The origins of Tel Arad’s temple

In the ostracon found at Tel Arad, a significant number of names include the element “Yahu,” which may indicate the worship of Yahweh by the Judeans or possibly Kenite origins. Benjamin Mazar proposed that the foundation story of Arad in Judges 1:16 suggests that the temple dedicated to Yahu was built by the Kenites. This theory is linked to the narrative of Moses’ family (related to the Kenites) serving at another frontier temple in the city of Dan. Both Arad and Dan were frontier temples symbolizing the kingdom’s authority within its borders, located in major fortresses serving as security and administrative centers.

According to 2 Chronicles 12, Shishak, the king of Egypt, conquered the fortresses of Judah, including two named Arad—one called the great Arad and the other Arad of Yeroham. Yohanan Aharoni hypothesized that Arad of Yeroham was the ancient Canaanite city, while the great Arad was a new city established by King Solomon, likely around an existing Kenite temple. This could explain references in 1 Samuel to the “Negev of the Kenite” and the “Negev of Yerahmeel,” or “cities of the Kenites” and “cities of Yerahmeel.” The name Yerahmeel is the theophorical form of Yeroham.

The term “Negev” in Hebrew means “south,” but it also has a significant meaning derived from the Arabic root NQB, meaning a mountain pass. Fortresses were typically built in mountain passes to dominate the area and collect protection money or taxes. These fortresses reflected the territorial ambitions of the Kingdom of Judah. The southern slopes of Mount Hebron are divided into different directions: west (Philistines/Pelethites), southwest (Hezron/Cherethites), south (Yerahmeel), and southeast (Kenites). Both Yerahmeel and Caleb are considered descendants of Hezron (son of Perez). Scholars argue that Yerahmeelites, Calebites (Kenizzites), and Kenites were desert nomads who were either artificially or politically integrated into Judah. The name Kenaz also appears among the Edomites, and Yerahmeelite names are found among the Horites.

This context helps explain why non-Judaic names like Pashhur, Keros, and Meremoth (which contains the theophorical element of the god Moth) appear among the priests’ names found on Tel Arad’s ostraca. These names are also found among the priests who returned from the Babylonian exile and helped build the Second Temple, with a surprising descendant listed in 1 Chronicles 9: Yeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malkiah. The names Pashhur and Malkiah also appear on Tel Arad’s ostraca. This suggests that the priests or families of the priests from Arad might have been relocated to Jerusalem when the temple in Arad was no longer in use.