Giloh was a city in Judah. The biblical town has been identified with

Beit Jala Beit Jala ( ar, ) is a Palestinian Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at altitude. In 2017, Beit Jala had ...

Ahitophel Ahitophel or Ahithophel ( he, ''ʾĂḥīṯōp̄el'') was a counselor of King David and a man greatly renowned for his sagacity. During Absalom's revolt he deserted David (Psalm 41:9; 55:12–14) and supported Absalom (2 Samuel 15:12). Absalom ...

, one of

King David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

's chief advisors, came from Giloh (

Book of Joshua The Book of Joshua ( he, סֵפֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ‎ ', Tiberian: ''Sēp̄er Yŏhōšūaʿ'') is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Isra ...

, ; cf. 2nd Samuel, ). Ahitophel was the grandfather of

Bathsheba Bathsheba ( or ; he, בַּת־שֶׁבַע, ''Baṯ-šeḇaʿ'', Bat-Sheva or Batsheva, "daughter of Sheba" or "daughter of the oath") was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, according to the Hebrew Bible. She was the mother of ...

, "a daughter of Eliam", one of David's "King David's Warriors, thirty" (; cf. 1 Chronicles, ).

Biblical era

A site dating to the period of Israelite highland settlement, Israelite settlement during Iron Age I (1200 – 1000 BC) was identified and excavated at the nearby modern suburb of Gilo. The site revealed a small planned settlement with dwellings along the perimeter of the site, together with pottery dating to the twelfth century BC.Amihai Mazar, Mazar, Amihai, (1994) “The Iron Age I” in Amnon Ben-Tor, Ben-Tor, Amnon(Ed.), “The Archaeology of Ancient Israel”, pp. 286–295, Yale University Press, The southern part of the Iron Age site at Gilo is believed to be one of the earliest Israelite sites from this period. The site was surrounded by a defensive wall and divided into large yards, possibly sheep pens, with houses at the edges. Buildings at the site are amongst the earliest examples of the pillared four room house characteristic of Archaeology of Israel#Iron Age / Israelite period, Iron Age Israelite architecture, featuring a courtyard divided by stone pillars, a rectangular back room and rooms along the courtyard. The foundations of a structure built of large stones were also uncovered, possibly a fortified defense tower. The biblical town of Giloh is mentioned in the

(Joshua 15:51) and the Book of Samuel (II Sam 15:12). Some scholars believe that biblical Giloh was located in the central Hebron Hills, whereas the name of the modern settlement was chosen because of its proximity to

, possibly a corruption of Giloh. During the construction of Gilo, archaeologists discovered a fortress and agricultural implements from the period of the First Temple period above the shopping center on Rehov Haganenet. Between Givat Canada and Gilo Park, they unearthed the remains of a farm and graves from the Second Temple period. Roman and Byzantine remains have also been found at various sites.

References

{{Sites of the Israelite Settlement Populated places established in the 2nd millennium BC Tribe of Judah Hebrew Bible cities Canaanite cities Book of Joshua Books of Samuel Former populated places in the State of Palestine Archaeological sites in the West Bank Iron Age sites in Asia