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Did Biran Kill David? the Bible in the Light of Archaeology

University of Copenhagen

Thomas L. Thompson

University of Copenhagen

Recent articles on the bytdwd inscription from Tel Dan reflect some of the worst excesses of the biblical archaeology movement, involving circular arguments, the fabrication of evidence and biblical-archaeological harmonizations. Contrary to such efforts at historicizing the Bible in the light of archaeology, the bytdwd inscription, judging from both the epigraphic and archaeological evidence, should be dated to the eighth century BCE, nearly 150 years later than Biran and Naveh have dated it. The word itself is a place name, with reference to a 'temple of DWD', possibly near Tel Dan itself. The word Dwd is unlikely to be a proper name and seems rather to be a divine epithet, meaning 'the beloved', and probably refers to Yahweh. Moreover, byt dwd in the Bible does not so much refer to a royal dynasty of David as it is a metaphor of Yahweh's eternal reign in Jerusalem's temple. David is its eponymous ancestor. We now have concrete extra-biblical evidence supporting the eponymic and metaphorical character of both David and the House of David.

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