(Achziv » Phoenician coastal town)
The ancient town of Shiloh is located 19 miles (31 kilometers) north of Jerusalem. It was there that Joshua assigned Achziv to the tribe of Asher, but the Asherites never conquered it from the Phoenicians, even though the Lord promised He would fight their battles in exchange for obedience. For the history, see Josh. 19:24–29 and Judg. 1:31. For the promise, see (one example) Deut. 11:22–24).
One of the keys to understanding why Achziv is important to remember (and other sites like it) and what it has to do with the Abrahamic covenant is found in Josh. 18:1–4, 8–10. The central idea associated with this short story is found in the House of the Lord (temple), where Jehovah (Jesus Christ) presents the plan of salvation through symbols tied to ordinances. Similarly, Joshua’s summary of what he wanted to teach the people and what he wanted them to remember about Shiloh and the covenant is contained in this verse:
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Josh. 24:15, emphasis added)
Do you see the application of Achziv’s lesson for our day, and its association with numerous similar messages in the Book of Mormon? What do you think it is?
I captured this photo from the shore with a telephoto lens. The morning I visited the site, there were lots of people fishing from the rocks. This gentleman was the farthest out. Click here to see him in context before he stepped up on the rock (fourth photo below).
The entrance to the park where you pay to get in. I met a very nice man there, who resolved a problem with my park pass and joked with me about going swimming. It was a joke because on my way out it looked like I had been swimming!
Visitor and overnight camping entrance fees. When this photo was taken, the exchange rate was NIS 3.22 per dollar. I bought a yearly park pass for NIS 208 ($62), which pays for itself after visiting four or five sites.
Campers enjoying an early-morning swim. Notice the fisherman (top right), also visible in the main photo at the top of the page.
A restored Moslem mosque from 1948. Dozens of camping tents get set up on the grass around the mosque, leading down to the Mediterranean shore.
Mediterranean Sea at Achziv. The white buildings (top center) are in the coastal city of Nahariya, where I catch the bus to Haifa.
The white chalk cliff face of the Ladder of Tyre mentioned in the Apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees 11:59, or Rosh HaNikra today (Hebrew » “head of the grotto”). The cliffs represent the modern border between Israel and Lebanon. I took this photo from Achziv using a telephoto lens.
I visited Achziv, located north of Haifa on the Mediterranean Coast, this week. I’ve posted a page at Bible Land Images with numerous photos, a message about Achziv, and a question, for which I welcome your comments.
Before visiting the Achziv page, please consider the following formatting notes: (1) Clicking the title “Achziv National Park” pops up a satellite map, which will orient you in the land. Clicking the map toggles the overlay on and off. This action is necessary for learning the land, as the overlay obscures much information; (2) the map contains the names of other cities and geographical features that you should begin learning (many will be familiar to you); (3) clicking scripture links takes you to the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible found on the website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the selected verses highlighted; (4) clicking any photo pops up a larger view with captions (when applicable). Click outside the photo to close it.
Finally, my good friend Michael Allen Hansen passed away unexpectedly last year (2024). He was buried in a Jewish cemetery near Haifa and has a headstone, but his memorial service was delayed until today because of the war. Michael kept a journal and had a habit of repeating what was meaningful to him. For example, he created multiple entries for the dedication of the Tiberias chapel in 2007 by then-Elder Holland. The very colorful pages, complete with drawings (Michael was a gifted artist), are expressions of gratitude for everyone involved. I’ll put the pages up for you to see sometime. The point here is that Michael followed a pattern that he learned from studying the scriptures. Redundancy is a tool used by the Lord to instruct His children in matters essential to salvation. It is the message of Achziv. It’s not just a place on the coast of Israel. It has something to teach us.
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