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JEBUS

(Heb. yĕḇûs)

Pre-Israelite Jerusalem, the city David captured from the Jebusites (2 Sam. 5:6-9). The name, found only in Judg. 19:10-11; 1 Chr. 11:4-5, was perhaps derived from that of the clan that occupied the site prior to Israelite occupation. The Hebrew term means “to tread down” or “to trample,” derived from a verb usually used in reference to the judgment or destruction of a city. In the Bible, the Jebusites are identified as descendants of Canaan (Gen. 10:16), one of the sons of Ham.

The name Jebus does not appear outside the biblical text. To complicate matters even more, the name Jerusalem rather than Jebus appears in the earliest extrabiblical references to the city, the Egyptian Execration Texts (19th-18th centuries b.c.e.) and the Amarna Letters (14th century). Consequently, some scholars propose that Jebus was a Canaanite village other than Jerusalem and identify it with the modern site of Shaʿfât. It is possible that the biblical writers who wrote during later periods used the term Jebus as the means to distinguish the pre-Israelite city from Israelite Jerusalem, or that they had access to an earlier tradition.

The identity of the Jebusites is also subject to debate. Some propose that they were Hurrian or Horite in background, while others suggest a Hittite background. Regardless of origin or ethnic background, the Jebusites were one of the many Canaanite groups at the time of the Conquest.

While the debate about Jebus and the origin of the Jebusites continues, according to the OT the Jebusites were a powerful people or clan that occupied Jebus, i.e., Jerusalem, prior to David’s conquest of the city. Their firm grasp on the site and its territory is reflected by the fact that the Israelites did not take the site during the Conquest (Judg. 1:21). Apparently the Jebusites continued to occupy the site until the time of David.

The conquest of Jebus by David reflects the genius of the new king. While Saul is usually considered the first king of the United Kingdom of Israel, it was David who organized and established the monarchy. Having been anointed by Judah and by Israel (i.e., the tribes of the north), David then took the site of Jebus (2 Sam. 5:6-10; 1 Chr. 11:4-8), located in neutral territory between the people of the north and those of the south, and made it the capital of all the tribes. In addition to its unique location to the tribes of the north and the south, the site of Jesus was free of any tribal traditions or jealousies. But the site had other unique features. Located on a ridge, with the Kidron Valley to the east and the Tyropoeon or Cheesemakers Valley on the west, Jebus was an almost impregnable site, reflected in the Jebusite statement, “you will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back” (2 Sam. 5:6; 1 Chr. 11:5). With Gihon Spring located in the Kidron Valley to the east, the site had a plentiful water supply.

The site was perhaps first settled during the Middle Bronze Age. Archaeological evidence indicates the site was fortified with a stone wall. The discovery of a shaft, commonly referred to as Warren’s shaft, provides evidence of the water system developed and used by the Jebusites. According to the Deuteronomic and the Chronistic histories, the city acquired the title “City of David” (2 Sam. 5:9; 1 Chr. 11:7) following David’s conquest of the site.

LaMoine F. De Vries

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

JEBUS

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)