Beersheba (or Beersheva) is a small but important Biblical town, the central town of the southern dry area known as the Negev. The small tel has two small often dry creek beds (nahalim) on either side, and thus afforded a good place for digging wells.  Abraham planted  a tamarisk tree and called on the name of the LORD (21:33), after having made a pact with Abimelech.  Beersheva is understood as meaning either “well of seven” or “well of the oath”, either way referring to the pact with Abimelech (Gen 21:31). Hagar and Ishmael were sent out in the wilderness of Beersheva (Gen 21:14) and Isaac built an altar there (Gen 26:15-33).  God was revealed here to Hagar (21:17), Isaac (26:24), Jacob (46:2), and to Elijah (1 Kgs 19:5).  Beersheva is the proverbial southern marker of the Land of Israel with the phrase “from Dan to Beersheva” (Judg 20:1; 1 Sam 3:20, etc.) between which is 150 miles.  Samuel’s corrupt sons are known to be judging there (1 Sam 8:2) and Saul fortified it against the Amalekites (1 Sam 14:48 and 15:2-9) which paved the way for David to have it as a central city as seen in the census of Joab (2 Sam 24:2ff.) In the Karnak temple in Egypt, Beersheba is known as the “Fort Abram” probably relating to Shishak’s conquest of Israel in 925 BC. Zibiah, the mother of King Jehoash, was born there (2 Kgs 12:1; 2 Ch 24:1).  The archaeologist Yohanan Aharoni and others have excavated Tel Beersheva, finding an ancient Israel gate and well, as well as an impressive water system dated to the eighth century.  A broken down horned and hewn altar (the stones were found reused in various walls) may have been that which was criticized by Amos (5:5 and 8:14) and torn down by King Hezekiah (2 Kgs 18:4).