Ziz
Ziz is a river mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Wadi Hasasah. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
The Ascent of Ziz appears in 2 Chronicles 20:16 during one of the most remarkable episodes in Judah's history, the miraculous deliverance of King Jehoshaphat from the combined invasion of Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites. God directed Jehoshaphat through a prophetic oracle to position his army at the cliff overlooking the Wilderness of Jeruel near the Ascent of Ziz, promising that the battle belonged to the Lord alone. The next morning, Jehoshaphat led his people out with singers praising God at the head of the army; they found the invaders had destroyed one another, leaving only bodies and abundant plunder (2 Chronicles 20:22-25). The Ascent of Ziz thus served as the vantage point from which Judah witnessed God's direct intervention on their behalf, requiring no military engagement whatsoever. This episode is among the most vivid Old Testament illustrations of divine warfare and the sufficiency of faith and worship. The pass or ascent known as Ziz connected the Dead Sea region to the central Judean wilderness, making it a strategically important route.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The Ascent of Ziz is identified with Wadi Hasasah (also spelled Wadi Husasa), a gorge ascending from the western shore of the Dead Sea into the Judean desert. The wadi provides one of the natural passage routes from the Arabah depression into the Judean highlands, consistent with its role in the 2 Chronicles 20 narrative as a route through which an invading force from the east would travel. Archaeological surveys along this wadi have noted ancient pathways and limited remains, though no major settlements have been excavated in immediate proximity. The dramatic topography of the region, steep cliffs, narrow passages, and commanding viewpoints, corresponds well to the biblical description of an ascent where an army could be observed from above.
Verse Appearances (1)
2Chr
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]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]