Summary: New physical evidence recently discovered by archaeologists in Jerusalem, of a disastrous earthquake at the time of King Uzziah of Judah from 2,800 years ago, matches the biblical accounts from Old Testament prophets, Amos and Zechariah.
The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. – Amos 1:1 (ESV)
Anchors in Time
Traumatic events such as volcanoes, plagues or pandemics set anchors in history that are used to mark time. In the 8th century BC, as recorded in the Book of Amos, a major earthquake was that anchor. This biblical prophet opened his book with a date of “two years before the earthquake.” Two centuries later, the prophet Zechariah again established a timeline for the reader by referencing this destructive earthquake. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah…(Zech. 14:5).
Further reference to this seismic event comes from the first century Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote that this biblical quake served as part of the rebuke to King Uzziah of Judah who, in his pride, attempted to burn incense to the Lord in the Jerusalem Temple, a task reserved only for priests (2 Chron. 26:16-21). Josephus wrote that the quake split the temple roof when Uzziah was in it. Josephus continued, “and before the city, at a place called Eroge, half the mountain broke off from the rest on the west” (Antiquities of the Jews, Book IX 10:4).
Earliest Destruction Layer in Jerusalem
Now, for the first time, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in Jerusalem report that they have discovered unprecedented concrete evidence of this 2,800-year-old earthquake in the ancient capital. Until now, the earliest destruction layer of Jerusalem was from the Babylonian conquest in 586 BC. This new, even earlier anchor provides an important stratigraphical benchmark for scientific excavations in Jerusalem.
Among the unearthed artifacts found in Jerusalem, archaeologists discovered broken pots and ceramics of all shapes and sizes, including lamps, cooking utensils, bowls and storage containers, all damaged by collapsed buildings. There was no evidence of fires or another deliberate event that could explain the layer of destruction.
Lead excavators Dr. Joe Uziel and Ortal Chalaf said the earthquake that occurred during the period of the Kingdom of Judah was “probably one of the strongest and most damaging earthquakes in ancient times.”
“When we excavated the structure and uncovered an 8th century BCE [Before Common Era] layer of destruction, we were very surprised, because we know that Jerusalem continued to exist in succession until the Babylonian destruction, which occurred about 200 years later,” they said.
“We asked ourselves what could have caused that dramatic layer of destruction we uncovered. Examining the excavation findings, we tried to check if there is a reference to it in the Biblical text.”
“Interestingly, the earthquake that appears in the Bible in the books of Amos and Zechariah, occurred at the time when the building we excavated in the City of David collapsed.”
“The combination of the finds in the field together with the biblical description, led us to the conclusion that the earthquake that struck the land of Israel during the reign of Uzziah king of Judah, also hit the capital of the kingdom – Jerusalem.”
“It’s not that per se we’re providing here a way to date, but rather an anchor that we can compare what comes before and what comes after,” explained Uziel. Independently dating an object or layer, such as carbon-14 dating, isn’t a new technology. However, “if I know I should be looking for some kind of destructive event in the middle of the 8th century then I know what comes before and after,” said Uziel.
Previous Archeological Evidence for Earthquake
Uziel told The Times of Israel that although his team was the first to identify this destruction layer in Jerusalem, for decades, similar destruction has been found in a variety of sites throughout Israel, such as Hazor, Gezer, Tel Agol, and Tell es-Safi/Gath.
The epicenter of the quake seems to have been north of the Sea of Galilee. The northern kingdom of Israel suffered the most damage. A Thinker Article from Patterns of Evidence, Biblical Quake Confirmed, Prophesied by Amos, Jan. 20, 2019, addressed some of these previous finds.
Work conducted by Israel Finkelstein, an archeologist at Tel Aviv University, at the ancient city of Megiddo, about 80 miles north of Jerusalem, found evidence for an earthquake dated to about 760 BC. Ruth Schuster reported for Haaretz in 2019, that the team described “tilted walls and pillars, bent and warped walls, fractured building stones, dipping floors, liquefied sand, mudbrick collapse and burnt remains.”
An article written by Steven A. Austin at the Institute of Creation Research (ICR) describes earthquake evidence seen at Hazor, where excavations began in 1955 under Yigael Yadin. Austin writes, “The city of Gezer was also severely shaken. The outer wall of the city shows hewn stones weighing tons that have been cracked and displaced several inches off their foundation. The lower part of the wall was displaced outward (away from the city), whereas the upper part of the wall fell inward (toward the city) still lying course-on-course. This indicates that the wall collapsed suddenly.”
There are also clear signs of this seismic event at the bottom of the Dead Sea along Israel’s largest fault line. According to Austin, the quake had a catastrophic magnitude between 7.8 and 8.2. Clearly, it left a strong impression and was recorded.
Conclusion
It’s exciting to now have archeological evidence that Jerusalem experienced the monumental earthquake spoken of in the Bible that matches already known quake layers in the northern areas of Israel. Just as we will someday look back at 2020 and remember events as happening before or after the global pandemic, this devastating earthquake can be used to place historical events on a timeline during the 8th century BC. This lends further evidence for the Bible as a trustworthy and reliable historical document. Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Remains of shattered items in the earthquake. (Credit: Eliyahu Yanai, City of David)
