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The Valley of the Giants and the places north of Jerusalem Jos:15:7: And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of En-shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at En-rogel:
Jos:15:8: And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:
Jos:15:9: And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim:
Modern Jerusalem (Amorite Jerusalem) After having read the above biblical quotations there are a number of very noticable problems when compared to present day Jerusalem (that of the Amorites). For starters present day Jerusalem (or in Arabic known as Al Quds) has no valley north of the old city (known as the valley of decease, giants or otherwise). In fact the height is almost equal to that of the old city and continues on as so to the tomb of the kings. According to maps of the location west of the old city is a narrow valley called Hinnom, east of the city is Kidron, north east is the valley of Jehoshaphat both along side Mount Olive. And on the northwest side of the city is a hill called Gihon. Mount Zion and Mount Moriah (or the Temple Mount also known as Haram esh-Sherif) are separated by a valley, now built over, and only discernible by careful investigation of the contours of the rock level, called the Tyropoeon valley. None of the geographically described maps or on ground observations will show another valley that fits this biblical description. Tel Arad Area (Jebusite Jerusalem) The house of Yahweh and the city lay on a small mount. West of this mount is a valley that extends to the mountains that surround the area going south. Just north of the house is another small mount that makes a clearly separated valley on the other side. This valley northward is directed southwest toward the valley on the west side of the house of Yahweh. At the end of the northeast end of the valley are the start of the higher mountains (Beginning with Har Amasa). And on top of these mountains are watering holes that appear to formerly be water channels running off the mountain, then it continues to Yattir nearby. This description compared to Jos:15:8: "And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:" are identical to one another in description and comparision. Ephron & Hebron Secondly according to this biblical reference "the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:" "And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim:" The mount Ephron is not the to be confused with mount Ephraim. Mount Ephron is that of Ephron the Hittite which land is before Mamre in Hebron. Read the following scriptures: MOUNT EPHRON- And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre (Ge:25:9:); And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim (Jos:15:9:);
- PLAIN OF MAMRE- (Ge:13:18:) Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD. (Ge:14:13:) And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. (Ge:14:24:) Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. (Ge:18:1:) And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; (Ge:35:27:) And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
Therefore, it can be determined from these that mount Ephron and Mamre were in the mountains north of Jerusalem.
Modern Jerusalem (Amorite Jerusalem)
In modern Jerusalem Hebron is south rather than north of Jerusalem. Also, it was written in the Tanach that the Jerusalem of the Amorites was in the mountains with Hebron not as is seen with Modern Jerusalem and Hebron on present day maps (Jos 10:1-6: ). Tel Arad area (Jebusite Jerusalem) From the previous descriptions of the area of the house of Yahweh north in the mountains is clear seen on any map Hebron northward of Tel Arad in the mountains. The Jerusalem of the Jebusites in the South Kirjath-jearim (Baalah) and the southern borders Jos. 15 describes the southern borders and cities of the land of Judah. Kirjath-jearim or Baalah was identified as a city in the south. Also according to the book of Joshua Baalah or Kirjath-jearim was shown to be north of the area Jebusi after the valley of the gaints and in the mountains after the cities of Ephron. Jos:15:7: And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of En-shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at En-rogel:
Jos:15:8: And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:
Jos:15:9: And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim:
Modern Jerusalem (Amorite Jerusalem) Tel Arad area (Jebusite Jerusalem) Based upon both archaeologic finds and biblical references of the geography of the Tel Arad site and area around it is more comparable to Jubusi the area of the Jubusites and place the city of David. And according to the Torah and Tanach (Bible), the children of Jethro the father-in-law of Moses had even lived north of Jerusalem.
1Chronicles 2:53 specks of the inhabitance of Kirjath-jearim (just north of Jerusalem in Jos 15:8-9) and the Ithrites. The Ithrites are an English transliterated equivalant of the children of Jethro which lived at Kirjath-jearim or Baalah. So when it was described the land boundries of the area of Jubusi in Jos 15 from Hinnom and north of the valley of the giants and up the mountains, the children of Jethro settled there with the priest and Levites around mount Ephron. All of which were in the southern territory of the land of Israel.
In the mountain north of Tel Arad is the mountain peak Har Amasa and the town of Yattir (Jattir). In Hebrew the name of the town is also the same as the father-in-law of Moses (Ex. 4:18 read in Hebrew). The town Jattir was given to the Levites as a city of refuge (1Ch:6:57: And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, namely, Hebron, the city of refuge, and Libnah with her suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs,). Jethro (or Jattir) is also just a few kilometers from Har Amasa. And biblically identical there was a man named Amasa the captain of the Host that was the son of Jethro (Yattir or Jattir) (1ki 2:5). Amasa was born from the children of Jethro which were with the children of Ishmael at one time (1chr 2:17).
Jattir (Yittir or Jethro) is of the first towns mentioned in Jos 15:48 (Jos:15:48: And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,) of the mountain territories. With it is another town named Socoh (or Shoco) which is both in the first valley territory of the southwest and goes into the mountains. With Shoco in the first valley is Adullam [in the cave of Adullam that David escaped to from Saul (1Sa:22:1: David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.)] and Azekah (Jos:15:35: Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,) which locations are very near to the valley of Hinnom and Jerusalem on the westside of the city of David (Ne:11:30: Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, at Lachish, and the fields thereof, at Azekah, and in the villages thereof. And they dwelt from Beer-sheba unto the valley of Hinnom.)
The Area Surrounded by Mountains The usual preception of how Mount Zion and Jerusalem are thought to be is Mic:4:1: "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it." From a scripture like this it might be well said that Zion is in the height of the mountains. However, this is the only biblical reference to it being on the top of the mountains. In addition to the fact that this scripture refers to an event that has not happened as of yet. Which is also to happen around the time that Ezekiel foretold of at Eze:38:20: "So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground." That goes along with other scriptures of the great and terrible 'day of the Lord' and all the mountains falling down would make the area at the top of the mountains.
The Water North of Jerusalem and the source in the house of Yahweh. The upper pool is northward of Jerusalem on the redirected path of the waters of Gihon (which Hezekiah made to go on the westside of the city of David to the lower pool.) Read the following in varification of these events: GIHON RIVER (GYHWN)- (Ge:2:13:) And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. (1Ki:1:33:) The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: (1Ki:1:38:) So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. (1Ki:1:45:) And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard. (2Ki:20:20:) And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? (2Ch:32:30:) This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. (2Ch:33:14:) Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.
- THE UPPER POOL- 2Ki:18:17: And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rab-shakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field. (Isa:7:3:) Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field; (Isa:36:2:) And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.
- THE LOWER POOL- (2Ki:20:20:) "And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?" (Isa:22:9:) Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. (Isa:22:11:) Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago. (Eze:47:1:) "Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar."
Modern Jerusalem (Amorite Jerusalem) The pool of Siloah, Shiloah, Siloh or Siloam (in the New Testament) in modern Jerusalem is located on the southeast outside of the old city in what is called the valley of Kidron. The waters of the place come from a channel of a spring known as Gihon thats waters go southeast to the pool of Siloah. An inscription was found in this pool that implies that it's construction took place around 700BC. Most believe that it was Hezekiah that constructed the channel of the waters. However if you read 2Ch:32:30 it is written: "This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works." According to this scripture the direction of the watercourse was changed from going in any other direction (north or east) and was directed down to the westside of the city of David. Modern Jerusalem has the spring of Gihon on the west and the tunnel travels to the southeast of the old city. Therefore this channel is not comparable to that of the pool Hezekiah made.
Also because the pool is called that of Siloah the scriptual location of the place is closer to the Jerusalem of the Amorites. According to J'g:21:19: "Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah." Therefore the location of the pool of Siloah would be near the descripion. Amorite Jerusalem was also described to be in the area of Bethel and Ai when Joshua and the children of Israel came against them. Tel Arad area (Jebusite Jerusalem) Near Har Amasa are old water sources that lead down the mountain on clearly constructed waterways into the area surrounded by mountains. This fact is more comparable to the descriptions of the upper pool. As for the lower pool within the house of Yahweh at Tel Arad was a water source (naturally is channeled from the mountains) that lead down the house on a clearly constructed waterway down Southwest into the pool in the center of the lower city. A description which fits that of Hezekiah when he changed the water's direction to the lower pool. The distance of Lachish and the Assyrian invaders An ostraca found at Lachish tell a dramatic story of the atmosphere in a Judanan fortress at the approach of Nebuchadnezzar's army in 587 BC when one fortress after another ceased to send signals becasue it had fallen. Read the scriptural comparison: "Isa:36:1: Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.
Isa:36:2: And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.Isa:36:1: Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.
Isa:36:2: And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field."
"Isa:37:8: So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish."
From the above passages it states and shows that when the Assyrians invaded Judah they took Lachish and fought against Libnah first before getting to Jerusalem. Yet when they arrived in the area of Jerusalem it was by the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field. Modern Jerusalem (Amorite Jerusalem) However, present day Jerusalem is approxiately 25 miles northeast of the site proven to be Lachish through artifacts (Hebron is 19 miles SW of Modern Jerusalem). Lachish was archaeologically found and identified as Tel ed-Duweir. Therefore the Assyrians would have had to go passed Jerusalem and down southward in order to attack Lachish or Libnah. This distance between one another and the fact that the location of the upper pool was north of Jerusalem and not south in comparision does not coincided with one another. Also to the fact that Libnah is also identified as being far south of modern Jerusalem in the mountains near Yattir (Jattir) and Tel Arad. Tel Arad area (Jebusite Jerusalem) Tel Arad is about 17 miles south of Hebron and about 11 miles SE of Lachish. And from Lachish the peak of Har Amasa and Jattir can be seen. In the mountain north of Tel Arad (Along Har Amasa) is the ancient road known as the 'path of Israel'. One traveling south would take a person through Lachish into the mountains until Har Amasa (which is by the former waterchannels off the mountain) and down to Tel Arad (which is the basic path described in the scripture). Why is the Jubusite Jerusalem in the current Negev (desert)? For starters, this area in past times was not a desolate place (desert or Negev). Rather, one full of springs, rivers, and plant life that caused the Dead Sea to extended much further south than is appearent today. Nevertheless a biblical reference that may explain why it went from a beautiful area to a wilderness environment is Isa:64:10: "Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation." There are a number of these statements that make reference to Zion and the Jubusite Jerusalem becoming wildernesses and desolate.
In addition we must consider that if Edom and Egypt both became desolation as Joe:3:19: said "Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land." Then, why wouldn't the prophecies concerning Judah, Jerusalem, and Zion be fulfilled? Jer:44:2: "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein," Jerusalem plowed like a field Tel Arad area (Jebusite Jerusalem) This locations is even today used as farm land of Arabs and Jews for growing of wheat, corn, almond and pomagranite trees. Which is amazingly identical to Jer:26:18: "Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountains of the house as the high places of a forest." and Mic:3:12: "Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest." The visual Morning Dew Aside from all of the other evidence presented in this text is the statement from Psalms:133:3: "As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."
Clouds that come from the north and descend from the mountains (Har Amasa at around 2500 feet above sea level) down upon the lower land of Tel Arad and the Arad rift (area surrounded by mountains) creating a cloud on the ground. Yet, at the top of Tel Arad in the house of Yahweh (at the time of the sun rise) one can see over the clouds so that it appears as if the mount and house is high in the sky. It is also this dew in the winter time that allows growth in the area of plant life.
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