While archaeology can be faith-building for many believers, it cannot prove the Bible. Many believers, seeking to confirm biblical events and people, use archaeology as a list of sensational discoveries, a limited approach that often yields misunderstandings and mistakes.

At the same time, archaeology is our only source of new “facts” to guide our view of the ancient past. Used correctly and wisely, it offers rich benefits for students and teachers of the Bible. Here are some of the practical benefits that archaeology provides.

Archaeology Helps to Identify Biblical Places, Which Helps Us Understand Some Biblical Stories.

The identities of many ancient cities were lost through millennia of destructions and displacements. Through archaeology, we have been able to restore the original identity and location of many ancient sites.

For example, Gezer was once a leading city in ancient Canaan. It was so influential, its kings corresponded with Pharaohs. Joshua defeated the city’s army and, generations later, Solomon converted the city into one of the three main administrative centers for his empire. When the modern renaissance of biblical geography began a couple of centuries ago, Gezer’s location had been lost. No one knew where to place it on a map until someone found a large field stone inscribed with the name “Gezer” near an ancient mound called Tel el-Jezari. Archaeological surveys eventually revealed more ancient “Gezer” stones marking the area around the site. Thanks to the discovery of these boundary stones, we can safely identify Tel el-Jezari as biblical Gezer.

The location of Ashdod, a principal Philistine city where the Ark of the Covenant resided for a time (1 Sam 5:1ff), was also forgotten until excavations of an ancient mound uncovered a stone dedicatory inscription with the name of the city. We now know that Ashdod sat inland along the international highway and had a river port providing access to the Mediterranean Sea. This location would have brought a steady flow of international commerce to the city, with merchants and other visitors from across the Ancient Near Eastern world. Does this setting give us new layers of understanding to the impact of the events in 1 Samuel 5? How many foreign people came to a knowledge of the Hebrews’ God because the Ark came to Ashdod?

Archaeology Gives a Timeline and Chronology for Biblical Events.

The Bible doesn’t provide information that, on its own, converts to dates on our calendar, but some archaeological discoveries give historical synchronisms that help date biblical events.

One example is the Karnak Temple’s Bubastite Portal in Egypt, an inscribed wall detailing a military campaign of the biblical Pharaoh Shishak. Generally, we can convert Egyptian records to our own calendar, so the inscription gives us an approximate date of 925 BC for Shishak’s invasion of Judah in Rehoboam’s fifth year as king (1 Kings 14; 1 Chron. 12). From this date we can extrapolate other biblical events such as the beginning of Rehoboam’s reign in ca. 930 BC (from 1 Kings 14:25), the beginning of Solomon’s reign in ca. 970 BC (1 Kings 11:42), the start of the temple’s construction around 966 BC (1 Kings 6:1), the start of David’s reign in Hebron around 1010 BC (2 Sam. 5:4-5), and more.

Other artifacts provide useful synchronisms, such as the Babylonian Chronicle, which lets us date Nebuchadnezzar’s assaults on Jerusalem, and the Gallio Inscription from Delphi, that helps us date Paul’s journeys. The next time you see dates for biblical people and events, recall that archaeology provides us with those details.

Archaeology Reveals Background for Biblical People and Events.

We commonly view Abraham as a wandering, aged rural shepherd but have little or no insight into his earlier life in the city of Ur. An artifact called the Standard of Ur, dating to a couple of centuries before Abraham, displays cultural scenes from Ur that include an army of uniformed soldiers and four-wheeled chariots. Knowing that military conscription was a standard obligation for younger men, this artifact highlights the possibility (or the likelihood?) that Abraham possessed military experience prior to his calling by God.

This connection gives us a fresh way to understand Abraham’s rescue of Lot in Genesis 14. The text states that Abraham led 318 trained men (v. 14, “born in his house”) on the rescue mission, and that he fought a successful night battle against an experienced enemy. Was it Abraham who had trained those 318 men and taught them the necessary skills for night fighting? Do we correctly infer from the text that Abraham personally led the men in the campaign? The Standard of Ur reminds us that, just as Abraham learned at some point how to be a shepherd, he may have learned how to be a soldier from mandatory military service in Ur. Does this make Abraham more relatable to us? Does it emphasize the importance of equipping ourselves in specific ways to serve the Lord and His people?

Studying Archaeology Trains Us to Better Understand What We Read in the Bible.

We are generally familiar with Elijah’s contest against the Baal prophets in 1 Kings 18. It began when Elijah proclaimed a drought in the name of God: “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kgs 17:1).

In short, Elijah proposed that he and the Baal prophets should each build an altar on Mount Carmel. The question of which god to serve (Yahweh or Baal) would be publicly resolved by seeing which would light his own altar with lightning from above. The story naturally ends with Yahweh’s fire dramatically descending and the people recognizing God’s supremacy over the nonexistent Baal.

Why did Elijah declare this specific contest against the followers of Baal? Discoveries from Syrian excavations reveal that Baal was regarded as the god who sent rain, thunder, and lightning. This understanding from archaeology shows that Elijah specifically targeted Baal’s “powers” over rain and lightning in this contest. Instead of offering an arbitrary admonition against idols, Elijah tailored his challenge to discredit this particular god in the eyes of the people, and to great effect.

From archaeology, we also know that the annual eastern Mediterranean dry season from May-through-early October was explained by a mythology of Baal dying every year, and then being resuscitated to provide the annual rainy season from late October through April. Elijah’s initial drought proclamation in 1 Kings 17:1 seems to highlight this limitation of Baal: “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives…” Archaeology helps us see this statement not just as a typical “praise” phrase, but as a declaration of God’s supremacy over death itself, and at the expense of the impotent Baal.

Thanks to archaeological discoveries, we can understand the Mount Carmel context more as the people of that time would have understood it. As Biblical Originalists, this is a vital perspective from which to operate. Archaeology plays the key role in bridging the millennia-wide cultural gap between modern and ancient times.

Archaeology Can Illustrate Biblical Teachings.

Caesarea’s ancient port, used by Paul and famous Roman governors like Pontius Pilate, was completely artificial. The coastline of Canaan lacks natural harbors, so Herod the Great constructed a large artificial breakwater and lighthouse atop massive sunken caissons of waterproof concrete. The port operated successfully for hundreds of years, and archaeology has revealed the construction materials and methods for this stunning project. However, the breakwater and piers were built on soft ocean silt, so when the harbor’s foundations gradually weakened from wind, waves and earthquakes, it eventually collapsed into the sea.

Does this sound familiar to something else in the Bible? We may recognize its similarity to Jesus’s parable at the end of Matthew 7, comparing godly obedience to building one’s house on the rock or on the sand. Archaeology gives a visual example of His warning to avoid building on the wrong foundation, helping us to better understand His words and more effectively teach them to others.

From archaeology, we have illustrations of other famous biblical objects such as millstones, grinding stones, denarii, a “Goliath-style” spear, Israelite swords, a first century fishing boat and fishing tackle, temples, high places, the kinds of idols that seduced God’s people, standing stones, altars, the expensive dye that colored priestly garments, and so much more.

Conclusion: Although archaeology will never “prove” the Bible, it provides tapestries of understanding to the words we read on its pages. Used properly, it is an essential tool for any serious Bible student.

Truth Magazine, September 2024

edited with author’s permission