Quarries
 
  1. The "Royal Quarries" (not found in Scripture) is the name given
     to the vast caverns stretching far underneath the northern hill,
     Bezetha, on which Jerusalem is built. Out of these mammoth
     caverns stones, a hard lime-stone, have been quarried in ancient
     times for the buildings in the city, and for the temples of
     Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Herod. Huge blocks of stone are still
     found in these caves bearing the marks of pick and chisel. The
     general appearance of the whole suggests to the explorer the
     idea that the Phoenician quarrymen have just suspended their
     work. The supposition that the polished blocks of stone for
     Solomon's temple were sent by Hiram from Lebanon or Tyre is not
     supported by any evidence (comp.) 1Ki 5:8 Hiram sent masons
     and stone-squarers to Jerusalem to assist Solomon's workmen in
     their great undertaking, but did not send stones to Jerusalem,
     where, indeed, they were not needed, as these royal quarries
     abundantly testify.
  2. The "quarries" (Heb. pesilim) by Gilgal Jud 3:19 from which
     Ehud turned back for the purpose of carrying out his design to
     put Eglon king of Moab to death, were probably the "graven
     images" (as the word is rendered by the LXX. and the Vulgate and
     in the marg. A.V. and R.V.), or the idol temples the Moabites
     had erected at Gilgal, where the children of Israel first
     encamped after crossing the Jordan. The Hebrew word is rendered
     "graven images" in De 7:25 and is not elsewhere translated
     "quarries."