King David, the quintessential Jewish leader, has been admired and revered by the Jewish people throughout our turbulent history. Royal yet relatable, powerful but still kind-hearted, courageous yet willing to acknowledge his mistakes, King David is a role model for anyone facing challenges. To this day, Jews turn to his heartfelt Psalms to seek comfort and encouragement.
King David’s life was full of turmoil, and he often found himself on the move, fleeing from one place to the next, fighting for his life and striving to protect the Jewish people from their mortal enemies. In this series of articles, we will follow King David’s footsteps, visiting the sites where significant events in his life took place and learning more about those events from the archeological discoveries at the sites.
Bethlehem
King David was born in Bethlehem, in the tribal territory of Judah.
Bethlehem is mentioned in Genesis as the place where the matriarch Rachel died and was buried.1
Later, Bethlehem takes center stage in the Book of Ruth. It is the city Naomi leaves with her husband and sons, and to which she returns after their deaths, together with her daughter-in-law Ruth. Later, Ruth marries Boaz and settles in Bethlehem, where she gives birth to Obed, the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.2
Like his father and grandfather, David was born and raised in Bethlehem. As a shepherd, he spent much of his youth in its picturesque hills and valleys.
Following G‑d’s command, Samuel the Prophet traveled to Bethlehem to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as the next Jewish king. There, Samuel brought offerings to G‑d and invited Jesse and his family to a sacrificial feast.
Jesse arrived and presented his seven sons to Samuel, but G‑d told him that none of them were the future king. Jesse sent for David, his youngest son, who had been out tending to the sheep.
When Samuel saw David, “ruddy, with beautiful eyes, and handsome appearance,”3 G‑d told him that this was the man he’d been looking for. “And Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And a spirit of the L-rd passed over David from that day forth.”4 The commentaries explain that spirit of the L-rd refers to the exceptional strength David acquired that day.5
At King Saul’s Palace in Gibeah
Since Saul was still the reigning monarch, David remained in Bethlehem after his anointment, waiting for Samuel’s prophecy to materialize.
Meanwhile, King Saul was overcome by an “evil spirit.”6 His servants suggested that he invite a harp player to the palace to uplift his spirits, and one of the servants specifically recommended David, who was known for his musical talent. Thus, David found himself in the royal palace, playing the harp and acting as the weapon bearer for King Saul.
King Saul’s palace was located in Gibeah, in the tribal territory of Benjamin.
Gibeah is first mentioned in the Book of Judges as the site of a tragic murder that led to a civil war.7
Most modern archeologists identify the location of Gibeah as Tel el-Ful,8 a hill just north of modern Jerusalem. It is one of the first sites excavated in the Land of Israel, in 1868, by British archeologist Charles Warren.
Since then, other archeologists have excavated at Tel el-Ful and discovered the ruins of a fortress. In the 1940s, American archeologist William F. Albright reconstructed its layout. The fortress was protected by a casemate double wall, with partitions dividing the space between the walls into chambers. While some of the chambers were filled with debris, others were used as storerooms, with doors opening into the fortress. In the fortress, archeologists discovered an iron plow tip and pottery typical of the time period.
Albright concluded that this construction style was most popular in the days of Saul and David.9 Perhaps this was the royal palace where David played the harp for King Saul.
Curiously enough, in the mid-1960s, King Hussein of Jordan chose Tel el-Ful as the site of his summer palace, as the area had been under Jordanian control since 1948. The construction was stopped in 1967 after Israel regained control over the territory in the Six-Day War.
The Battle With Goliath
We now come to the famous story of David battling the Philistine giant Goliath.
The Philistines gathered in Sokho, in the territory of Judah, and camped between Sokho and Azekah, in Efes Damim.10
Tel Sokho
Both Sokho and Azekah were fortified hilltop cities. Both lay on the border between the Philistine lands and the Jewish kingdom and formed a first line of defense against the Philistines.
Tel Sokho today is an archeological site and a scenic hike, popular in the spring for its lupine wildflowers. It is identified as the biblical Sokho based on seal impressions stamped on jar handles explicitly mentioning the name Sokho.11
Archeologists have conducted excavations in the area since 1838. Over the years, they’ve discovered ruins of ancient walls, burial caves, cisterns, wine presses, and lots of pottery.
Tel Azekah
Tel Azekah today is part of a large nature park. Walking up the hill, visitors can read verses from the Book of Samuel, inscribed on rocks and benches along the path, telling the story of David’s battle with Goliath.
Tel Azekah is also an active archeological site, where new discoveries are made every year. Back in 1898, British archeologists working on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund discovered a fortress with towers. Later archeologists have been finding pottery and coins from different eras of history.12
Azekah was again targeted by conquerors later in Jewish history. It is described in an Assyrian inscription as a stronghold captured by King Sennacherib in his campaign against King Hezekiah of Judah.13
Later, Azekah and Lachish are mentioned by the Prophet Jeremiah as the only cities still standing during Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar’s attack on Judah.14 Azekah is also mentioned in the Lachish letters, as described in our article on Lachish.
Elah Valley
Efes Damim has not been identified, but it must have been located in the Elah Valley, which is the valley between the hills of Sokho and Azekah.
In response to the Philistine advance, King Saul also gathered his army in the Elah Valley.15
The word “elah” means terebinth in Hebrew. A terebinth is a small tree with edible fruits, native to the Mediterranean region. Today, terebinths are still found in the Elah Valley, but much of its land is used for agriculture and winemaking.
Goliath’s Armor
The two armies faced each other from two different hills.16 The Jewish army was intimidated by the Philistine army. To make matters worse, a powerful Philistine giant named Goliath, from the city of Gath, began to taunt the Jews, challenging them to send a warrior to fight him.
Goliath’s armor is described in detail:17
A helmet of copper was on his head, and he was wearing a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of copper. And greaves of copper were on his legs, and a copper javelin was between his shoulders. And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the spear's head was six hundred shekels of iron, and the shield-bearer went before him.
As mentioned in our article about the Philistines, their origins were Mycenaean. In excavations of the Mycenaean Acropolis on the island of Paros, Greece, archeologists found a large bowl which depicts warriors in full armor. The armor fits the description of Goliath’s armor and helps us visualize what Goliath looked like.18
As we know, David volunteered for the job of fighting Goliath, and the rest is history. Upon seeing their hero dead, the Philistines panicked and fled.
The Jews, energized by David’s victory, “Arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines until you come to the valley, and until the Gates of Ekron; and the slain of the Philistines fell on the road of Shaaraim, and up to Gath and up to Ekron.”19
Shaaraim
The word “Shaaraim” literally means “two gates” in Hebrew.
In 2008, Israeli archeologists Yosef Garfinkel and Sa’ar Ganor were excavating the site of Khirbet Qeiyafa in the Elah Valley. The site contains ruins of a fortified city. The archeologists discovered that this city had two gates: a typical four-chamber gate in the west and an unusual gate in the east. Garfinkel and Ganor describe the eastern gate:
The front side of the gate is composed of two monumental blocks of stone, one on each side ... Each stone has an estimated weight of 10 tons. This is the most massive gate ever found in any biblical city to date. The enormous efforts invested in the gate’s construction far exceed technical requirements and was clearly intended as a statement of power and authority. The eastern gate, facing Jerusalem, was the main entrance to the city.20
Garfinkel and Ganor suggest that this city is the location of the biblical Shaaraim.
Unlike many other archeological sites in Israel, Khirbet Qeiyafa is not a tel, with layers of ruins from different eras, but a single layer, undisturbed by subsequent building activities. Archeologists believe that Khirbet Qeiyafa was only occupied for about 20 years.21
Such places are treasure troves for archeologists, giving them an opportunity to explore the specific time period when the ruins had been in use.
The most exciting discovery so far has been the Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon – a potsherd with a five-line inscription in ancient Hebrew. The exact meaning of the text has been the subject of much scholarly debate, but it clearly contains the word “king.” French epigrapher Émile Puech suggested that the inscription refers to the establishment of the Jewish kingdom ruled by the first king, Saul.22 If this theory is correct, it would be the first archeological find that refers to King Saul.
Another discovery that sparked much discussion was a broken jar with ancient writing around its top. After intensive restoration work at the laboratories of the Israel Antiquities Authority Artifacts Treatment Department, the inscription was pieced together. It read, “Eshbaal ben Beda” – Eshbaal the son of Beda.
The name Eshbaal is mentioned in Chronicles I. It is the name of one of the four sons of King Saul.23 Though it is not clear who Eshbaal ben Beda was, archeologists suggest that he owned a large agricultural estate and that the jar contained produce from his estate, which is why it was marked with his name.24
Though the victory over Goliath was a tremendous accomplishment for David, it was also a turning point in his relationship with King Saul, who began to resent him and later resolved to kill him. Thus, David found himself on the run.
In the next article, G‑d willing, we will explore the places where David sheltered while on the run from Saul.
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