Bible Questions and Answer

Mareshah was a town in the Shephelah of Judah, near modern Beit Guvrin, southwest of Jerusalem. Rehoboam fortified it. In 2 Chronicles 14, a huge army led by Zerah the Cushite invaded, and King Asa went out to meet him in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. Asa prayed, "Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty," and God struck down the invaders. The prophet Micah came from Moresheth, a nearby village, and he mentions Mareshah in his wordplay lament over Judah's towns. Later, Mareshah became a major city of the Idumeans, descendants of the Edomites. The soft chalk rock there was easy to carve, so people dug hundreds of underground chambers for storing olive oil, raising pigeons and burying the dead. Some tombs have colorful paintings of animals and hunting scenes. Tel Maresha and the nearby bell caves of Beit Guvrin are now a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.