Zorah
צרעה | |
 Mosaic floor at Zorah | |
  Shown within Israel | |
| Alternative name | Sarea |
|---|---|
| Location |  |
| Region | Shephelah |
| Coordinates | 31°46′30″N 34°59′07″E / 31.775086°N 34.98535°E |
| History | |
| Periods | Late Bronze age |
| Cultures | Canaanite, Israelite |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruin |
31°46′30.31″N 34°59′7.26″E / 31.7750861°N 34.9853500°E Zorah (
Location
Zorah was situated on the crest of a hill overlooking the
It is located 23 kilometers west of Jerusalem near Nahal Sorek.
History
Zorah was mentioned together with
- "there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah".
Samson's grave is recorded as being near there (Judges 16:31), and which the historian Josephus says was in a village called Sarasat.[3]
In Joshua 19:41, Zorah is mentioned in the allotment of the Tribe of Judah, on the border with the Tribe of Dan. It was most likely the Danites who occupied Zorah.
According to the Book of Chronicles, it was fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11:10).
The
Kibbutz Tzora is now located nearby, at the foot of Zorah mountain, on its southern side.
Archeology
Caves, tombs, cisterns and a winepress were discovered at Tel Tzora. Two winepresses were carved into the rock, one of which was paved with mosaic.
A rock-hewn altar was found just below the tell.[5][6] It has been nicknamed "Manoah's Altar", after Samson's father.[6]
References
- ^ The Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement, London 1871, p. 93
- ^ Judges 13:2
- ^ Josephus, Antiquities (v.ix.§ 12)
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, Survey of Western Palestine (vol. III), London 1883, p. 26
- ISSN 0031-0328.
- ^ ISSN 0031-0328.
External links
- Surah (Zorah) in Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: IAA, Wikimedia commons
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Zorah". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.