starting most likely at the point of a natural fissure. The pool at the end of the tunnel was located strategically inside the city wall.

Edward Robinson was the first to explore the tunnel in modern times (1837). Much later, in 1880, children discovered the famous Siloam Inscription carved in the wall of the tunnel about 6 m from the Siloam end. The inscription commemorates the dramatic moment when the two original teams of tunnelers, digging with picks from opposite ends, met each other. One of the most important ancient Hebrew inscription ever discovered, it now resides in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Hezekiah’s tunnel, which today still brings water into Jerusalem, was a remarkable achievement in ancient engineering that also, with its inscription, provides an important link to Biblical history.