Some archaeologists identify the Besor Stream with the "Brook of Egypt" found in the Hebrew Bible (Torah).

[dubious – discuss] The tell suffers from continuous erosion due to the flooding of the Besor River located on the north side of the mound.

The association of Tell Jemmeha with Yursa is based on the site's prominence and strategic positing, controlling the coastal route on the southernmost edge of the Canaanite territory.

This identification is further substantiated by the petrographic provenancing of two Amarna letters written from Yursa's governor Pu-Ba'lu to the king of Egypt.

[2] The next excavation of the site was spread across nine seasons from 1970 to 1978 and was conducted by a team of archaeologists from the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States.

[6] The expedition, headed by Gus W. Van Beek, found evidence to support Mazar's identification, and also identified the site with Arsa from Neo-Assyrian inscriptions.

[1] Circular structures initially discovered by Petrie were deemed "beehive granaries" which was later, at first, confirmed in the Van Beck excavation.

First, it was mentioned in the list of 119 cities conquered by Pharaoh Thutmose III in his campaign to thwart a Canaanite rebellion against Egypt (1468 BCE).

One of the passages in the story of Thutmose's conquests states that Sharuhen remained loyal to the Pharaoh and served as a garrison town, while Yursa turned on Egypt.

Its king was called Pu-Ba'lu and his kingdom was important to the Egyptians as it was on the main route connecting Egypt with the rest of the Fertile Crescent, dubbed in modern times as the Via Maris.

[2] The most prominent archaeological feature of this period is a huge structure (19x16 meters) which served as either a palace or a large house with a big courthouse.

[1] During the 7th century BCE, the Neo-Assyrian Empire expanded and under Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II and Sennacherib, Israel and Philistia were conquered.

as having taken a city called Arsa near the River of Egypt, and its king Asuhili was taken back to the Assyrian capital Ninveh in the year 679 BCE.

[citation needed] A large structure, with mudbrick self-supporting arch roof, was discovered and dated specifically to a period between 679 and 630 BCE.

The original length of the structure is unknown because of previous archaeological work of Petrie and due to erosion.

Tell Jemmeh transformed into a significant grain storage center, and the residents moved to settle in the areas around the hill.