Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SPRING, FOUNTAIN

In Israel where perennial rivers and streams are few and little if any rain falls for over half of the year, most settlements had to rely on springs or fountains (Heb. ʿayin, “bubble up, flow”) for their fresh water supply. The key consideration in establishing a settlement was a reliable and secure water supply. Absent a perennial river, towns would normally be built around a spring. During the Jewish Revolt of a.d. 70, one of the reasons the Jews at Masada were able to withstand the Roman legions for an extended period was because a spring was located with the fortress. Often town names indicate the presence of a spring: e.g., En-gedi (1 Sam. 24:1), En-rogel (1 Kgs. 1:9), and En-rimmon (Neh. 11:29).

Springs are formed when underground water runs along hard, impenetrable rock and then percolates to the surface where a rock outcropping appears. Springs and fountains occur with some frequency in Syro-Palestine, mostly in the valleys. Most of the region has substantial formations of karstic limestone below the surface which allows rain water to be absorbed until it reaches the underlying granite bedrock. The underground water then flows into the adjoining valleys, occasionally coming to the surface.

Not all springs produce potable water; mineral deposits, particularly lead, could contaminate water. The elders of Jericho told Elisha that the spring water was bad and the land unfruitful, both in terms of agriculture and miscarriages of both animals and human residents of the area; Elisha threw a handful of salt into the spring and God purified the spring (2 Kgs. 2:19-22).

Spring water was considered the “best” source of water, and springs were considered a sign of God’s blessing (Ps. 104:10-13; Isa. 41:18; 58:11; Rev. 21:6). “Spring” is also used symbolically as the source of wisdom (Prov. 18:4) and of God as the source of salvation (Jer. 17:13-14).

Bibliography. R. Miller, “Water Use in Syria and Palestine from the Neolithic to Bronze Age,” World Archaeology 11 (1980): 331-41; J. Wilkinson, “Ancient Jerusalem: Its Water Supply and Population,” PEQ 106 (1974): 33-51.

Dennis M. Swanson

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SPRING, FOUNTAIN

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)