With all of this, people have been turning away from our wonderful heavenly Father and looking to the most ridiculous sources for answers. How many people are singing God’s praises? How many people are sharing testimonies of what God has done in their lives? How many people are earnestly praying for the salvation of the lost who don’t yet know him? How many people are preparing their hearts and minds to come before THE KING?
Think about how people get excited and make preparations to come before a monarch here on earth? Or the Pope? They fuss about what they are going to wear, what they are going to say, how they are going to bow/curtsey.
That is what this post is about today. On the regular these days, the ROCKS ARE CRYING OUT!!
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Luke 19:37-40
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Before the ROCKS CRY OUT
In today’s society, especially in America, we take great pride in our education. Afterall, we spent the better part of at least 15 years of our lives in school. We ought to be smart! In our minds we are the smartest generation to ever live. I mean, we are so advanced in technology, right? It … Click Here to Read More
| Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. |
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Stone tablet from the tunnel to the pool of siloam from the time of King Hezekiah in the hands of Turkey
The inscription narrates the dramatic moment when two crews of workmen tunneled through bedrock, eventually meeting at the Pool of Siloam. This moment is recorded in biblical texts and is a remarkable example of ancient engineering. The inscription’s discovery and its current location in Istanbul have sparked discussions about its rightful ownership, with Turkey claiming it as its possession. Wikipedia+2
The Siloam Inscription is not only a historical document but also a bridge between the Old and New Testaments, binding together Israel’s story of survival with the story of salvation itself. Its discovery and the ongoing debate over its ownership reflect the complex relationship between history, archaeology, and the Jewish people’s identity. Bible Odyssey
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Bringing Water Inside Jerusalem’s Walls
When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, intent on making war against Jerusalem, he consulted with his officers and warriors about stopping the flow of the springs outside the city, and they supported him. (2 Chronicles 32-2-3)
Translation- [The day of] the breach. This is the record of how the tunnel was breached. While [the excavators were wielding] their pickaxes, each man toward his co-worker, and while there were yet three cubits for the brea[ch,] a voice [was hea]rd each man calling to his co-worker; because there was a cavity in the rock (extending) from the south to [the north]. So on the day of the breach, the excavators struck, each man to meet his co-worker, pick-axe against pick-[a]xe. Then the water flowed from the spring to the pool, a distance of one thousand and two hundred cubits. One hundred cubits was the height of the rock above the heads of the excavat[ors.]
Date- 701 BCE
Current Location- Istanbul Archaeological Museum, Istanbul, Turkey
Language and Script- Biblical Hebrew; alphabetic
Biblical Verses- 2 Kings 20-20; 2 Chronicles 32-1–4, 30
Zev Radovan / Alamy Stock Photo
General Information-
In discussing the building achievements of King Hezekiah, the Bible mentions a tunnel that he had dug under the City of David in Jerusalem to supply water to the upper part of the city. The Siloam Inscription that was found in the tunnel is arguably the most precious of all ancient Hebrew inscriptions. It seems to have been privately commissioned by the tunnel’s chief engineer, in whose voice it describes the completion of the digging. Initially, two crews of workmen dug simultaneously from opposite ends of the projected tunnel. The inscription records that as the two teams of tunnelers came within about five feet of each other they realized that they had gone slightly off course and would not meet. The workmen relied on the sound of their pickaxes and their voices to correct the trajectory to join the two parts of the tunnel. The meeting point is visible as a series of irregular cuts near the tunnel’s midpoint. Strangely, the inscription filled only the lower half of a rectangular area of carefully smoothed stone. Perhaps the empty upper portion was prepared for another inscription or for a relief sculpture depicting an aspect of the tunnel’s construction.
Relevance to Ancient Israel- Although the Siloam Inscription does not refer to King Hezekiah or another known person or event, the tunnel was almost certainly constructed during his reign. The eighth-century BCE dating of the inscription is confirmed by the style of the letters (paleography) and the distinguishing elements of grammar and spelling. This inscription is of utmost importance in countering the claims of those who deny the significance of the Monarchic Period and the Bible’s account of it. Unfortunately, no other monumental Hebrew inscription from the pre-Exilic period has come to light yet.
Circumstances of Discovery and Acquisition- The inscription was discovered in 1880 by boys playing near the southern end of Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Although it was naturally carved into the tunnel wall, thieves chiseled it out of the wall, breaking it in pieces. Eventually, they came into the possession of a Jerusalem antiquities dealer. At that time, Palestine was controlled by the Ottoman Turkish Empire, which confiscated the inscription from the dealer and sent it to the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. It is currently on display there.
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Siloam Speaks: Why a 2,700-Year-Old Inscription Proves Jerusalem’s Eternal Truth
For centuries, skeptics have tried to separate the Bible from history. They dismiss its stories as myth, its heroes as legend, and its promises as allegory. Yet the stones of Jerusalem continue to cry out with testimony, and among the most powerful is the Siloam Inscription. Carved nearly 2,700 years ago during the reign of King Hezekiah, this tablet was discovered in Jerusalem’s water tunnel in 1880. Today, however, it sits not in the city of its birth but locked behind glass in Istanbul, claimed by Türkiye as a possession of empire.
The question of its rightful home is more than a debate over archaeology. It is a question of truth. When Israel asks for the return of the inscription, it is not simply requesting an artifact but asserting the undeniable bond between the Jewish people and their eternal capital. Türkiye resists, insisting the tablet is Ottoman property, transferred long before the modern State of Israel existed. But history cannot be reduced to paperwork or legalistic claims. What matters is what the stone itself proclaims: that Jerusalem has always been the city of the God of Israel.
The inscription may be modest in size, but its meaning is vast. Written in paleo-Hebrew, it describes how workers digging Hezekiah’s tunnel from opposite directions finally broke through and met in the middle, securing a water supply to withstand an Assyrian siege. This moment is recorded in Scripture itself in 2 Kings 20:20 and 2 Chronicles 32:30, where Hezekiah’s preparations for Jerusalem’s defense are detailed. Here, history and the Bible converge. This is not myth or allegory but an event etched in stone, a king whose reign is documented and a tunnel that still carries water today.
No Man’s Land
The story does not end with Hezekiah. Centuries later, the Pool of Siloam became the setting for one of the most striking miracles of the New Testament, when Jesus sent a blind man to wash and receive sight (as told in John 9). The same waters once channeled to preserve the city became waters of healing and revelation. The inscription and the pool together form a bridge between the Old and New Testaments, binding together Israel’s story of survival with the story of salvation itself.
Türkiye’s refusal to return this stone speaks to something larger than national pride. It reflects an ongoing effort to strip Jerusalem of its biblical and Jewish identity and to treat it as a city that belongs to no one in particular. Turkish scholars claim the inscription cannot prove any legitimate connection. Yet this is the same reasoning used by those who deny that the Temple ever stood on Mount Zion, who claim that Jewish presence in Jerusalem is recent or manufactured, and who erase centuries of history in service of political ideology.
Clearly Israeli
The truth is written clearly. The Siloam Inscription is in Hebrew. It is from Jerusalem. It details the reign of a Jewish king memorialized in the language of his people in the city of their God. It is not Turkish, not Ottoman, not Islamic. It belongs to Israel because it belongs to the story of God’s people. To deny this is not simply to contest politics but to sever history from its roots and faith from its foundation.
This is why the struggle for the Siloam Inscription resonates far beyond museums and academic circles. The question is whether the world will stand with truth or allow false narratives to prevail. The path of Christ and the story of Israel are both grounded in Jerusalem, not Istanbul. The miracle at the Pool of Siloam happened in the shadow of the very tunnel Hezekiah carved. To detach these stones from their rightful place is to ignore the living testimony they carry.
When the Pharisees once demanded that Jesus silence His followers, He replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). The Siloam Inscription is one of those stones. It cries out that Jerusalem is not merely Israel’s political capital but the living proof of divine faithfulness. Türkiye may display it in a museum, but it cannot contain the truth it declares. Jerusalem has always been, and will always be, the city chosen by God.
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Why Netanyahu still wants Siloam Inscription from Türkiye
Why inscription matters
The Siloam (Silvan/Shiloah) Inscription is widely viewed as evidence of early Jewish presence in Jerusalem. It records the completion of a water tunnel project during the reign of King Hezekiah, describing how two teams dug toward each other and met in the middle.
Scholars identify its script as a regional variant of the Phoenician alphabet, often termed Paleo-Hebrew, making it one of the earliest sustained pieces of Hebrew writing.
Found in tunnel, safeguarded in Istanbul
Discovered in 1880 in the Hezekiah Tunnel near the Siloam Pool in Jerusalem, the stone was brought to Istanbul during the Ottoman period and added to the imperial collection that later formed the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.
Museum officials say the gallery that houses the inscription has been closed for restoration, so the artifact is currently kept in storage; a replica is on view in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu’s recollection brings the issue back
Netanyahu said that in 1998, he asked then-Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz to transfer the inscription and offered Ottoman artifacts from Israeli collections in exchange.
He recounted being told that the political base of the then-Istanbul mayor, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, would react negatively. In remarks delivered in Jerusalem this month, Netanyahu added, “This is our city … it will never be divided again.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan replied, “We will not allow the holy Jerusalem to be defiled by unchaste hands,” reiterating Türkiye’s stance on East Jerusalem.
Repeated requests, consistent refusals
Over the years, Israeli officials have repeatedly sought the inscription from Türkiye, including requests linked to commemorations and high-level visits.
Reports in 2022 suggesting Ankara might consider a swap were denied by Turkish diplomatic sources, and subsequent approaches to the cultural authorities were again turned down.
What the 6 lines actually say
The text narrates the engineering feat rather than a religious rite. It speaks of “voices calling” from each side as the crews drew close, notes the meeting of “pick against pick,” and states that water flowed to the pool once the passage opened.
The account aligns with the tunnel’s purpose: to secure Jerusalem’s water supply from the Gihon Spring to the Siloam Pool amid regional threats.
For Israeli leaders, the inscription underpins narratives about ancient roots in Jerusalem. For Türkiye, it remains part of the Ottoman-era collection held in a national museum. As both sides restate their positions, the tablet’s status underscores how archaeology, museum patrimony, and present-day diplomacy continue to overlap.
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Ancient road connecting ancient Mikveh to Temple unveiled by archaeologists
Orenstein emphasized that excavations like that of the Pilgrimage Road put biblical stories into historical context.
Jerusalem’s City of David is an archaeological wonder,dedicated to uncovering the historical ties of the Jewish people to Israel. Their slogan,“Not simply a matter of faith, but a matter of fact,” is illuminated through what is uncovered along the grounds of an ancient city; so ancient that pre-dated Jerusalem’s old city.
Pilgrimage road. (credit: Koby Harati & City of David Archives)
2,000 years ago was the age of Herod, the age of Jesus. The Pool of Siloam is considered one of the most significant biblical heritage sites for Christians. In this site, it was believed to be the site of healing a blind man. Finding this ancient road helped archaeologists confirm a connection between the places; Jesus, as a practicing Jew in this time, would have entered this sacred mikvah and followed the road up to the temple alongside 2.5 million others in this age.
Pilgrimage road. (credit: Koby Harati & City of David Archives)
Parts of the road are between 8 meters and 30 meters wide — or around 27 to 98 feet wide. “The road itself is about five times wider than what you see here right now,” Ze’ev Orenstein, the Director of International Affairs at City of David, told the Post. “It will connect from the Shiloh pool, the pool of Siloam, all the way up to the footsteps of the Western Wall of the Southern steps of the Temple Mount.”
Excavation ruled as one of both national and international importance
Orenstein told the Post on the tour that the excavation was ruled by the High Court as one of both national and international importance. As the City of David pre-dates the Old City, Jewish ancestry traced back even further to the once-lost neighborhood.
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Binyamin Netanyahu – Remarks in the City of David
delivered 15 September 2025, Jerusalem, Israel
[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio]
In 1998, I hosted the Prime Minister of Turkey. His name was [Mesut] Yılmaz. We had wonderful relations with Turkey at the time. They’ve not stood — withstood stood the test of time. But at the time they were very good. And after a wonderful dinner at the Prime Minister’s residence, we had a coffee in the living room.
And I said, Prime Minister, “I have a favor to ask you.”
And he said, “Yes, go ahead.”
And I said, “There is a tablet, a stone tablet in Hebrew that was found in the tunnel that we have just” — it’s right here — “that was dug 2700 years ago by King Hezekiah.” That’s 300 years after King David. “And it marks the place where two teams of diggers met” — just as was described here, two teams of archaeological workers.
“They met when they dug this channel underneath Jerusalem to give it, to connect it to the water source, the water source and the Pool of Siloam. It would be completely underground, safe from enemies. And when the two teams heard one another, they started digging towards each other and at the place where they met and completed the tunnel, they put this tablet in Hebrew, the Bible speaking to us, because that channel, the digging of that channel is described in the Bible. And here we see that in biblical Hebrew, perhaps except the Dead Sea Scrolls, the most important archaeological discovery in Israel.
And I said, “Look, I have a proposal for you. You know, we have thousands of Ottoman artifacts in our museums. Choose anyone you want. You can get it. It’s yours. And let’s do an exchange.”
And he said, “No, I’m sorry. I can’t do that.”
And I said, “Well, take all the artifacts in our museums.”
And he said, “No, I can’t do that.“
And I said, “Well, name your price.“
And he said, “Prime Minister Netanyahu, there is no price.“
And I said, “Why?”
He said, “Well, there is a growing Islamist constituency headed by the then mayor of Istanbul” — you know his name — “and there would be outrage from this section of the Turkish people that we would give Israel a tablet that would show that Jerusalem was a Jewish city 2700 years ago.“
Well, it was a Jewish city 3,000 years ago.
And we just passed over here the shaft in which David’s general, Joab, climbed with some brave soldiers to conquer the city from within.1 David declared it its capital. Jerusalem, D.C. — “David’s Capital.” And here, right next to these stones and on these pavements, the prophets of Israel prophesied, the kings of Israel walked, the pilgrims came. And some of the most poetic Psalms and prophecies and proverbs in the history of humanity were written, inspiring not only our people but all of humanity.
And this continued for a thousand years into the time of Jesus, a Jewish rabbi from the Galilee, who came here to Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies. And He came here to that pool in Siloam to be purified, where he also performed the miracle of helping the blind see. And then they would walk up the road to this place.
That was all brought to an end by the great rebellion of the Jews against the Romans in 70 AD. And when we tread on these stones, you’ll find a hole there, some holes, because the Jews hid in the spaces below the stones. We found a Roman sword there. The Jews fought bravely. But the Romans were absolutely merciless. And they killed hundreds of thousands of Jews, including those hiding below the Pilgrims’ Road.
Now, 2,000 years later, we recovered our city. We recovered our independence. We built our sovereign State anew. We built an army. And we built a country like no other. But this country is based on those 2,000 years of yearning. “Next year in Jerusalem.” “Next year in Jerusalem.” It didn’t matter if you were in the ghetto in Toledo or the ghetto in Warsaw. That’s what Jews prayed for: next year in Jerusalem.
Well, we’re here. This is our city, Mr. Erdogan. It’s not your city; it’s our city. It will always be our city. It will not be divided again.
And that’s why I so much appreciate the leadership of President Trump in this area as well. When he declared Jerusalem our capital, something that should have been acknowledged by every leader in the world. But he did it and then moved the American Embassy here. He did things that are so obvious and yet defied all these governments, all these foreign chancelleries, all these experts who said, “You cannot do that.” He called me up before he did it, and he asked,
“What do you think?“
I said, “Well, you know….“
“Would there be riots?” “Would there be bloodshed?”
And I said, “I don’t think so. But if there will be, it’ll be primarily directed at us. And we are definitely ready.”
So he just did it.
And I welcome today the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who understands that this is the foundation of our common Judeo-Christian heritage. It is being challenged today. It’s being challenged by a growing Islamist force. It’s being challenged by the unity of the Islamists with the ultra-left. They both deny our patrimony. They both deny our heritage. And they are putting all the pressure on European leaders and others who, weak-kneed, are suggesting that we divide Jerusalem. They’re suggesting that we plant a Palestinian State committed to our destruction right here.
And we say any unilateral action can be met with unilateral action. This is our city. It is forever our city. It will never be divided again and there will be no Palestinian State.
And that — with that brief “commercial,” I want to thank the — the donors, the diggers, the people who committed so much of their lives to this incredible foundation of our civilization and of the Jewish people. You deserve, [iunclear]. You deserve the eternal gratitude of Jews and Christians and free men and women alike.
Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you.
And Am Yisrael Chai [“The People of Israel Live”] and Jerusalem lives in our hearts.
Thank you.
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Ancient Jerusalem’s Main Street, Leading to the Temple 2,000 Years Ago
On September 15, the Pilgrimage Road in the City of David was inaugurated in its entirety – the main street of Jerusalem from the Second Temple period, which led from the Pool of Siloam up to the Temple Mount. In a festive and moving ceremony, attended by the Prime Minister of Israel, the U.S. Secretary of State, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, the Mayor of Jerusalem, and other dignitaries, one of the most important archaeological and historical discoveries in the Land of Israel was celebrated.
Built during the Second Temple period, this impressive street was one of the main thoroughfares of ancient Jerusalem, connecting the Pool of Siloam with the Temple Mount. Along its length, archaeologists uncovered coins, weights, and a measuring table that attest to a bustling marketplace – the “Mamilla Mall” of ancient Jerusalem – a central street lined with shops and stalls leading to the city’s most sacred destination: the Temple Mount.
Beneath the street, an ancient drainage channel was discovered, which served as a hiding place during the Great Revolt. Among its remains were cooking vessels, oil lamps, hundreds of coins, and even a Roman sword – vivid testimony to the dramatic final days of Jerusalem before its destruction.
Recent research reveals that the residents of this area, once thought to be of modest means, were in fact members of Jerusalem’s elite. Findings further suggest that Pontius Pilate, the well-known Roman governor, initiated the construction of the street – and not Herod, as previously believed.
In the coming months, the Pilgrimage Road will be opened to the general public. Want to be the first to know when it happens and reserve your spot? Leave your details in the form below.
5 things to know about The Pilgrimage Road
One of the most expensive and complex excavations currently taking place in Israel
- The Pilgrimage Road in the City of David is considered one of the most expensive and complex excavations currently taking place in Israel, due to all of the construction required and the challenging underground conditions of the excavation.
- The total length of the road connecting the Siloam pool at the south of the City of David to the Temple Mount is 600 meters long. It is 8 meters wide, however at its southern end the road widens even more and reaches a width of 30 meters!
- The Pilgrimage Road is like the Mahane Yehuda Market, or 5th Avenue if you will, of ancient Jerusalem: many coins, weights and even a special weighing table were discovered along the route – all these were used for the extensive commercial activities that happened on the route.
- An ancient drainage channel passes underneath the road. The channel was used in the days of the Second Temple as a hiding place for Jewish rebels who were hiding from Roman soldiers. Cooking pots, oil lamps, hundreds of bronze coins from the Great Revolt and even a sword that belonged to a Roman legionnaire, were all discovered in the channel.
- Even though many attribute the building of the road to Herod the Great, recent research shows that the road was built after Herod’s time, under the Roman governors of Jerusalem. It was most likely built by the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, also known for sentencing Jesus to crucifixion.
The Pilgrims’ Road to the Temple Mount and the Stepped Street
5 December 2024
The ancient Pool of Siloam was discovered in the south of the biblical City of David at the end of the nineteenth century, but it remained unexcavated for many years – until recently.
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