Be’er Sheva’s Jewish history is almost as old as Jewish history itself: Abraham and Abimelech sealed an oath (shevua) by the well (be’er) here, and the Torah says: “Therefore, the place was called Be’er Sheva” (Genesis 21:31). Aside from an old well used as a tourist attraction, no pottery or other artifacts from Abraham’s time have been found here — though seeing as people generally lived in tents then, it would be surprising if something actually was found.
From later eras, though, archeological finds have been plentiful. Most are centered in what is now Tel Sheva National Park — a First Temple Era Jewish city. Aside from its impressive walls and water system, at the entrance is a replica of a unique four-horned altar (reminiscent of one mentioned in Leviticus 8:15) which had been purposely destroyed. The altar doesn’t seem quite kosher: there is a strange snake carving on it, and the stones were chiseled (forbidden, according to Deuteronomy 27:5). Indeed, the prophet Amos criticizes Be’er Sheva for building idolatrous altars (Amos 5:5 and 8:14). No wonder the altar was destroyed!
Too often overlooked, Be’er Sheva has come a long way. From a small camel town only a few decades ago, today it is a bustling, growing multicultural city of roughly 200,000 people — the capital of the Negev. Its university and hospital are impressive, and its budding technology sector — especially for cybersecurity — is world-class. Joining the more established Sephardi community in the 1990s, Russian immigration has been substantial and the city has more chess grandmasters per capita than any other city in the world.
Somewhat surprisingly, agriculture in the area is growing rapidly. Incredibly, all this has occurred in middle of a dry, empty landscape.
Join the Discussion