RESOURCES - BIBLE STUDY GROUPS

 Site map of Lachish, showing locations of important buildings

The King of Lachish besieges Gibeon

'When King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king,  and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, he became greatly frightened, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 

So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent a message  to King Hoham of Hebron, to King Piram of Jarmuth, to King Japhia of Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon, saying 'Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites.' 
(Joshua 10:5)

Joshua Captures Lachish

'Next Joshua passed on from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and laid siege to it, and assaulted it. The Lord gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it, as he had done to Libnah. 

Then King Horam of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, leaving him no survivors. From Lachish Joshua passed on with all Israel to Eglon.' 
(Joshua 10.31,32)

Joshua gives Lachish and its territory to the Tribe of Judah

'This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their families....In the Lowlands, Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, ....' (Joshua 15:20, 39)

Lachish is fortified by Rehoboam, son of Solomon

'Rehoboam resided in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defense in Judah. He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin.

He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine. He also put large shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.'
(2 Chronicles 11:9)

The Assassination of Amaziah 

'King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. .... They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there. They brought him on horses; he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the city of David.' 
(2 Kings 14:19)

Lachish is besieged and conquered by Sennacherib

'In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.

King Hezekiah of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying 'I have done wrong; withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear.

'The king of Assyria demanded of King Hezekiah of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king's house. At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the doorposts that King Hezekiah of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria. 

The king of Assyria sent the Tartan (the Viceroy), the Rabsaris (Chief Eunuch), and the Rabshakeh (Chief Butler) with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.' 

'After this, while King Sennacherib of Assyria was at Lachish with all his forces, he sent his servants to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah of Judah....'
(2 Kings 18:13-17, 2 Chronicles 32:9)

Lachish is besieged by Nebuchadnezzar 

'Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, Lachish and Azekah; for these were the only fortified cities of Judah that remained.'
(Jeremiah 34:7)

Micah's Warning to Lachish

'Harness the steeds to the chariots, people of Lachish.' 

Get ready for war, says the Book of Micah 1:13. The dreaded invader Sennacherib is coming. He will destroy Lachish - which in fact he does, in 701BC. 

According to 2 Kings 18:13-16, The Assyrian king came into Palestine attacking and destroying as we went. He met and defeated a hastily-raised Egyptian army, then turned on Judah, reducing forty-six cities to rubble and deporting their people. He imprisoned Hezekiah, king of Judah 'like a bird in a cage'.