Earliest Known Reference To King David On Display At Museum Of The Bible
WASHINGTON — A 3,000-year-old basalt stone bearing the earliest known extrabiblical reference to the “House of David” is on display at the Museum of the Bible through Nov. 3 at no cost to viewers, the museum has announced.
Known as the Tel Dan Stele and on loan to the museum from the Israel Antiquities Authority, the stone was discovered in 1993 and is accepted as the earliest known extrabiblical proof of King David’s existence, said Bobby Duke, chief curatorial officer at Museum of the Bible.
“The Tel Dan Stele is one of the most significant discoveries made in biblical archaeology,” Duke said. “Until its discovery, some academics questioned the validity of King David as a historical figure. For the first time in history, we have an inscription outside of the Bible that directly references the dynasty of David and confirms Old Testament accounts.”
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Dating to the 9th century BCE, the stele contains a memorial inscription by an Aramean king boasting of his triumphs over the king of Israel and the king of the House of David (bytdwd in the Aramaic script).
The additional references provide further proof of King David’s reign, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) scholar Jim Parker told Baptist Press.
“As important to biblical scholars as the fact that the stele mentions David, it also mentions Jehoram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah, even better setting the context of the stele to the parallels in 2 Kings 9 of the Old Testament,” said Parker, executive director of the Moskau Institute of Archaeology at NOBTS and co-director of the seminary’s Museum of the Bible and Archaeology. “This further affirms the historicity of these biblical events and through the witness of Hazael of Damascus (Aram), the likely origin of the stele, we also have the added reference to the Davidic dynasty.
“With this wonderful discovery,” Parker said, “the biblical text is once again set in proper historical context and is shown to be as reliable as it claims.”
The Tel Dan Stele provides more definitive proof of King David’s existence than the Moabite Stone or Mesha Stele recovered in 1870, Duke said, while pointing out the importance of both discoveries.
Known as the Tel Dan Stele, the stone was discovered in 1993. (Photo courtesy of the Museum of the Bible)
“Both of these, the Tel Dan and the Mesha, or sometimes called the Moabite Stone, are ones that when it comes to giving credence to the biblical story and giving that sense of trust in the historicity of the biblical text, they’re utterly important,” Duke said. “The beauty about the Tel Dan, is that it has no reconstruction. Because with the Mesha Stele, it required a scholar, André Lemaire, to suggest a missing letter that was missing by going back looking at the initial impression.”
The Museum of the Bible displays the exhibit, curated by the Israel Antiquities Authority, in its first floor Grand Hall as part of the “First Floor Free” initiative. Signage augments the exhibit with the story of the stele’s discovery, its significance and related Scripture, Duke said.
“Part of our mission is to make the most important biblical discoveries accessible to everyone so people can experience the Bible in powerful and tangible ways,” Duke said. “We are honored to share this landmark discovery with the public free of charge.”
Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, also cites the exhibit’s importance.
“The opportunity to display some of the most important treasures of Israel’s past – including the ancient copies of the biblical books preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls – is of utmost importance to us,” Escusido said in a Museum of the Bible press release. “Especially in these times, presenting the cultural wealth of the Land of Israel, the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity and a meeting point of the three monotheistic religions, serves as a powerful reminder of its rich past and enduring significance to humanity.”
The exhibit joins on the first floor the Megiddo Mosaic, a decorative floor from one of the earliest-known sites of Christian worship dating to the year 230.
This article has been republished courtesy of Baptist Press.
Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer.