Why Another History of Israel? The Rise of David

I have on my shelves many books on the history of ancient Israel. So why did I spend years writing a new one? In Tuesday’s BiblePlaces Newsletter, I explained why we need a new history of ancient Israel that is comprehensive, conservative, and current. Today I want to give you a little sense of what that means, beginning with my chapter on David’s rise to the throne. What I want to help you to see better is how a careful study of the historical record, archaeological discoveries, and chronological details reveals much that readers may overlook in familiar biblical accounts. The story of David’s battle with Goliath is familiar even to non-Bible readers, but there is much that is missed without an understanding of the historical and geographical setting. In writing about this event, I explain: the geographical dynamic of the Israelites and Philistines meeting in the Elah Valley the discovery of an inscription at Gath related to the name of Goliath the nature of Goliath’s armor and his proposal of representative combat the practice of displaying severed heads in the ancient Near East In discussing David’s flight from Saul, I ask and answer: Why did David seek refuge in the cave of Adu...