The name Jerusalem probably is of West Semitic origin and is a combination of yrw "to establish" and shlm " the name of the West Semitic god of the twilight who was the patron deity of the city. Thus the name means "foundation of (the god) Shalem. Melchizedek was the priest/king of Salem (Gen. 14:18) which is probably the first Hebrew Bible reference to Jerusalem. The first specific reference to Jerusalem is Josh. 10:1-4. Joshua defeated a coalition of Canaanite kings, one of whom was the king of Jerusalem, but did not conquer the city itself. Judg. 1:8 states that Judah conquered Jerusalem but the city was either lost again or only taken by David much later (2 Sam. 5:6-7). Some have identified the city Jebus (Josh. 15:8, 18:28; Judg. 19:10; 1 Chron. 11:4-5) with Jerusalem. Although the city had been a Jebusite settlement, no evidence exists for the city ever being called Jebus.
The city is situated on a limestone plateau along two ridges. Jerusalem is about 2,500 feet above sea level and about 18 miles west of the northern end of the Dead Sea. To the west of the city are the Judean mountains. To the east the Wilderness of Judea falls off toward the Dead Sea. The slopes of the ridges drop steeply forming the Kidron, Hinnom, and Tyropoeon valleys providing the city with formidable natural defenses. Water was readily available through the Gihon Spring which flowed into the Kidron valley and less so through the spring known as en-Rogel. While the terrain made the city easily defensible, the fact that it was far from trade routes and located in a rugged area placed it at a commercial disadvantage.
The area was inhabited as early as 3,500 B.C.E. Archaeologists have also uncovered the remains of walls, a sanctuary, a royal palace, and a cemetery which date from about 1,750 B.C.E., approximately the time when Abraham and Melchizedek may have lived in the area (Gen. 14:18). David conquered the city (2 Sam. 5:1-10) with his own private army and made the city his political capital. He later moved the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:1-23) making the city his religious capital as well. David's son Solomon constructed a Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 5:1-6:38) as well as adding other buildings (1 Kings 7:1-12) making the city a place of beauty.
After Solomon's death, Israel split into two kingdoms: Israel (northern kingdom) and Judah (southern kingdom). Jerusalem remained the capital of Judah. Facing the Assyrian threat, Hezekiah had a tunnel 1,750 feet long cut through solid rock to ensure that water could be provided to the city from the Gihon Spring during time of siege. When the Assyrians besieged the city, Jerusalem was miraculously spared (2 Kings 19:35). This salvation of the city led to the mistaken belief that the city would never be destroyed because God would protect his home. Prophets like Micah (Mic. 3:12) and Jeremiah (7:14) pointed out that this belief was incorrect but they were not heeded. The Babylonians conquered Jerusalem in 598 B.C.E. deporting 10,000 of the leaders and best educated citizens to Babylon. In 587/586 B.C.E. the city was destroyed after a rebellion against Babylon.
Under Persian rule the city and Temple were rebuilt with the Temple being completed in approximately 515 B.C.E. Much later Herod the Great (ruled 37-4 B.C.E.) rebuilt the city doubling the size of the Temple area. He also constructed a theater, amphitheater, hippodrome, new palace, fortified towers, and aqueduct to carry water from the area of Bethlehem. Roman armies destroyed the city in 70 C.E. when the Jews rebelled against Roman authority. Following a subsequent rebellion, Jews were excluded from Jerusalem in 135 C.E. The city continues to be a holy city for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The special significance of Jerusalem led to the development of Zion theology. The tenets of Zion theology included (1) God had chosen Jerusalem as His dwelling place, (2) Zion was God's chosen mountain rather than Sinai and was located at the center of the world, (3) the Gihon Spring was the miraculous stream which flowed from the cosmic mountain, (4) the nations would journey to Zion to acknowledge the sovereignty of God, and (5) God would protect His city making it inviolable. Songs of Zion were written for the cult (e.g., Pss. 122, 132). The destruction of Jerusalem in 587/586 B.C.E. caused the rethinking of Zion theology. The exact meaning of the term "Zion" is unknown.
Top and next to last photographs by Bob Dunston
Other photographs from the Davka Israel Graphics Collection
