Lachish

LACHISH - A town in the south country of Judah referred to several times in the Tell el-Amarna tablets. In the Biblical records it first appears as joining the coalition headed by the king of Jerusalem against the Gibeonites (Jos.10.3), and as being in consequence reduced by Joshua (v.31) in spite of the assistance given to it by the king of Gezer (v.33). It is enumerated among the cities of the tribe of Judah, 15.39. Rehoboam fortified it, 2 Ch.11.9. Hither Amaziah, king of Judah, fled from conspirators, and here he was murdered, 2 K.14.19, 2 Ch.25.27. In the reign of Hezekiah, Sennacherib took Lachish, and while he was quartered there Hezekiah sent messengers to him to make terms (18.13-17). Sennacherib's Lachish campaign is commemorated by a sculpture from Nineveh, now in the British Museum. Lachish and Azekah were the last cities to stand against the king of Babylon (Jer.34.7). Lachish was one of the towns settled by the children of Judah after the Exile (Neh.11.30). Micah's denunciation of Lachish as 'the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion' (1.13) doubtless refers to incidents of which we are quite ignorant.

Lachish is modern Tell ed-Duweir, which has been excavated and which has yielded important finds, including the Lachish ostraca, which date from shortly before the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadrezzar, from the time when only Lachish and Azekah held out, besides Jerusalem. These ostraca bear the text of letters exchanged between the military commanders.
[Article: Dictionary of the Bible, J.Hastings, 2nd Ed., T&T.Clark, 1963 - R.A.S.M.]
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