Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

DAVID, CITY OF

City of David, with the Millo terrace (right). To the left are the bulla house and Ahiel’s house (Phoenix Data Systems, Neal and Joel Bierling)

The site David took from the Jebusites and made the capital of all the tribes, “the stronghold of Zion” (2 Sam. 5:7, 9). Located in neutral territory between the northern and southern tribes, it became both the political and religious center unifying David’s rule, and here he brought the ark of the covenant (2 Sam 6:1-23). The name was also used in reference to the location of the burial of David (1 Kgs. 2:10) and Solomon (11:43) as well as other kings of Judah (14:31; 15:7, 8, 24; 22:50[MT 51]; 2 Kgs. 8:24; 9:28; 12:21[22]; 14:20; 15:38; 16:20), the southeastern hill or the oldest part of the city as distinct from the rest of Jerusalem (Neh. 3:15; 2 Chr. 32:5, 30), and, by Josephus, the city of Jerusalem as a whole. The city is mentioned in the Egyptian Execration Texts which date to the Middle Bronze period and in the Amarna Letters from the Late Bronze Age.

Historically the name is used in reference to the oldest part of Jerusalem, the eastern ridge also called Ophel. Like the Jebusites, David was attracted to the site because of its unique features. The site was comprised of a narrow north-south ridge formed by the Kidron Valley on the east and the Tyropoeon or Cheesemakers Valley on the west and south. The steep inclines to the east and west made the City of David an almost impregnable site that could be easily defended. In addition to its unique natural defense features, it also had an adequate natural water supply provided by the Gihon Spring on the east side of the ridge in the Kidron Valley. Geographically, the site was located on the north-south ridge that ran throughout the length of the land of Palestine and the major north-south highway that connected the major cities in the central hill country.

Excavations during the past century have helped provide at least a partial outline of the site’s history. While evidence of habitation in the area dates back to the Neolithic Age, the first major city was established during the Middle Bronze Age when the site was fortified with a massive wall, discovered during excavations by Kathleen Kenyon from 1960 to 1968. This wall, which continued in use during the Late Bronze Age, provides valuable information about the boundaries of the Jebusite city, which covered ca. 4.5-6 ha. (11-15 a.). Other features discovered by Kenyon or more recently Yigael Shiloh include a series of terraces located on the eastern slope of the ridge, evidence of expansion of the site north toward the Temple Mount; the lower terrace house, which dates to the 8th century b.c.e.; the ashlar house with the pillared-house design typical of Iron Age Israelite houses; the house of Ahiel, so named because of an inscription on a pottery sherd discovered in the structure; the burnt room, named from the thick layer of charred remains in its floor; and the bulla house, in which were discovered 51 bulla or clay seals, four of which date to the 7th and 6th centuries.

In addition to the Gihon Spring, the City of David had several water systems. These include Warren’s Shaft, which featured a stepped tunnel and vertical shaft to provide protected access to the city’s water supply during times of warfare; the Shiloah water channel, which ran along the east side of the Ophel Ridge and conveyed water to the valley to the east for irrigation purposes; and Hezekiah’s Tunnel, cut 558 m. (1831 ft.) through the bedrock of the ridge to convey water from Gihon Spring on the city’s east side to the Siloam Pool on the southwest (2 Kgs. 18:13-18; 20:20).

During the reign of Solomon the city was expanded to the north, as the Temple Mount was added. During the 8th century, probably the reign of Hezekiah, the city expanded to the western hill.

Bibliography. D. Tarler and J. M. Cahill, “David, City of,” NEAEHL 2:52-67.

LaMoine F. DeVries

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

DAVID, CITY OF

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)