Baal-hazor
Baal-hazor is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Samaria in modern-day Israel. Known today as Jebel Asur. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Baal-hazor is remembered in Scripture as the site of one of the most dramatic acts of fraternal violence in the history of the Israelite monarchy. The location appears in 2 Samuel 13:23, where Absalom, son of King David, held a sheep-shearing celebration at Baal-hazor near Ephraim and invited all the king's sons to attend. The occasion was in fact a premeditated trap: Absalom used the festive gathering to execute his brother Amnon in revenge for Amnon's rape of their sister Tamar (2 Sam. 13:1–22). The killing of Amnon at Baal-hazor set in motion a chain of events, Absalom's flight, David's grief, eventual reconciliation, and ultimately Absalom's rebellion, that would convulse the Davidic kingdom for years. The site itself, described as near Ephraim, was evidently a rural estate or highland farmland used for agricultural activities. Its elevation, Jebel Asur, at approximately 1,016 meters, is one of the highest peaks in the central hill country, made it a suitable site for pastoral farming and gave it a commanding view over the surrounding territory. The name combines the Baalistic prefix with the common toponym Hazor, suggesting a pre-Israelite cultic or administrative function.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Baal-hazor is identified with Jebel Asur (Tell Asur), the highest point in the central hill country north of Jerusalem, rising to approximately 1,016 meters above sea level. The site overlooks a broad expanse of the hill country and Judean wilderness and would have been a commanding agricultural and pastoral location. Archaeological surveys of the site and its vicinity have documented pottery evidence from the Iron Age, consistent with Israelite-period occupation. The elevated terrain is particularly suited to the sheep-shearing activities described in 2 Samuel 13. No major excavation has been conducted at the site, and our knowledge of its material culture remains limited to surface surveys.
Verse Appearances (1)
2Sam
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]