The Amman Citadel is an important historical and Biblical
site located in the heart of the city of Amman, Jordan. The rich history and
ruins date back to well before the time of Christ, and excavation has uncovered artifacts from as early as the
Middle Bronze Age (1650-1550 BC). Amman is mentioned multiple times in the
scriptures as “Rabbath Amman,” a Kingdom of the ancient Ammonites (Deuteronomy 3:11, Joshua 13:25). The prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah had strong warnings against this
Ammonite kingdom found in Jeremiah 49 and Ezekiel 21. Most notably, the Amman Citadel is also known to be the place King David
sieged in a campaign led by Joab and where Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband was
killed. (2 Samuel 12:29-30, 2 Samuel 11:28)

Today, if you visit the Amman Citadel, you will be impressed
at the preservation and layers of ancient ruins to be explored. Also impressive, is the Jordan
Archaeological Museum located at the Citadel which houses several
collections of artifacts excavated
from different sites in Jordan. It formerly housed some of the Dead Sea
Scrolls, but today you can see collections ranging from ancient coins and
jewelry, pottery, glass and metals, statues and a copy of the Mesha
Stone.
You can visit this museum multiple times and still not take
in all it has to offer. On a recent trip to the Amman Citadel, I came across
these ancient tear bottles dating back to the Roman period, found in Amman and
Jerash. Immediately scripture from the Old Testament came to mind when David said, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You
have collected all my tears in your bottle…”Psalm 56:8 As I studied the bottles, I was overcome with the presence of God in my life and a deep sense of His love
and faithfulness. This wasn’t simply an allegory David was referring
to. As it turns out, tear bottles actually existed and were a ceremonial aspect
to funerals in the ancient world. Mourners often filled these small glass vials
with tears and placed them in burial tombs as symbols of love and respect for
the dead. Legend has it, the more tear bottles at a tomb would make the deceased more important in the after-life.
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Tear Bottles Found in Amman and Jerash. Roman Period. |
Often as Westerners, we read the Bible through our own eyes
and not through the eyes of the Middle Eastern culture in which it was written to. The idea of a tear bottle is
not something common or used in our culture, and might not have a lot of
meaning for us. But tear bottles were obviously real and symbolic to the
ancient world, holding deep significance for those suffering great grief. Real
glass ancient tear bottles were filled with the tears of death, sadness, lost
dreams, and lost hope on earth; David said God keeps each of our tears in these
bottles and records them in His book.
I don't know about you, but at different times of my life I could have filled 100's of these bottles with my tears, often wondering if God was really there, if He really understood the deep anguish I felt. I was reminded, simply, that God had seen everything. He knew every pain I had walked through and He had kept track of every tear I shed in a tear bottle. He remembers each suffering and has promised to compensate us for them someday (Matthew 19:29).
I don't know about you, but at different times of my life I could have filled 100's of these bottles with my tears, often wondering if God was really there, if He really understood the deep anguish I felt. I was reminded, simply, that God had seen everything. He knew every pain I had walked through and He had kept track of every tear I shed in a tear bottle. He remembers each suffering and has promised to compensate us for them someday (Matthew 19:29).
You can see these tear bottles and other ancient artifacts
when you book a tour to Jordan with Beyond Bethany.
Nannette Cropsey
Nannette Cropsey