Manasseh’s Wall and Construction Operations on the Western Slope of the Southeastern Hill of Jerusalem
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The article suggests that the account of Manasseh’s wall (2 Chron 33:14) reflects an old memory of the massive terrace wall that the king had constructed above the ravine of the Tyropoeon Valley. Its construction was intended to support the slope of the recently built quarter erected on hewn terraces on the western slope of the Southeastern Hill. The new quarter was constructed after Hezekiah had transferred Jerusalem’s main source of water from the Gihon Spring to the southern edge of the hill. At the time of the terrace construction, Jerusalem was fortified by walls that encompassed the Royal Quarter, the Southeastern Hill and the Southwestern Hill. After the city’s destruction in 587 BCE, the Southwestern Hill was abandoned for hundreds of years. Thus, when Nehemiah fortified the city, he erected its southwestern wall on top of the terrace. Hence, the Chronicler anachronistically described Manasseh’s terrace as a city wall, reflecting the way it functioned in his own time.
Source: Tel Aviv
Author: Nadav Naʾaman
Institution: Tel Aviv University
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4409475699