STORE-CITIES (עָרֵ֤י מִסְכְּנﯴת׃֙, “cities of storage”; i.e. “magazines”). Under the lashes of taskmasters the Israelites built Pithom and Raamses as “store-cities” for Pharaoh (Exod 1:11). Pithom has been identified as Tell et-Retabah and Raamses as ancient Tanis. Solomon built a number of “store-cities” in Hamath (1 Kings 9:19) and in places throughout his realm not recorded in the Bible (1 Kings 9:19; 2 Chron 8:4, 6). During Baasha’s reign Ben-hadad concentrated upon and took the “store-cities” of Naphtali along with other cities (2 Chron 16:4). Jehoshaphat, in a program of strengthening Judah, built both “store-cities” and fortresses (17:12). Hezekiah also promoted the construction of “storehouses” (miskenoṭ; i.e., storage facilities, 2 Chron 32:28).

The “store-city” apparently had its background in the practice of Egypt to provide storage for the excessive yield of a “fat” year as a reserve against the poor yield of a “lean” year, as was the case in Joseph’s time. The storage facilities or “store-cities” are perhaps illustrated in the long, rectangular, room-like structures found at Beth-shemesh, Lachish, and other places. Beginning with Solomon and throughout the reigns of the later kings, these cities were used for storing grains and oil to be sent later to the palace personnel in Jerusalem or Samaria (for Jerusalem, see 1 Kings 4:7, 22, 23) or to be collected as an important part of government revenue, as is known from the ostraca of Samaria and other sources.

Bibliography FLAP (1959), 186-188; G. E. Wright, Biblical Archaeology (1962), 131, 163, 164.