Tel Arad may have been along the path Lehi took when he left Jerusalem. During Hezekiah's time, worship at an altar was forbidden anywhere but at the temple in Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon records that after Lehi had traveled 3 days in the wilderness, he stopped and built an altar where he made a sacrifice. David Seely, who is a well known translator of the Dead Sea Scrolls, was with us on this trip. He said one of the scrolls, called the temple scroll, explains that sacrifice at an altar was forbidden unless you were 3 days from Jerusalem, in which case it was acceptable.
Archeologists agree that this is the site of a temple. A temple had 3 parts: entrance, holy room, and holiest room where only the priest went. At the bottom right of this picture is the relatively large entrance. The partially walled area near the center of the picture is the holy room. The small room with a couple of steps beyond the black tarp is the holiest room (holy of holies).
The main gate of Tel Arad. It is very barren, except areas where Israelite cities are established and crops are planted and irrigated.
The Caananites occupied the same Tel at one point. This is an altar where they sacrificed animals
This is a well that served the community. This was a very large community of thousands. Some of the water was supplied by rain - they channeled it down the streets to a collection point..
Tel Arad on top of the hill.
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