He turned the desert into pools of waterand the parched ground into flowing springs;there he brought the hungry to live,and they founded a city where they could settle. Psalm 107:35-36 Two of the prominent sites along the western shore of the Dead Sea are associated with David when he was on the run from King Saul. The first is Masada (meaning ‘stronghold’ in Hebrew). David stayed in “the stronghold” while avoiding Saul (1 Samuel 22:4-5, 24:22). A millennium later King Herod built a fortress on the traditional site with two luxurious palaces. Tourists today can hike the historic snake path […]
Tag Archives: King David
Shephelah
Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out–Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah. Jeremish 34:6-7 We continued our journey west, emerging from the hill country to the shephelah, the low foothills. This region is characterized by low, rolling hills and wide valleys. The Sorek valley (mentioned last time) opened up as we crossed the limestone line. Sitting near the border is the ancient site of […]
City of the Great King
David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward. 2 Samuel 5:9 The City of David is located south of the modern walled city even though it was the original city core. This is the small town King David captured and made his capital. We visited the City of David National Park to see what has been found at this important Biblical site. Archaeological digs continue throughout the site. At the northern end of the park is a nice overlook. Doing a […]