Meaning of ROGEL

(prob. "fuller's fountain"). Fountain in the vicinity of Jerusalem (2 Sam. 17:17), near the valley of Ben-Hinnom, on the borders of Judah and Benjamin (Josh. 15:1, 7; 18:11, 16). According to Josephus, it was the king's garden (Ant. 7:14, 4).

During Absalom's revolt, Jonathan and Ahimaaz settled in this place in order to collect information that they, in turn, transmitted to David (2 Sam. 17:17). Near Rogel was the rock of Zohelet, near which Adonijah hosted a banquet when he was plotting to seize the throne (1 Kings 1:9).

According to a generally accepted tradition, this fountain is located in Bîr Eyyub (Job's well), below the junction of the Ben-Hinnom and Kidron valleys, south of Jerusalem.

Of the thirty-eight meters deep of this well, half are covered with bricks, and the rest are carved from living rock. The fact that it is a well and not a fountain constitutes a serious obstacle to this traditional identification (Gen. 16:7; cf. v. 14).