Hyperlinks

Taken from http://www.anova.org/sev/atlas/htm/038.htm

1.    Name: The name is M^egîddôw (  ̣ג  ׃מ) [pronounced m^egid-DOH], and is possibly related to the word for fortune. Gesenius suggests place of crowds. Strong’s #4023 BDB #151. In Zech. 12:11, we have the letter nun (נ) affixed to the end (in Revelation, we also have a nu, (ν) a Greek n, affixed to the end of Megiddo).  

Taken from http://www.anova.org/sev/atlas/htm/039.htm ; shown here so that you can see Megiddo in relation to the tribes of Israel.

2.    Location: Megiddo is located in the northern plain of Jezreel at the northern-most portion of Manasseh, wedged between Asher, Zebulun and Issachar. It is about 1/3^rd of the way from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. Megiddo was generally a strongly fortified city at a relatively high elevation which overlooked the pass between the plains of Jezreel and Sharon, therefore making it a strategic place for several battles throughout history. The NIV Study Bible describes it: Megiddo and Taanach dominated the main pass that runs northeast through the hill country from the plain of Sharon to the Valley of Jezreel. Because of its strategic location, the plain of Megiddo” (2Ch 35:22) has been a frequent battleground from earliest times. Below Megiddo is the Wadi Arab, which acted in antiquity as the main pass on the Via Maris between the Sharon Plain and the Valley of Jezreel. Near the foot of Megiddo that route branches out in the main directions: (1) NW past Jokneam to the Plain of Acco and the Phœnician coast; (2) NE via Anaharath to Chinnereth, Hazor, and thence to Damascus or the Lebanese Beqa’; (3) eastward to Beth-shean and from there to Trans-Jordan and Damascus.  

3.    The Waters of Megiddo: There is a stream which meanders through the midst of Megiddo, which W. Ewing identifies with the waters of Megiddo. The Bible Almanac records that Megiddo (like Hazor) was built above an underground stream. I don’t know whether this is the same stream which emerges perhaps and then flows into the Kishon? ZPEB explains that deep in Megiddo, there was a channel dug so that during a siege, the citizens of Megiddo could draw water from this underground channel. To access this stream, there was a 25 meter deep shaft (27⅓ yards) with steps cut into the side of it, which led down to a tunnel some 70 meters long and 3 meters high which led to this stream. Furthermore, outside the city, there was a wall along the stream to prevent outside access to it. This channel was begun from both ends, as a 1 meter error is corrected at the meeting point. It is of the opinion of the excavators that this tunnel dates back to the very Late Bronze Age and its use was continued into the Israelite period. Later opinions were that this channel was build during the Iron Age. Although I cannot find this stated anywhere, it seems likely that where this stream exits and empties into the Wadi Kishon is what is actually known as the waters of Megiddo. Keller suggests that the waters of Megiddo is a designation for a portion of the Kishon where Megiddo had been in existence, claiming that Megiddo at this time was not a city, but its whereabouts were apparently known.

  Return to Hyperlinks

4.    Archeological identification, investigation and findings:

       a.    Eshtori Haparhi, a 14^th century Jewish scholar, was apparently the first European to suggest that Megiddo was located in the Arab village of Lejjûn. Excavations have confirmed that the remains of an ancient Megiddo can be found at Tell el-Mutesellim, a mound which stands next to Lejjûn. This tell lies on the north side of the Carmel ridge and commands the most important pass from the coastal plain to the valley of Esdraelon. The tell itself is 70 feet high and covers an area of 10 acres. The earlier cities were even larger than this. There is another village from later times located below Megiddo.

       b.    A 1903–1905 excavation under the auspices of Gottlieb Schumacher, uncovered a large building completely and revealed six levels of construction from the Middle Bronze to the Iron age.

       c.    In 1925, the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago began some excavations at Megiddo which were continued again in 1939. These excavations comprised the most extensive archeological endeavor ever conducted on a Palestinian site. The original objective was to uncover every stratum of the tell level by level. What was uncovered was 20–24 different levels of building. The very oldest settlement, numbered XX, goes back to the Chalcolithic period of the 4^th millennium b.c. This level of excavation reveals only a few pits and some remains of houses. After this, in level XIX, we have the first public building uncovered, which was a small temple, which continued to be the sacred area, since temples were built on that spot even until the mid-12th century b.c., at level VII. There appear to be temples built at almost every level. A great wall was discovered in level XVIII which dates back roughly to the 29^th century b.c. This wall was 4 meters high (roughly 13 feet high), originally 4–5 meters thick and was later widened to 8 meters.

       d.    Although Megiddo was occupied back in the fourth millennium b.c.,  its written history dates back only to the second millennium b.c.

       e.    In level XIII, there is an inscription on the stele of Thut-hotep, which indicates that Megiddo must have had close ties to Egypt during this time period. The fact that Megiddo is not found in the execration texts of Egypt would tend to support that theory (the execration texts are curses upon the enemies of pharaoh).

       f.     It is during this time period (about 1450 b.c.) that Keller tells us that Megiddo is simply an Egyptian garrison while Taanach, across the way, is a large city state.

       g.    Megiddo apparently flourished during the Hyksos Age (as did all of Palestine); however, we have no inscriptions to shed light on that time period.

       h.    Getting closer to the top layers, it appears as though the city of stratum IV was destroyed completely and covered with debris. It is suggested that Megiddo had been abandoned for some time prior to the building up of level III. Keller suggests that Megiddo was destroyed and deserted around 1150 b.c., not to be rebuilt or occupied for another half century. The pottery found in that level (circa 1100 b.c.) is said to be distinctly Israelite, finding the precise same kind of preserving jars in Samaria and Judæa. Whether the Canaanites under Sisera originally destroyed Megiddo or whether it had been destroyed by the Philistines is unknown. However, sometime after the battle between Barak and Deborah and Sisera, the Israelites apparently went into Megiddo and settled it.

       i.     In level III, there were two large public buildings near the city gate in the same position as the palaces of the former Canaanite kings. It has been strongly suggested that this represents a new type of architecture found in Assyria and similar to the forts at Hazor, Tel Jemmeh, and Lachish.

       j.     Both levels II and I indicate that Megiddo was no longer a fortified city and that there was no destruction layer between them. In level II, all there is by way of protection is a small fortified citadel commanding the surrounding dwellings.

       k.    The very last layer appears to belong to the Persian period, which is between the 6^th and 4^th centuries b.c.

  Return to Hyperlinks

5.    Scriptural references: Joshua 12:21 17:11 Judges 1:27 5:19 1Kings 4:12 9:15 2Kings 9:27 23:29, 30 1Chron. 7:29 2Chron. 35:22 Zech. 12:11

6.    Pre-Israeli History:

       a.    The Hyksos dominated this city during the 18–17th centuries b.c. They apparently had an upper and a lower city, the latter being, essentially, a suburb of Megiddo.

       b.    The famous battle between the Syrian states and Thutmose III, circa 1500 b.c., took place here. The NIV Study Bible calls it 1468 b.c. and says that Thutmose III defeated a Canaanite coalition. There is such a great amount of detail given this battle in ancient literature as to provide the starting point for the history of military science. This would be stratum IX and there is no apparent decline in the use of the city at this time.

       c.    We have extensive information from the El-Amarna period of Megiddo, including a treasure which was hidden under the floor of a palace and a portion of a tablet with a few lines from the Gilgamesh Epic has been found (that by a shepherd at the foot of the tell, but archeologically placed in this time period). This would have been around the time that Joshua entered into the land of Canaan and began to conquer it. Many more details than I have presented can be found in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; ©1976; Vol. 4, pp. 164–172, 174.

  Return to Hyperlinks

7.    Old Testament History:

       a.    Megiddo is one of the cities conquered by Israel when they moved into the northern portion of Palestine. We do not have many details of the northern campaign of Joshua and Megiddo is not mentioned at all specifically in Joshua’s northern campaign (Joshua 11). However, Joshua did conquer the king of Megiddo, as is testified to in Joshua 12:21, the first Scriptural reference to Megiddo. This northern campaign took approximately six years, and then some time was spent dividing up the land. This too place during the Iron Age.

       b.    This city was given over to (West) Manasseh in the division of the land, but apparently fell into the hands of the Canaanites once again and remained unconquered by Israel throughout the period of the Judges (Joshua 17:11 Judges 1:27 1Chron. 7:29).

       c.    Megiddo, in level VII A, appears to be destroyed in the last third of the 12^th century b.c., which would not be attributable to either Joshua or to Deborah, because the principal structures of the city, the gate, the palace and the temple, were completely destroyed and were never rebuilt. As was mentioned before, a half a century later, Israel probably occupied Megiddo.

       d.    Because Megiddo was a strategic point commanding the plain of Jezreel and the plain of Sharon, the area around Megiddo was the locale for several important battles:

              i.     Deborah and Barak were victorious over Sisera at the waters of Megiddo, which is probably a reference to the Brook Qina (Judges 4 5:19). This might be a more apropos reference than we first imagine. It is during this time period the Megiddo is probably laying in ruins, unoccupied. Very likely, the approximate time period of this battle is circa 1125 b.c.

              ii.    Gideon was victorious over a coalition of Midianites, Amalekites and a mishmash of peoples from the east (Judges 6:33 7:1–25).

              iii.   Saul was defeated here by the Philistines, although he had one of his own men kill him (1Sam. 29:1–11 31:1–13). David was almost a part of this force against King Saul, but he was removed from the battle by their commander, Achish, under pressure from his commanders.

              iv.   Although we have no specific Scripture to support this, we suppose that King David conquered Megiddo during his wars with the Canaanites and Philistines. This would be the first time that we have a continuous settlement of this land by the Israelites.

              v.    King Josiah will die in battle here against Pharaoh Necho in 609 b.c. (2Kings 23:28–30 2Chron. 35:20–24). It is suggested that the mention in Zech. 12:11 indicates that the mourning for the premature death of King Josiah, a son of David, will be exceeded by the mourning for the greater Son of David upon the cross.

       e.    After David’s assumed capture of the city, Solomon fortified Megiddo along with several other cities as a part of his military network; it belonged to his 5^th administrative district (1Kings 9:15). Solomon did some rebuilding of this city, although no specifics are given (1Kings 9:15). One source indicated that Solomon built stables at Megiddo, although ZPEB disagree vehemently with this, citing that neither the archeological evidence nor a careful reading of 1Kings 9 will support this interpretation. Apparently the archeological evidence originally touted as stables for 450 horses was actually just a large storage area, similar to one found in Tell Beer Sheva. It was filled with storage and other vessels and the feeding troughs found in the center are thought to be for the pack animals who no doubt carried much of this in or out. Solomon’s control over Megiddo seems to fall somewhere during strata VA–IVB.

       f.     Apparently, Pharaoh Shishak conquered Megiddo during the 5^th year of King Rehoboam (circa 924 b.c.); the evidence which we have is a fragment of a victory stele and the display inscription of Pharaoh Shishak (some non-specific correlative Scripture is 1Kings 14:25–26 2Chron. 12:2–12). This was apparently a huge raid where 156 specific sites are mentioned as having been taken by Shishak, including Taanach, Beth-Shean, Gibeon, Bethhoron, Ajalon and Socoh. There is also mention of the field of Abram in this stele, which is the first extra-Biblical reference to Abraham that we have. Shishak did not have the strength to occupy these territories, however, and the purpose of his raids upon Israel are hypothesized as being to plunder Israel for its wealth and to affect the trade routes of Palestine.

       g.    The king of Assyria, Tiglath-pileser III, conquered Megiddo (733–732 b.c.) and made it the capital of an Assyrian administrative district.

       h.    When Assyria fell, Megiddo fell under the control of Judah once again, as is evidenced by the confrontation between King Josiah and Pharaoh Neco in the valley of Megiddo, where Josiah subsequently died (2Kings 23:29 2Chron. 35:22).

       i.     The time of Josiah was probably the last period a great prosperity of Megiddo, however, when he died, it is possible that this prosperity ended. Furthermore, Josiah was probably the last great king over Judah. Therefore, there appears to be some kind of a ritual mourning there during the time of Ezekiel which may be tied to Josiah’s death (Ezek. 12:11). However, we really do not know exactly what the reference to Hadad-rimmon is in that passage.

       j.     The last level of Megiddo, stratum I, is an unfortified city with no large buildings and it is a part of the Persian period. There was practically no information on this period of time for Megiddo in ZPEB.

  Return to Hyperlinks

8.    Summary Chart:

Return to Hyperlinks

9.    New Testament History: Other than the possible references found in Revelation, we have no New Testament mention of Megiddo.

10.  Human history since 100 a.d.: the Turks ruled over the Palestine area for awhile, and the British, in 1917 a.d., under General Allenby, defeated the Turks in the Valley of Jezreel opposite Megiddo.

11.  Future Prophecy: During the great tribulation, the last great battle of this age will be found here at Armageddon (Rev. 16:12–16; 17:14; see Rev. 19:17, note). According to the NIV Study Bible, Armageddon means Mount Megiddo (in the Septuagint of Judges 5:19, Megiddo is spelled Μαγεδδὼ (Mageddo). In the Greek NT, it is actually ׳armagedon (̔Αρμαγεδών), which would be very close to Har Megiddo (Mount Megiddo). ZPEB does provide several arguments against Megiddo as being the site of Armageddon. Surprisingly, the only mention of the name Armageddon is in Rev. 16:16.

12.  Additional Resources: A. F. Rainey, who wrote the marvelous article on Megiddo in ZPEB, presents a list of sources which takes up one entire column of one page in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; ©1976; Vol. 4, p. 176. His study of the various stages of Megiddo is exceptional; I only mentioned a few highlights in this study. For those further interested in ancient history, his article is an excellent starting point, and the sources he gives provide a variety of places to go from there.

Return to Hyperlinks

Although I have gone into much greater detail in the actual doctrine, what follows is a summary of that doctrine.
A Summary of the Doctrine of Megiddo
Topic	Information
Location:	Taken from http://www.anova.org/sev/atlas/htm/038.htm Megiddo is located roughly between Manasseh, Issachar, Asher and Zebulun, above the Jezreel Valley, as can be seen on the map.
Second Map	From http://www.anova.org/sev/atlas/htm/039.htm; shown here so that you can see Megiddo in relation to the tribes of Israel.
Pre-Israeli History:	1.         The Hyksos dominated this city during the 18–17th centuries b.c. They apparently had an upper and a lower city, the latter being, a suburb of Megiddo. 2.         The famous battle between the Syrian states and Thutmose III, circa 1500 b.c., took place here. The NIV Study Bible calls it 1468 b.c. and says that Thutmose III defeated a Canaanite coalition. There is such a great amount of detail given this battle in ancient literature as to provide the starting point for the history of military science. 3.         We have extensive information from the El-Amarna period of Megiddo, including a treasure which was hidden under the floor of a palace and a portion of a tablet with a few lines from the Gilgamesh Epic has been found. This would have been around the time that Joshua entered into the land of Canaan and began to conquer it.
Scripture References	Joshua 12:21 17:11 Judges 1:27 5:19 1Kings 4:12 9:15 2Kings 9:27 23:29, 30 1Chron. 7:29 2Chron. 35:22 Zech. 12:11
History During Joshua’s Time	Megiddo is one of the cities conquered by Israel when they moved into the northern portion of Palestine. We do not have many details of the northern campaign of Joshua and Megiddo is not mentioned at all specifically in Joshua’s northern campaign (Joshua 11). However, Joshua did conquer the king of Megiddo, as is testified to in Joshua 12:21, the first Scriptural reference to Megiddo. This northern campaign took approximately six years, and then some time was spent dividing up the land. This too place during the Iron Age.
History During the Time of the Judges	1.         This city was given over to (West) Manasseh in the division of the land, but apparently fell into the hands of the Canaanites once again and remained unconquered by Israel throughout the period of the Judges (Joshua 17:11 Judges 1:27 1Chron. 7:29). 2.         Deborah and Barak were victorious over Sisera at the waters of Megiddo. It is during this time period the Megiddo is probably laying in ruins, unoccupied. Very likely, the approximate time period of this battle is 1125 b.c. 3.         Gideon was victorious here over a coalition of Midianites, Amalekites and a mishmash of peoples from the east (Judges 6:33 7:1–25). 4.         Megiddo, in level VII A, appears to be destroyed in the last third of the 12th century b.c., which would not be attributable to either Joshua or to Deborah, because the principal structures of the city, the gate, the palace and the temple, were completely destroyed and were never rebuilt. A half a century later, Israel probably occupied Megiddo.
History During the Time of Saul and David	Saul was defeated southeast of Megiddo on Mount Gilboa by the Philistines, although he had one of his own men kill him (1Sam. 29:1–11 31:1–13). David was almost a part of this force against King Saul, but he was removed from the battle by their commander, Achish, under pressure from his commanders. Although we have no specific Scripture to support this, we suppose that King David conquered Megiddo during his wars with the Canaanites and Philistines. This would be the first time that we have a continuous settlement of this land by the Israelites.
History During the Time of Solomon and Rehoboam	After David’s capture of the city (something which we have assumed), Solomon fortified Megiddo along with several other cities as a part of his military network and did some rebuilding (1Kings 9:15). Whether or not Solomon built stables at Megiddo is a matter of strong debate. Apparently, Pharaoh Shishak conquered Megiddo during the 5th year of King Rehoboam (circa 924 b.c.); the evidence which we have is a fragment of a victory stele and the display inscription of Pharaoh Shishak (some non-specific correlative Scripture is 1Kings 14:25–26 2Chron. 12:2–12). This was apparently a huge raid where 156 specific sites are mentioned as having been taken by Shishak, including Taanach, Beth-Shean, Gibeon, Bethhoron, Ajalon and Socoh. Shishak did not have the strength to occupy these territories, however, and the purpose of his raids upon Israel are hypothesized as being to plunder Israel for its wealth and to affect the trade routes of Palestine.
History after Rehoboam	The king of Assyria, Tiglath-pileser III, conquered Megiddo (733–732 b.c.) and made it the capital of an Assyrian administrative district. When Assyria fell, Megiddo fell under the control of Judah once again, as is evidenced by the confrontation between King Josiah and Pharaoh Neco in the valley of Megiddo, where Josiah subsequently died (2Kings 23:29 2Chron. 35:22). The time of Josiah was probably the last period a great prosperity of Megiddo, however, when he died, it is possible that this prosperity ended. Furthermore, Josiah was probably the last great king over Judah. Therefore, there appears to be some kind of a ritual mourning there during the time of Ezekiel which may be tied to Josiah’s death (Ezek. 12:11). The last level of Megiddo, stratum I, is an unfortified city with no large buildings and it is a part of the Persian period. There was practically no information on this period of time for Megiddo in ZPEB.
Battles Fought at or near Megiddo	Because Megiddo was a strategic point commanding the plain of Jezreel and the plain of Sharon, the area around Megiddo was the locale for several important battles:   1.         Deborah and Barak defeat Sisera here. Judges 4–5 2.         Gideon defeats a coalition of the Midianites and Amalekites here. Judges 6–7 3.         Saul will be killed by the Philistines a little southeast of here in Jezreel. 1Sam. 29–31 4.         King Josiah will die here battling Pharaoh Necho in 609 b.c. 2Kings 23 2Chron. 35