BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

What Is the Shephelah?

Exploring the heartland of ancient Judah

Looking out over the Elah Valley from on top of Tel Azekah. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

The Shephelah, also known as the Judean Foothills, is one of many geographic regions mentioned in the Bible. However, for those who have never visited the Holy Land, it is a place that can be hard to picture. So, what is the Shephelah?

FREE ebook: Frank Moore Cross: Conversations with a Bible Scholar. Download now.

Email(Required)

REQUEST FREE BOOK

Map of the Holy Land during the Iron Age, with the Shephelah marked in orange. Courtesy BAS

The Shephelah is a transition zone between the Judean Highlands in the east—the area of Jerusalem and Hebron—and the coastal plain in the west. Consisting of gently rolling hills, the fertile Shephelah includes important biblical cities and towns like Lachish, Beth Shemesh, Azekah, and Gezer. Within the Shephelah, there are also other important biblical places, like the Elah Valley, where David fought Goliath. Indeed, the entire area is divided by a series of valleys with seasonal streams.

With so many biblical sites, it would be easy to mistake the Shephelah for a large area, but in fact, it is only a small strip of land, roughly 35 miles long and 8 miles wide. Of the southern Levant’s main geographic zones, the Shephelah is one of the smallest. This did not stop it, however, from playing a critical role in the Bible, especially during the period of the Kingdom of Judah (c. 1000–586 BCE). From the establishment of David’s kingdom until the conquest of the region by the Assyrians and then Babylonians, the Shephelah was the border between the Kingdom of Judah and the Philistine city-states of the coastal plain. Many of the Shephelah’s biblical sites are located along the valleys through which people would have passed from the coastal plain to the Judean Highlands. Settling along these valleys served the dual purpose of giving the inhabitants access to fertile agricultural land, as well as the ability to control travel between regions. This was especially important for the defense of the young Judahite kingdom.

A bell cave, part of an underground cave network at the site of Maresha in the lower Shephelah. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

According to both the biblical account and various historical reconstructions, the Shephelah was also one of the first regions into which David’s kingdom expanded in the early tenth century BCE. Beginning in Hebron, where David reigned for several years, the kingdom soon grew to encompass Jerusalem and the eastern Shephelah, before expanding again to incorporate the northern Negev and other major cities in the Shephelah, including Lachish.

The ruins of the Byzantine church of Saint Anne in the lower Shephelah. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

The Shephelah is largely covered by grasses, shrubs, and low-lying trees, and it mostly consists of a Mediterranean climate. Although containing many fertile valleys, the area is too hilly for large-scale industrial agriculture, but today it still features many smaller fields as well as some of Israel’s most popular vineyards. It is also an ideal place for sheep herding.

Herd of sheep at Maresha in the lower Shephelah. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

The Valley of Elah

The lush Elah Valley is one of the best known and archaeologically rich valleys of the Shephelah. Named after the terebinth tree, the Elah is an exceptionally fertile region that was part of the breadbasket of ancient Judah. Along the valley’s edges are several important archaeological sites, including Azekah, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Tel Socoh, and Tel Adullam.

FREE ebook, Recipes from the BAR Test Kitchen Make your own food from recipes handed down from biblical times. Download now.

Email(Required)

REQUEST FREE BOOK

The nearly 4-mile-long valley, which extends in a broad arc from east to west, was an important corridor and borderland in antiquity. Serving as the backdrop to the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17), the valley forms a natural border between the territories of Philistia and Judah, separating the cities of the coastal plain from those of the hill country. According to the Bible, the Elah Valley was where the Philistine and Israelite armies made camp, and it was from the valley’s streambeds that David took his sling stones to slay the Philistine giant.

Related reading in Bible History Daily:

OnSite: Tel Gezer

Digging In: Tel Azekah

Sennacherib’s Siege of Lachish

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library:

Memorandum Re: Restoring Gezer

The Last Days of Canaanite Azekah

Lachish Temple Sheds New Light on Canaanite Religion

World Wonders: The Valley of Elah