Posted on 09/19/2016 3:52:05 PM PDT by NRx
Archaeologists believe they have found evidence of King David’s footprints in a mysterious two-gated city from 3,000 years ago, mentioned in the Bible’s story of David and Goliath
The site is known by its modern name, Khirbet Qeiyafa, in Israel’s Elah Valley.
After nearly seven years of excavations, the public can now explore the archaeological findings of Qeiyafa through “In the Valley of David and Goliath,” a new Bible Lands Museum exhibition that opened earlier this week in Jerusalem. The Qeiyafa findings have sparked debate and intrigued historians and archaeologists since they were first revealed.
The city was discovered between Sokho and Azekah, on the border between the Philistines and the Judeans, in the place where David and Goliath battled. It’s mentioned in the Torah in 1 Samuel 17: 1-2.
Carbon-14 dating of some 28 charred olive pits found during excavations date the city as existing around the end of the 11th century BCE, until the early 10th century, in the days of Saul and David.
“No one can argue with this data,” said Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, Yigal Yadin Chair of Archeology at the Institute of Archeology at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He, along with Sa’ar Ganor from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Prof. Michal Hazel of Southern Adventist University of Tennessee, led the excavations.
Among the site’s highlights are its two gates: the western gate, which faced Philistia, and the southern gate, which faced Judah. Having two gates for a relatively small city of 5.7 acres is unusual, according to Bible Lands curator Yehuda Kaplan. Gates are the weakest part of any city. The two gates are what led excavators to identify the site with Sha’arayim (Hebrew for “two gates”), a city mentioned in the David and Goliath story in the Book of Samuel, which reads...
(Excerpt) Read more at jns.org ...
Kirbet Qeiyafa: the town too tough to die.
How tough was it?
Hotels asked your name, address and next of kin to register.
The ice-cream trucks played “taps”.
Slingshot shops had “Back to School” sales.
High school newspapers ran obituary columns.
Restaurants served broken leg of lamb.
Chapters of Jehovah’s Alibiers.
Most people bowled overhand.
Schools required a sick note co-signed by a parole officer.
Christmas pageants featured the three Wise Guys.
Advice columns with hints like how to get blood off of a spear.
A 911 emergency chariot service with a two day waiting list.
Mothers gave their kids five shekles every day for the holdup man.
Yes it was a tough town. But not too tough for a young stone slinger named David!
Incredible what Archeologists are finding in the Holy Land the past decade or so. Just amazing!
Which one was the real bully?
Interesting.
I hate pictures which leave out important facts like Goliath wore scaled bronze armor, wore a bronze helmet, and did not carry his shield as his shield bearer was in front of him.
This is always cool and interesting news. But I am surprised that the author of the article refers to 1 Samuel as “The Torah”. I always thought the “Torah” consisted of the first five Books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 1 Samuel would be included in the “History” section of the Tanach (The Hebrew Scriptures).
While some may refer to the entire Tanach as “The Torah”, I don’t think that it is the scholarly designation.
Anyway...I love it when archaeologists find stuff like this...not that one needs proof to have Faith in the Word of God. :-)
I don't think he was wearing his helmet - they had forehead/nose guards in those days.
8<)
I loved the story of David and Goliath in Sunday school.
Then there is that movie, “Torah, Torah, Torah,” about Pearl Harbor. Never understood the connection. Moses made the Japanese attack?
Then there is that movie, “Torah, Torah, Torah,” about Pearl Harbor. Never understood the connection. Moses made the Japanese attack?
Interesting. Just today I mentioned to my husband that I consider Trump to be a Davidic leader. David had a big mouth too. He also had a weakness for women. But he was God’s choice for a real leader.
Actually you should feel sorry for Goliath. He was completely out matched! David was mobile & had a ranged weapon with a large number of reloads. David had superior technology & superior tactics, outcome never in doubt.
As a kid I remember making a sling and playing around with it. It was clear to me if you could master accuracy with it you could do some damage. I remember when I was eleven pointing all this out in Sunday School.
Yes I was a brat!
My wife would say that hasn’t changed.
That was my dad’s(WW2 Navy Vet) favorite movie (Tora, Tora, Tora. I guess it loses in the translation. :-)
But...when translating the Torah, remember that there aren’t any vowels.
The Japanese Tora, on the other hand, has at least two.
Somehow the Germans were involved according to that great intellectual giant Bluto Blutarski.
No, nasal guards didn’t arise until several hundred years later in Greece (Corinthian Helm around the 8th Century BC) and spread from there. David was king around 1000 BC.
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