Biblical Sites Expanded Herodium Tomb of King Herod Maranatha Tours – Herodium (Herodion) is a truncated-cone-shaped hill, 7.5 miles south of Jerusalem and 3 miles southeast of Bethlehem, in the Judaean Desert.

King Herod "Herod the Great" built the palace fortress and a small town at Herodium, between 23 and 15 BCE, and named after him. Herodium is the highest peak in the Judaean Desert.

King Herod ruled Judea on behalf of Rome. The Romans also gave Herod the title 'King of the Jews' because of the Jewish population he ruled.

Matthew 2:13-18

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Herod Kills the Children

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The palace itself consisted of four towers of seven stories, a bathhouse, courtyards, a Roman theater, banquet rooms, a large walkway ("the course"), as well as extravagant living quarters for himself and guests.

Once Herod died and the Great Revolt started, Herodium was abandoned. The Jews eventually had a base at Herodium where they built a synagogue which can still be seen today, unlike much of Herod's Palace.

This is the model of the reconstructed Tomb of King Herod that is on the top side of the Herodium.

Death of King Herod - After Herod died in 4 BC he was buried at the Herodium.

“But when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead that sought the young child’s life” (Matthew 2:19-20).