Silla
Silla is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Jerusalem. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Silla appears only once in the Old Testament, in 2 Kings 12:20, in connection with the assassination of King Joash of Judah. The text records that Joash's servants conspired against him and struck him down "at Beth-millo, on the way that goes down to Silla." This brief geographical reference situates the murder somewhere in or near Jerusalem, as Beth-millo is associated with a fortified area or terrace-fill construction in the city. Joash had reigned for forty years and had overseen significant repairs to the Jerusalem temple, but his later years were marred by his acquiescence to the stoning of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest (2 Chronicles 24:20-22). The conspiracy against him may have been motivated in part by that act of religious repression. Despite his many accomplishments, Joash was buried in the City of David but not in the royal tombs — a subtle mark of dishonor. The precise location of Silla along the descending road from Beth-millo remains uncertain, but it stands in Scripture as the site where a compromised king met his end.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The identification of Silla remains unresolved among biblical geographers. The passage in 2 Kings 12:20 provides little detail beyond its proximity to Beth-millo on a descending road, presumably within Jerusalem or its immediate environs. Beth-millo itself is generally associated with the Millo, likely a terrace or rampart structure in the eastern City of David. Excavations in the City of David by Kathleen Kenyon, Yigal Shiloh, and more recent teams have uncovered extensive Iron Age remains but have not positively identified a specific feature as Silla. The stepped stone structure excavated in the City of David may represent the broader Millo complex. Without additional textual or epigraphic evidence, Silla's precise location remains one of Jerusalem's many unresolved topographical questions.
Verse Appearances (1)
2Kgs
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →