ROGEL (Hebrew 'En-Righèl "Fountain of the Fuller" or "of the Wayfarer"). - Name of a spring marking the boundary, south of the ancient city of Jerusalem, between the territory of the tribe of Judah and that of Benjamin (Josh. 15:7; 18:6), near 'Ebhen haz-Zöheleth ("serpent stone," from zhl "to slither, to creep") and where Adonijah, son of David, conspired against his father to have himself proclaimed king (1 Kings 1:9).

It is identified with Bir Ajjub ("well of Job") to the southeast of Jerusalem, a little to the south of the confluence of the valley of Hinnom and that of the Kidron. The well, about 40 m deep, could have been called a "spring" because during the winter rains it overflows, turning almost into a "spring."

The name ez-Zu'ejleh, which seems to preserve a trace of haz-Zöheleth, applied by the Arabs to the rocky and slippery slope that, opposite the "fountain of the Virgin" (v. GIRON), leads to the village of Silwan, cannot present difficulties for the identification of R. with Bir Ajjub, since in ancient times the name haz-Zöheleth could have been given to the steep and slippery descent that from the southern end of the village led directly to Bir Ajjub.

Bibliography

BIBL.: L. H. Vincent, Jérusalem antique, I, Paris 1912, pp. 134-41.

Donato Baldi

@incollection{ec10_rogel_ebr_en_righel_fonte_del, author = {Baldi, Donato}, title = {Rogel (Ebr. 'En-Righèl « Fonte del Gualcheraio » O « del Passante » ?)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {X}, pages = {1086--1087}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1953}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/rogel-ebr-en-righel-fonte-del-gualcheraio-o-del-passante} }

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