Psalm 60 ~ With God we shall do valiantly

Recent discoveries and research by Hebrew University archaeologist, Dr. Eilat Mazar, the granddaughter of the renowned archaeologist, the late Prof. Benjamin Mazar, has unveiled convincing evidence that pinpoints the exact location of King David's palace, one of the most important biblical structures.

"One of the reasons researchers were at a loss in finding this important place was that they assumed that King David, as logic would dictate, built his home in the safest, best protected part of the city, inside the Jebusite city walls," says Mazar. However, this was not the case.

"But one of the main clues in finding King David's palace," says Mazar, "was surprisingly from the Bible itself." 2Samuel 5:17 states that: "When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went DOWN [from his palace] to the [citadel]." (NIV, capitalization added for emphases) Although the Philistines were defeated by King David's forces, the Bible is careful to indicate that the palace was located above the "Me'tsuda" (the citadel or stronghold). "The Bible would not have said 'went down' unless David indeed did go from his palace, down the slopes of the ophel mountain, to the citadel. Consequently, his palace must have been located north of the city, not in the center of it," says Mazar.

"In fact," says Leon, "we know quite a bit about this palace from the Bible." It was "a house of cedars" (1Chronicles 17:1), built by Phoenician builders (2Samuel 5:11 & 1Chronicles 14:1) who used the cedars of Lebanon and developed a distinct style of stone masonry. King Hiram of the Phoenicians offered King David to build him a palace fit for an emperor (2Samuel 5:11; 1Chronicles 14:1): "Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stone masons, and they built a palace for David." (2Samuel 5:11, NIV)

An architectural reconstruction of the Phoenician-built Palace of King David, built

Part of the fortifications of the citadel, next to which King David built his palace. (2Samuel 5:9, 2Samuel 5:11)

A square column that was part of the Palace of King David includes a capital which is characteristic of Phoenician stone masonry work. This is a further validation of the biblical narrative, which records that King Hiram of the Phoenicians, "sent messengers to David, along with... stone masons, and they built a palace for David." (2Samuel 5:11, NIV)

Psalm 60

1: O God, thou hast rejected us, broken our defenses; thou hast been angry; oh, restore us.
2: Thou hast made the land to quake, thou hast rent it open; repair its breaches, for it totters.
3: Thou hast made thy people suffer hard things; thou hast given us wine to drink that made us reel.
4: Thou hast set up a banner for those who fear thee, to rally to it from the bow. [Selah]
5: That thy beloved may be delivered, give victory by thy right hand and answer us!
6: God has spoken in his sanctuary: "With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7: Gilead is mine; Manas'seh is mine; E'phraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter.
8: Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph."
9: Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
10: Hast thou not rejected us, O God? Thou dost not go forth, O God, with our armies.
11: O grant us help against the foe, for vain is the help of man!
12: With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.

A Psalm of David, to teach; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

Acts 13:22, (1 Samuel 13:13-15)
22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'

Acts 2: 29-33
29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Entrance to the Tomb of David