City of David

Biblical Text

The City of David first appears in the account of David's capture of Jerusalem. According to 2 Samuel 5:6–9 and 1 Chronicles 11:4–7, David took the stronghold of Zion, which the Jebusites held, and dwelt there, calling it the "city of David" (2 Samuel 5:7). This event is commonly dated to around 1000 BC.

• Placement of the Ark: David brought the Ark of the Covenant into the City of David (2 Samuel 6:12), and Solomon brought the ark up to the new temple "out of the city of David, which is Zion" (1 Kings 8:1).
• Royal tombs: David (1 Kings 2:10), Solomon (1 Kings 11:43), and a number of other kings of Judah are recorded as having been buried in the City of David.
• Hezekiah's water channel: Hezekiah stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon and brought it down to the west side of the City of David (2 Chronicles 32:30).
• Before and after the Exile: Isaiah 22:9 mentions "the breaches of the city of David," and Nehemiah 3:15 records "the stairs that go down from the city of David" during the rebuilding of the walls.
• New Testament: Luke 2:4 and 2:11 call Bethlehem "the city of David." The original wording is the same expression used for the City of David in the Old Testament.

Background

The City of David is a narrow ridge extending south from the hill on which the Temple in Jerusalem stood. The Kidron Valley on the east and the Central Valley on the west made it easy to defend, and the Gihon Spring on its eastern slope supplied water. The area has been excavated since the nineteenth century, yielding a water tunnel attributed to the time of Hezekiah and the Siloam Inscription, among other finds. Some scholars identify a large stone structure uncovered in recent excavations as a palace from David's time, but its date and character are widely disputed. Today the site lies in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem, and the excavations and the operation of the site as a tourist attraction remain the subject of ongoing political controversy.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

The City of David is the place where Israel's political and religious center began. The name "Zion," which originally designated it, gradually broadened to refer to the Temple Mount, to Jerusalem as a whole, and eventually to the people of God. The New Testament reports that the Messiah, the descendant promised in the Davidic covenant, was born in "the city of David" (Luke 2:11), and Hebrews 12:22 links "mount Sion" with the heavenly Jerusalem.

Interpretation and Issues

• Two "cities of David": In the Old Testament the phrase designates the stronghold of Zion in Jerusalem, while in Luke it refers to Bethlehem, David's hometown. The Korean Revised Version, New Edition (Gaeyeok Gaejeong) renders the New Testament occurrences as "the town of David" to distinguish the two.
• Traditions of location: In later times the southwestern hill of Jerusalem came to be called "Mount Zion," and a tradition arose that "David's Tomb" was located there. Scholars, however, generally place the original City of David on the southeastern hill. Acts 2:29 says only that David's sepulchre was still present at that time, without specifying its location.
• "The gutter": The meaning of the Hebrew word in 2 Samuel 5:8 (rendered "gutter" in the KJV) is uncertain. Translations therefore render it differently, and views that connect it with a particular vertical shaft are also disputed.
• The future of Zion: Dispensationalism tends to emphasize a literal restoration in fulfillment of the prophecies concerning Zion and Jerusalem. Covenant theology tends to read these prophecies as fulfilled in Christ and the church.

In the Korean Church

"The city of David" in Luke 2:11 is frequently read in Christmas worship services. Many pilgrimage itineraries to Israel include visits to the City of David archaeological site together with Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Pool of Siloam.