Mareshah
Mareshah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Coastal Plain in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel Maresha. It appears across 6 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Mareshah was a significant city in the Judean Shephelah, first mentioned in the genealogy of Judah where Laadah is called its father (1 Chronicles 2:42). Joshua assigned it to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:44). King Rehoboam fortified Mareshah as one of his strategic defense cities protecting Judah's western approaches (2 Chronicles 11:8). The city gained prominence during King Asa's reign when the Ethiopian king Zerah advanced against Judah with a vast army. Asa met him in the valley of Zephathah near Mareshah, cried out to the Lord, and God struck down the Ethiopians before Judah (2 Chronicles 14:9-12). The prophet Micah, himself from the nearby town of Moresheth, included Mareshah in his oracle of judgment, declaring that God would bring a conqueror against it (Micah 1:15). The prophet Eliezer of Mareshah prophesied against King Jehoshaphat's alliance with wicked King Ahaziah (2 Chronicles 20:37). Throughout its biblical history, Mareshah served as a key fortified city guarding Judah's lowland frontier.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Tel Maresha (Tell Sandahanna) has been extensively excavated and is now part of the Bet Guvrin-Maresha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. Excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority and other institutions have revealed remarkable subterranean complexes including columbaria (dovecotes), olive presses, cisterns, and burial caves with elaborate painted tombs from the Hellenistic period. Iron Age remains confirm the city's importance during the Judean monarchy. The site contains over 3,500 underground chambers carved into the soft chalk. Sidonian inscriptions found in burial caves attest to a diverse population in later periods. The tel shows continuous occupation from the Iron Age through the Hellenistic era, when it was known as Marisa.
Verse Appearances (6)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →