August 28, 2026 Categories: Uncategorized
Unique Sites of Israel: Be'er Sheva
“Abraham took flocks and cattle and gave them to Abimelech; and the two of them entered into a covenant. Abraham set seven ewes of the flock…Abimelech said to Abraham ‘What are these seven ewes?” … And he replied “Because you are to take these 7 ewes from me, that it may serve me as a testimony that I dug this well. Therefore, the place was called Be'er Sheva because there the two of them took an oath (Genesis 21: 27-31)”
Be'er Sheva (Beersheba) is perhaps Israel’s most underrated city for tourists to visit. Even most Israelis think of it as being “somewhere” in the desert. This city offers world-class historic and battle sites (including the last Calvary battle fought in the history of the British Empire), interactive/state of the art museums (including many kid-friendly ones), shopping, beautiful scenery, and major biblical sites, and more.
As a tour guide with expertise in Be'er Sheva(I have been consulted and interviewed in the media about it), I want to give you a glimpse into this “must-see” city.
The city has become known as the “Water City” because of its proliferation of gorgeous water fountains, and a new 22.5-acre artificial lake under construction. This will be the largest artificial lake in the country, and the second largest lake overall after the Sea of Galilee.
So much can be said about Be'er Sheva, but the biggest reason my tourists enjoy it so much is because of its rich history!
Be'er Sheva is mentioned 34 times in the Bible. The well-preserved archeological remains are a must see for Biblical enthusiasts. This was the place where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived and proclaimed the name of G-d (Genesis 21:33). Here, G-d appeared to Abraham telling him to bring his son Isaac to Jerusalem in order to sacrifice him (Genesis 22). In this city, Jacob received the blessing from Isaac, which incurred the wrath of Esau, prompting Rebecca to tell her son to flee from the land and only return when his brother’s anger subsided (Genesis 27 and 28).
Nine times in Tanach (the Hebrew Bible), the borders of Israel are mentioned as being from Dan (in the North) to Be'er Sheva (in the south). That is quite surprising when one reads Numbers 34:3 which clearly states that the southern border of biblical Israel is actually Nahal Tzin, about 50 kms (31 miles) further south. Why is Beer Sheva therefore mentioned as the southern border so many times? Because Beer Sheva is the southern border of “populated” Israel. In ancient times it was nearly impossible to live further south due to the extreme heat of the desert, and civilization ended here. That is why when Abraham expelled Hagar and his son Ishmael from his home, they strayed into the “desert of Be'er Sheva (Genesis 21:4)”.
One of the more interesting rooms, the one with the “altar”, is mentioned explicitly in the Bible. Regarding Josiah, the righteous king who almost completely eradicated idol worship from the land, “He defiled the high places where…priests used to burn offerings from Geba to Be'er Sheva…The one which was at the entrance of the gate…situated at one’s left (when entering) the city gate (2 Kings 23:8)”. Indeed, when walking through the gate, the first building to your immediate left is this “high place”.
Interestingly, King Josiah was “smashing” places of idol worship in some parts of the country, while in other cases he only “defiled” them. Why did he choose to “defile” this one and not destroy it? According to Jewish sources, this particular altar was not used for idol worship, but in the service of G-d. Although this was also forbidden, since once the Temple was built, it was forbidden to do sacrifices outside of the Temple, it still had a level of holiness. Therefore, Josiah simply made it unusable by defiling them.
Perhaps the most unique feature of this site is its intricate water system.
