Tekoa(tekoah)
“A stockade, from the striking of tent pegs”
Summary
A town in the hill country of Judah, about six miles south of Bethlehem, famous as the birthplace of the prophet Amos and the home of the wise woman who interceded for Absalom.
☩Location and Etymology
Tekoa was situated on a range of hills stretching eastward from Hebron toward the Dead Sea, about six Roman miles from Bethlehem and twelve miles from Jerusalem. Jerome stated that he had the village daily before his eyes as he wrote. The name derives from the Hebrew taqa, meaning 'to strike,' referring to driving tent stakes into the ground, indicating the town's pastoral character as essentially a cluster of tents to which shepherds returned from nearby pastures. Jackson notes the meaning as 'a trumpet blast' or 'to thrust.' The site is identified with modern Khirbet Tequ'a, an extensive ruin covering four to five acres.
☩The Wilderness of Tekoa
The 'wilderness of Tekoa' refers to the adjacent region east of the town, a desolate area suited to pastoral pursuits. Here Jehoshaphat took counsel before advancing to confront the Ammonites and Moabites. The region's physical character—sterile and unattractive with scattered patches of verdure—entirely answers to the designation of wilderness. In spring, encampments of shepherds with black goatskin tents could be found there, with flocks of sheep and goats pasturing on the hillsides.
☩Notable Persons from Tekoa
Tekoa is chiefly memorable as the birthplace of the prophet Amos, who was called from being 'a herdsman' and 'a puncturer of wild figs' to prophesy against Israel. His familiarity with the solitude of the desert and dangers of a shepherd's life may be traced in his prophecy's style. The 'wise woman' whom Joab employed to effect reconciliation between David and Absalom came from Tekoa. Ira the son of Ikkesh, one of David's thirty mighty men, was born here and called 'the Tekoite.' In the genealogies of Judah, Ashur is mentioned as 'father of Tekoa,' meaning he was the founder or prince of the village.
☩Biblical History
Rehoboam fortified Tekoa at the beginning of his reign as a defense against invasion from the south. In Jeremiah's warning to Judah about enemies advancing from the north, he plays upon the Hebrew sound: 'Blow the trumpet (tikehu) in Tekoa.' After the exile, the common people among the Tekoites displayed great activity in repairing Jerusalem's walls under Nehemiah, undertaking two sections of rebuilding. However, their nobles 'put not their necks to the work of their Lord.' Jonathan Maccabeus and his brother Simon fled to the wilderness of Tekoa when escaping from Bacchides.
☩Later History
Jerome described Tekoa as a village twelve miles from Jerusalem, visible from Bethlehem, noting that the tomb of Amos was there and that 'there was no village beyond Tekoa in the direction of the wilderness.' The good quality of its oil and honey was praised by ancient writers. In the sixth century, a monastery called Laura Nova was founded there by Saba. During the Crusades, pious pilgrims visited the tomb of Amos, and Christian inhabitants assisted in the first siege of Jerusalem. In 1138, the place was pillaged by Turks from east of Jordan, after which the site lay desolate, though Amos's tomb was still shown in the fourteenth century.
Related Verses11 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Tekoa," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Tekoa," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Tekoa," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.J. B. Jackson, "Te ko'a," in A Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names (Loizeaux Brothers, 1909).