Biblical Places: Masada

By Dr. Bill Jones

The Fortress
Although not mentioned in the Bible, Masada remains the most visited archaeological site in Israel today. It has become a symbol to Israel of the necessary of never again surrendering to an enemy.

The name means “stronghold” or “fortress,” and this is what it has always been.

Its earliest use occurred around 1,000 B.C. It is thought that David may have used it for protection when fleeing from King Saul. We see it mentioned in 1 Samuel 22:4: “… and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.” This “stronghold” was near Moab.

We also read of it in I Samuel 23:29: “And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi.” Both of these places are near Masada.

Its Development
The first period of substantial building on the plateau was during the reign of John Hyrcanus, a Jewish Maccabean king. He first fortified Masada in about 135 B.C. It would be another king, however, who would make Masada not only a fortress, but a beautiful palace as well. He was known as Herod the Great.

Herod was appointed to be the king of Judea about 37 B.C. He was met with opposition at Jerusalem and driven into the Judean wilderness. He and his family took refuge at Masada. Rome provided him with soldiers, and he was able to reclaim his kingdom.

However, his brief stay at Masada convinced him of what a wonderful place of refuge it would be if ever needed it again. Plans were made to turn the mountaintop into a fortress that would be fitting for an extended stay by a king.

This is exactly what Herod did. The mountaintop contains a walled-in area of about 30 acres. He built a 3-tiered palace on the western wall. There were 3 more small palaces near the center of the mount.

There were also bathhouses, huge storage rooms, and 12 enormous underground cisterns capable of holding tens of thousands of gallons of water. He built a large administrative building and a number of smaller ones.

Masada is located about 30 miles southeast of Jerusalem. It is situated on the western side of the Dead Sea. The soil on top was very capable of growing crops and, with proper care, could sustain a large contingency of people for a long period of time.

Most of the structures were built between 37-31 B.C. Although Herod never used it for a refuge, he kept it maintained and garrisoned.

Roman Siege
By A.D. 66 the Zealots knew the might of Rome was coming upon them. They needed a place of safety. Masada would be that place of safety.

The Zealots were able to capture the fortress from the small Roman garrison. For the next several years, the Jewish rebels ran forays into Judea to harass the Romans and then return to their place of safety.

In A.D. 69. Nero died and Vespasian was recalled to Rome to be crowned Emperor. His son Titus was left to complete the Jewish wars. In A.D. 70, he completely destroyed Jerusalem. It was then that the Romans’ attention was turned to Masada.

Titus appointed one of the commanders, Silva, to plan and execute the battle. He had nearly 15,000 soldiers to lay siege to Masada, which now housed 967 men, women, and children.

They began by building a wall 6-feet thick around the site, creating a 2-mile long barrier. Eight siege camps were built to guarantee that none of the Jews would escape. Every effort to force them out by cutting off supplies, using catapults, and other machines of war proved futile.

Using Jewish slave labor, they began building a dirt ramp to the 1,300-foot high summit. It would take 9 months to complete it. When the Romans finally reached the top, they found their battering rams were ineffective against a flexible wall of wood and dirt the Zealots had constructed.

The Romans set fire to the wooden wall. The wind blew the flames back upon the attackers. For a brief time, the Jews’ hope of survival was renewed. But the winds shifted again, and the defenders knew their time had come.

They had already made plans that they would never surrender. What happened next was related by the only survivors – 2 women and 5 children.

The men of each family killed all but themselves, weeping over their wives and children as they killed them. Lots were drawn for 10 men to slay the other men. Then, one was selected to kill the other 9. When all this was done, the lone survivor fell on his own sword.

When the Romans finally stormed the fortress, they found only burned-out buildings and corpses. Only the 7 survived by hiding in a water tunnel. Even the hardened Roman soldiers viewed the scene with stunned admiration of such commitment on the part of the Jews.

Symbol of Courage
With the fall of Masada, the state of Israel ceased to exist for 1,900 years.

Later, when modern Israel became a nation in 1948, new recruits to the Israeli Defense Forces Armored Units would climb the 1,300-foot peak to repeat their oath of allegiance, culminated by the short, “Never again.”

The location remained unknown until 1838 when two Americans spotted it through a telescope at En Gedi, 10 miles to the north. It was first visited by an American missionary and an English painter.

Today, Masada is the most visited of all archaeological sited in Israel. It has become a national symbol for courage, much as the Alamo and Pearl Harbor are remembered in the United States.

Dr. Bill Jones was a longtime teacher / writer with Zion’s Hope.