Ein Rogel


Ein Rogel, or the Fountain of Job or Job's Well, also known as Joab's Well, which better fits the Biblical context, was a spring on the outskirts of Jerusalem mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the hiding-place of David's spies, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, during Absalom's uprising against the rule of King David. It may also have been a sacred place in pre-Israelite times. In English it also appears as Enrogel, En-rogel or En Rogel.
The Bir Ayoub Mosque of Silwan stands above the well today.

Biblical accounts

En Rogel was one of the boundary marks between Judah and Benjamin.
During Absalom's uprising against David, Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed at Ein Rogel, "for they dared not be seen coming into the city ; so a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and tell King David". However, "a lad saw them, and told Absalom", and so they had to flee to Bahurim.
Ein Rogel lay close to a stone, Zoheleth, where Adonijah held a sacrificial feast when he attempted to assert his claims to the throne. The obviously sacred character of the spring suggests that it is the same as the Dragon Well or Serpent Well of.

Meaning and location

The meaning of the name and its identification are uncertain. The interpretation 'Fuller's Well' does not bear the mark of antiquity. It is probable that, like Zoheleth, the original name had some sacred or mythic significance.
Two identifications of the place have been suggested.
The chief points in favour of are its antiquity and the evidence of Josephus, who places the well in the royal gardens. Other arguments are based upon the fact that in later times the well was used by fullers.
Ein Rogel is mentioned in "Topography of Jerusalem", a document found in the Cairo Geniza, which describes how the water breaks through to the riverbed after a winter of plentiful rainfall.