Bible Encyclopedia: Lachish

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

LACHISH

la'-kish (lakhish; Septuagint Lachis (Joshua 15:39), Maches):

1. Location:

A town in the foothills of the Shephelah on the border of the Philistine plain, belonging to Judah, and, from the mention of Eglon in connection with it, evidently in the southwestern portion of Judah's territory. Eusebius, Onomasticon locates it 7 miles from Eleutheropolis (Beit Jibrin) toward Daroma, but as the latter place is uncertain, the indication does not help in fixing the site of Lachish. The city seems to have been abandoned about 400 B.C., and this circumstance has rendered the identification of the site difficult. It was formerly fixed at Umm Lakis, from the similarity of the name and because it was in the region that the Biblical references to Lachish seem to indicate, but the mound called Tell el-Hesy is now generally accepted as the site. This was first suggested by Conder in 1877 (PEFS, 1878, 20), and the excavations carried on at the Tell by the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1890-93 confirmed his identification. Tell el-Hesy is situated on a wady, or valley, of the same name (Wady el Hesy), which runs from a point about 6 miles West of Hebron to the sea between Gaza and Askelon. It is a mound on the very edge of the wady, rising some 120 ft. above it and composed of debris to the depth of about 60 ft., in which the excavations revealed the remains of distinct cities which had been built, one upon the ruins of another. The earliest of these was evidently Amorite, and could not have been later than 1700 B.C., and was perhaps two or three centuries earlier (Bliss, Mound of Many Cities). The identification rests upon the fact that the site corresponds with the Biblical and other historical notices of Lachish, and especially upon the discovery of a cuneiform tablet in the ruins of the same character as the Tell el-Amarna Letters, and containing the name of Zimridi, who is known from these tablets to have been at one time Egyptian governor of Lachish. The tablets, which date from the latter part of the 15th or early part of the 14th century B.C., give us the earliest information in regard to Lachish, and it was then an Egyptian dependency, but it seems to have revolted and joined with other towns in an attack upon Jerusalem, which was also an Egyptian dependency. It was perhaps compelled to do so by the Khabiri who were then raiding this region. The place was, like Gaza, an important one for Egypt, being on the frontier and on the route to Jerusalem, and the importance is seen in the fact that it was taken and destroyed and rebuilt so many times.

2. History:

We first hear of it in the history of Israel when Joshua invaded the land. It was then an Amorite city, and its king, Japhia, joined the confederacy formed by Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, to resist Joshua. They were defeated in the remarkable battle at Gibeon, and the five confederate kings were captured and put to death at Makkedah (Joshua 10 passim; Joshua 12:11). Lachish was included in the lot of Judah (15:39), and it was rebuilt, or fortified, by Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11:5, 9). It was besieged by Sennacherib in the reign of Hezekiah and probably taken (2 Kings 18:13) when he invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem, but the other references to the siege leave it doubtful (2 Kings 18:14, 17; 2 Kings 19:8 2 Chronicles 32:9 Isaiah 36:2; Isaiah 37:8). The Assyrian monuments, however, render it certain that the place was captured. The sculptures on the walls of Sennacherib's palace picture the storming of Lachish and the king on his throne receiving the submission of the captives (Ball, Light from the East, 190-91). This was in 701 B.C., and to this period we may assign the enigmatical reference to Lachish in Micah 1:13, "Bind the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitant of Lachish: she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion." The cause of the invasion of Sennacherib was a general revolt in Phoenicia, Palestine, and Philistia, Hezekiah joining in it and all asking Egypt for aid (Rawlinson, Five Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World, chapter ix). Isaiah had warned Judah not to trust in Egypt (Isaiah 20:5, 6; Isaiah 30:1-5; 31:1), and as Lachish was the place where communication was held with Egypt, being a frontier fortress, perhaps even having an Egyptian garrison, it would be associated with the "sin" of the Egyptian alliance (HGHL, 234).

The city was evidently rebuilt after its destruction by Sennacherib, for we find Nebuchadnezzar fighting against it during his siege of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 34:7). It was doubtless destroyed by him, but we are informed by Nehemiah (11:30) that some of the returned Jews settled there after the captivity. It is very likely that they did not reoccupy the site of the ruined city, but settled as peasants in the territory, and this may account for the transference of the name to Umm Lakis, 3 or 4 miles from Tell el-Hesy, where some ruins exist, but not of a kind to suggest Lachish (Bliss, op. cit). No remains of any importance were found on the Tell indicating its occupation as a fortress or city later than that destroyed by the king of Babylon, but it was occupied in some form during the crusades, Umm Lakis being held for a time by the Hospitallers, and King Richard is said to have made it a base of operations in his war with Saladin (HGHL). The Tell itself, if occupied, was probably only the site of his camp, and it has apparently remained since that time without inhabitants, being used for agricultural purposes only.

See further, PALESTINE EXPLORATION, III, 1.

H. Porter

Strong's Hebrew

3923. Lachish -- a Canaanite city Southwest of Jer.
... 3922, 3923. Lachish. 3924 . a Canaanite city Southwest of Jer. Transliteration:
Lachish Phonetic Spelling: (law-keesh') Short Definition: Lachish. ...
/hebrew/3923.htm - 6k

3309. Yaphia -- a king of Lachish, also a son of David, also a ...
... a king of Lachish, also a son of David, also a place on the border of Zebulun.
Transliteration: Yaphia Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-fee'-ah) Short Definition: Japhia ...
/hebrew/3309.htm - 6k

Library

Moses and his Writings
... Those of Lachish, the great Amorite city, are specially interesting. ... Now,
in the remains of Lachish we can see its whole history. ...
/.../duff/the bible in its making/chapter iii moses and his.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... which his father had but sketched the outline; he maintained his suzerainty, first
over Amaziah, and when the latter was assassinated at Lachish (764),* over ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8
... with Egypt, the downfall of the Tyrian kingdom (702 BC) -- The battle of Altaku
and the siege of Jerusalem: Sennacherib encamped before Lachish, his Egyptian ...
/.../history of egypt chaldaea syria babylonia and assyria v 8/title page.htm

England's Strength
... Jerusalem was thus in utter need and danger; the vast army of the Assyrians was
encamped at Lachish, not more than ten miles off; and however strong the walls ...
/.../kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon xiv englands strength.htm

The Siege. (xxi, xxxii-xxxiv, xxxvii, xxxviii. )
... by the king but evoked from Jeremiah by the progress of the Chaldean arms, which
had overrun all Judah save the fortresses of Jerusalem, Lachish and Azekah. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/3 the siege xxi xxxii-xxxiv.htm

Scythopolis. Beth-Shean, the Beginning of Galilee.
... He answered, It is not lawful." And mention is made "of something done in Beth-shean
by the doctors about the wine of the heathen.". "Resh Lachish saith, If ...
/.../from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 60 scythopolis beth-shean the.htm

Some Other Towns Near Tiberias. Beth-Meon. Caphar Chittaia. ...
... as also a place not far from Tiberias, or Magdala, whose name was Caphar Chittaia:
which we may guess at, from this story:""R. Simeon Ben Lachish said thus ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 78 some other towns.htm

Magdala
... Magdala:". "R. Judan of Magdala.". "R. Isaac of Magdala.". "R. Gorion saith,
The men of Magdala asked R. Simeon Ben Lachish," &c. It ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 76 magdala.htm

The Triumph of Faith
... The rabshakeh had been sent from the main body of the Assyrian army, which was down
at Lachish in the Philistine low country on the road to Egypt, in order to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the triumph of faith.htm

A Prophet who Saved a Great City
... So the high official returned and found the king of Assyria making war against
Libnah, for he had heard that he had gone from Lachish. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/a prophet who saved a.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Lachish

who walks, or exists, of himself

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Lachish

(invincible), a city lying south of Jerusalem, on the borders of Simeon, and belonging to the Amorites, the king of which joined with four others, at the invitation of Adonizedek king of Jerusalem, to chastise the Gibeonites for their league with Israel. (Joshua 10:3,5) They were routed by Joshua at Beth-horon, and the king of Lachish fell a victim with the others under the trees at Makkedah. ver. (Joshua 10:26) The destruction of the town shortly followed the death of the king. vs. (Joshua 10:31-33) In the special statement that the attack lasted two days, in contradistinction to the other cities which were taken in one (see ver. 35), we gain our first glimpse of that strength of position for which Lachish was afterward remarkable. Lachish was one of the cities fortified and garrisoned by Rehoboam after the revolt of the northern kingdom. (2 Chronicles 11:9) In the reign of Hezekiah it was one of the cities taken by Sennacherib. This siege is considered by Layard and Hincks to be depicted on the slabs found by the former in one of the chambers of the palace at Kouyunjik. After the return from captivity, Lachish with its surrounding "fields" was reoccupied by the Jews. (Nehemiah 11:30)

ATS Bible Dictionary

Lachish

A city in the southwest part of Judah, Joshua 10:3,5,31; fortified by Rehoboam, 2 Chronicles 11:9, and strong enough to resist for a time the whole army of Sennacherib, 2 Kings 18:17 19:8 2 Chronicles 32:1,9,21 Micah 1:13. It was here that king Amaziah was slain, 2 Kings 14:19. For a wonderful confirmation of the truth of Scripture, see SENNACHERIB.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Impregnable, a royal Canaanitish city in the Shephelah, or maritime plain of Palestine (Joshua 10:3, 5; 12:11). It was taken and destroyed by the Israelites (Joshua 10:31-33). It afterwards became, under Rehoboam, one of the strongest fortresses of Judah (2 Chronicles 10:9). It was assaulted and probably taken by Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:14, 17; 19:8; Isaiah 36:2). An account of this siege is given on some slabs found in the chambers of the palace of Koyunjik, and now in the British Museum. The inscription has been deciphered as follows:, "Sennacherib, the mighty king, king of the country of Assyria, sitting on the throne of judgment before the city of Lachish: I gave permission for its slaughter." (see NINEVEH.)

Lachish has been identified with Tell-el-Hesy, where a cuneiform tablet has been found, containing a letter supposed to be from Amenophis at Amarna in reply to one of the Amarna tablets sent by Zimrida from Lachish. This letter is from the chief of Atim (=Etam, 1 Chronicles 4:32) to the chief of Lachish, in which the writer expresses great alarm at the approach of marauders from the Hebron hills. "They have entered the land," he says, "to lay waste...strong is he who has come down. He lays waste." This letter shows that "the communication by tablets in cuneiform script was not only usual in writing to Egypt, but in the internal correspondence of the country. The letter, though not so important in some ways as the Moabite stone and the Siloam text, is one of the most valuable discoveries ever made in Palestine" (Conder's Tell Amarna Tablets, p. 134).

Excavations at Lachish are still going on, and among other discoveries is that of an iron blast-furnace, with slag and ashes, which is supposed to have existed B.C. 1500. If the theories of experts are correct, the use of the hot-air blast instead of cold air (an improvement in iron manufacture patented by Neilson in 1828) was known fifteen hundred years before Christ. (see FURNACE.)

Thesaurus

Lachish (22 Occurrences)
... deciphered as follows:, "Sennacherib, the mighty king, king of the country of Assyria,
sitting on the throne of judgment before the city of Lachish: I gave ...
/l/lachish.htm - 22k

Eglon (13 Occurrences)
... Benjamite. (2.) A city in Judah, near Lachish (Joshua 15:39). ...Lachish. (see
LACHISH.). Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. EGLON (1). ...
/e/eglon.htm - 13k

Azekah (7 Occurrences)
... In all the three last references the place is mentioned along with Lachish. ... by 150
yds., and is much larger than Tell el-Chesy (Lachish) (Bliss). ...
/a/azekah.htm - 11k

Libnah (18 Occurrences)
... 31). It stood near Lachish, and has been identified with the modern Arak
el-Menshiyeh. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. LIBNAH. lib ...
/l/libnah.htm - 15k

Jarmuth (7 Occurrences)
... Joshua 10:3 Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron,
to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of ...
/j/jarmuth.htm - 11k

Rab'shakeh (14 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 18:17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rab-shakeh
from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army unto Jerusalem. ...
/r/rab'shakeh.htm - 10k

Rab-shakeh (14 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 18:17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh
from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army unto Jerusalem. ...
/r/rab-shakeh.htm - 10k

Conspiracy (17 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 14:19 They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish:
but they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there. ...
/c/conspiracy.htm - 12k

Rabshakeh (15 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 18:17, 19, 26, 27, 28, 37; 2 Kings 19:4, 8 Isaiah 36:2, 4, 11, 12, 13, 22;
Isaiah 37:4, 8). The three officers named went from Lachish to Jerusalem and ...
/r/rabshakeh.htm - 14k

Conspired (32 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). 2 Kings 14:19 And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and
he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there. ...
/c/conspired.htm - 16k

Bible Concordance

Lachish (22 Occurrences)

Joshua 10:3 Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 10:5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their armies, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 10:23 They did so, and brought those five kings out of the cave to him: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 10:31 Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 10:32 Yahweh delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel. He took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with all the souls who were in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 10:33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 10:34 Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, to Eglon; and they encamped against it fought against it.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 10:35 They took it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 12:11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 15:39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 14:19 They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 18:14 Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, "I have offended; return from me. That which you put on me, I will bear." The king of Assyria appointed to Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 18:17 The king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army to Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem. 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.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 19:8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 11:9 and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 25:27 Now from the time that Amaziah did turn away from following Yahweh they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 32:9 After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Nehemiah 11:30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, Azekah and its towns. So they encamped from Beersheba to the valley of Hinnom.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 36:2 The king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to king Hezekiah with a large army. He stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool in the fuller's field highway.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 37:8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 34:7 when the king of Babylon's army was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these alone remained of the cities of Judah as fortified cities.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Micah 1:13 Harness the chariot to the swift steed, inhabitant of Lachish. She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; For the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Lachish

Lachish by Nebuchadnezzar

Lachish: Allotted to Judah

Lachish: Assassination of Amaziah At

Lachish: Besieged by Sennacherib

Lachish: Captured by Joshua

Lachish: Fortified by Rehoboam

Lachish: King of, Besieges Gibeon

Lachish: Prophecy Concerning

Related Terms

Eglon (13 Occurrences)