Hezekiah's Tunnel

Second Kings 20:20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

Most people say they have a very difficult time understanding the book of Isaiah. One of the keys is to realize that Isaiah was living in the days of Hezekiah when the people of Jerusalem were preparing for a siege, or attack of the Assyrians. Jerusalem was pretty defensible by having great valley's but the water source is on the slope of the Kidron Valley outside the walls. Hezekiah wanted a water source within the city. At that time Jerusalem was the smaller, City of David I have talked about in earlier posts.

King Hezekiah blocked up the source of the upper Gihon spring, and had it flow into a pool called the Pool of Siloam.

This is a photo of an inscription found at the Pool of Silam. I can't read it, can you? Anyways, those who can say it tells that two teams dug the tunnel, one starting at the beginning, and the other at the end. That was a pretty amazing feet to dig so far under their city, and reach each other.

This is a map showing the path of the tunnel underneath the City of David.

In the Second Book of Chronicles, Chapter 3 we read the story. Sennacherib, king of Assyria came to started taking camping out by fenced cities, and planned on overtaking them.

And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,
He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?

In other words, if the Assyrians were going to camp outside their wall, they would find no spring of water for themselves. All the good water would have been sent to the underground tunnel for the people holding out inside the city wall!

Then, Hezekiah told his people, "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him."

Don't you love that! He said, they have only their own strength, but we have the Lord God to help us, and to fight our battles. It is a good thing to have angels on your side!

Well, that pretty much discouraged the Assyrian King, Sennacherib, so he only sent his servants to attack Jerusalem. And they did. They camped around Jerusalem and taunted the people inside for believing the prophet, Isaiah who had advised Hezekiah to trust in the Lord. During the seige, they sent threatening letters to frighten and trouble them. They were trying to get them to surrender.



Verse 20: And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria.

Sennacherib returned with shame of face to his own land and apparently his own sons slew him with the sword.

22 Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side.

Today the tunnel is open to wade through from the beginning to the end. Water still flows! Do you think we should do it in June? I do!