The Scripture Reference

“This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon had imposed to build the house of Jehovah, his own house, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.” (1 Kings 9:15)

The Biblical Context

The Bible mentions Megiddo twice in the book of Joshua (12:21; 17:11) and twice in the book of Judges (1:27; 5:19), showing that Megiddo was already a sizeable and significant city at the time Israel conquered Canaan. Megiddo was firmly part of Israel by the reign of Solomon, who strengthened the fortifications of the city (1 Kings 4:12; 9:15).

The excavated remains of the multichambered entrance gate to Megiddo.

The Historical and Archaeological Evidence

Because of Megiddo’s strategic importance as a fortress city that guarded a major roadway connecting Egypt and Mesopotamia, it is not surprising to find Megiddo mentioned frequently in the literature of the ancient Near East, often in records of military campaigns into that region. For example, in the annals of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III (1504–1450 B.C.E.) inscribed on the walls of a temple at the ancient city of Karnak, there is an entire account of a campaign that centered on a battle fought at Megiddo around 1469 B.C.E. An excerpt of this annal reads:

“His majesty arrived south of Megiddo.… Now orders were given to the entire army to deploy.… They saw his majesty overpower them. They fled, falling headlong [toward] Megiddo, with fearful faces, they having abandoned their horses and chariots of gold and silver.” (COS 2:11)

Likewise from Egypt, “The Craft of the Scribe” mentions knowledge of the “pass of Megiddo,” underscoring the importance that Megiddo played in guarding the Jezreel Valley that connected the coastal highway to the Jordan River Valley (COS 3:12).

Additionally, Megiddo appears frequently in the Amarna letters, a collection of over three hundred clay tablets dating to the fourteenth century B.C.E. Written by rulers and administrators in Canaan and southern Syria to their Egyptian overlords, the correspondence refers to Megiddo as a main city in the region, one deeply involved in political plots and machinations. Letter EA 244, for example, warns that a person named Lab’ayu has now set his face “to take Megiddo.… Verily, there is no other purpose in Lab’ayu. He seeks to destroy Megiddo.” (ANET, 485)

Megiddo came under the control of the Assyrians after Tiglath-pileser III’s campaign against northern Israel in 732 B.C.E. A later inscription from the reign of Esar-haddon (680–669 B.C.E.) mentions two individuals who are called “governor of Megiddo,” implying that the Assyrians had set up an administrative region that had its headquarters at Megiddo (Bryce, “Megiddo,” 466; Leichty, Royal Inscriptions, 129).

Megiddo has been clearly identified and is one of the most extensively excavated sites in Israel. By about 2269 B.C.E. it was already a substantial city, for this was the period immediately following the dispersion at Babel when cities rapidly arose. Archaeologists have uncovered extensive fortifications dating to the time of the Israelite occupation, including a six-chambered gate similar to those discovered at Gezer and Hazor, as well as walls, administrative buildings, and what was probably a stable for chariot horses. Scholars disagree over whether these gates and stables date to the time of Solomon or to later kings (Omri, Ahab, Jeroboam II). Megiddo today is one of the most popular, most visited archaeological sites in Israel.

The Historical Role of Megiddo

One of the more important cities of the Promised Land, Megiddo was located about 90 km (56 mi) north of Jerusalem and 31 km (19 mi) southeast of the modern city of Haifa. It was built on a plot of somewhat over 4 hectares (10 acres), atop a mound known today as Tell el-Mutesellim (Tel Megiddo), which rises nearly 21 m (70 ft) above the valley below.

Situated in this strategic spot overlooking the fertile western Jezreel Valley (Plain of Esdraelon, also known as “the valley plain of Megiddo”; 2 Chronicles 35:22; Zechariah 12:11), it easily controlled the major trade and military routes that intersected there. Both biblical history and secular records tell how the armies of many nations fought decisive battles around Megiddo because of its commanding position. Near this site “by the waters of Megiddo,” Judge Barak defeated Jabin’s mighty forces under Sisera, which included 900 chariots of iron (Judges 4:7, 13-16; 5:19). It was at Megiddo that King Ahaziah of Judah died after being mortally wounded near Ibleam on orders of Jehu (2 Kings 9:27). At Megiddo, King Josiah of Judah was mortally wounded when he intercepted the Egyptian army under Pharaoh Necho, which was on its way to help the Assyrians at the river Euphrates (2 Kings 23:29, 30; 2 Chronicles 35:22).

At various times during its long history, as archaeological diggings show, Megiddo was heavily fortified. Ruins have been uncovered showing that it once had walls between 4 and 5 meters (13 and 16 ft) thick, which were later increased to more than 7.5 meters (25 ft) thick, sections of which were still over 3.3 meters (11 ft) high when found.

The first mention of Megiddo in the conquest lists its king among the 31 that Joshua defeated in 1406 B.C.E. (Joshua 12:7, 8, 21, 24). When the land was apportioned, Megiddo, together with its dependent towns, became an enclave city belonging to the tribe of Manasseh, though situated in the territory of Issachar (Joshua 17:11; 1 Chronicles 7:29). During the period of the Judges, Manasseh was not able to drive the Canaanites out of this stronghold, and later they were pressed into forced labor (Judges 1:27, 28).

Under David’s reign, when the kingdom’s boundaries were extended, all Canaanite elements were subdued, including Megiddo. Solomon incorporated it into the fifth district supplying the royal household (1 Kings 4:7, 8, 12). Solomon fortified Megiddo, and it may have become one of his chariot cities where some of his 12,000 horses were kept (1 Kings 9:15-19; 10:26). At Megiddo archaeologists have uncovered large remains of what some identify as stables for as many as 450 horses. Though some scholars assign them to later kings, Solomon’s extensive building fits the evidence well.

Zechariah’s prophecy (12:11) speaks of “a great wailing” in “the valley plain of Megiddo,” likely referring to the lamentation over Josiah’s death. There is a slight difference in the Hebrew spelling in this verse, where it appears as Meghid·dohnʹ instead of the more common Meghid·dohʹ, a variation echoed in the Greek form Armageddon (Revelation 16:16).

Conclusion

The archaeological evidence from excavations at Megiddo, coupled with the frequent mention of Megiddo in ancient Egyptian and Canaanite records, provides strong verification for the testimony in Joshua and Judges that Megiddo was a major city in the region by the time of the conquest. Likewise, the six-chambered gates uncovered at Megiddo, along with the walls and stables, may very well be from the time of Solomon, thus verifying the biblical comment in 1 Kings 9:15 about Solomon fortifying the walls of Megiddo. Even if these gates date slightly later, they still attest to Israelite occupation and fortification. Scripture is historically accurate: Megiddo was an important fortress-city during the conquest, the monarchy, and the later Assyrian domination.

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