Damascus

Damascus in the Bible

Old Testament

• In Genesis 14:15, Abraham pursues the enemy to rescue the captive Lot, chasing them "unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus." Genesis 15:2 mentions "this Eliezer of Damascus," a potential heir.
• According to 2 Samuel 8:5–6, David defeats the Aramean forces of Damascus and stations garrisons there.
• In 1 Kings 11:23–25, Rezon becomes king in Damascus and opposes Solomon. In 1 Kings 19:15, Elijah is commanded to go to "the wilderness of Damascus" and anoint Hazael.
• In 2 Kings 5:12, the Aramean commander Naaman declares that "Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus," are better than the Jordan. In 2 Kings 8:7–15, Elisha goes to Damascus and meets Hazael.
• 2 Kings 16:9 records that the king of Assyria captured Damascus and killed King Rezin. Isaiah 7:8 calls Damascus the head of Aram (KJV: "the head of Syria is Damascus"). Isaiah 17 and Amos 1:3–5 contain prophecies of judgment against Damascus.

New Testament

• In Acts 9, Saul (Paul), carrying letters from the high priest, is on his way to Damascus when he encounters a light from heaven and the voice of the risen Jesus. Afterward, on "the street which is called Straight" within the city, Ananias of Damascus lays hands on him; he regains his sight and is baptized. Paul recounts the event in his own words in Acts 22 and 26.
• Acts 9:23–25 and 2 Corinthians 11:32–33 record that Paul escaped a threat on his life by being let down from the city wall in a basket. According to Galatians 1:17, Paul returned to Damascus after going into Arabia.

Background

Damascus lies in an oasis at the edge of the desert, east of the Lebanon mountains. Trade routes linking Mesopotamia with Egypt and Arabia passed through the city. It is regarded as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. In the Old Testament period it was the capital of the Aramean kingdom, which at various times allied with or waged war against the northern kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. Its fall to Assyria is dated to the late eighth century BC. In the New Testament period its Jewish community was large enough to support several synagogues (Acts 9:2). The original meaning of the name has not been clearly established.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Old Testament, Damascus is the center of a foreign power that threatened Israel. Yet it is also a place from which God's grace reached Gentiles, as in the healing of Naaman. In the New Testament it becomes the site of Paul's conversion, in which a persecutor of the church was transformed into an apostle of the gospel. Through this event Damascus came to symbolize the starting point of the mission to the Gentiles.

Interpretation and Debated Points

• Conversion or calling: The Damascus event has long been commonly interpreted as a personal conversion. Some scholars argue that, because Paul continued to serve the same God, the event should instead be understood as his "call" to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Many interpreters recognize both aspects.
• Common embellishments: Paintings and retellings often depict Paul falling from a horse, but the text does not mention a horse. It is also commonly said that his name was changed from Saul to Paul at this time, but the name Paul first appears in Acts 13:9, and there is no record of a name change.
• Isaiah 17:1: Interpretations differ on the prophecy that Damascus will become "a ruinous heap." Many interpreters hold that it was fulfilled in the Assyrian conquest, while some eschatological interpretations read it as a future event not yet fulfilled.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching and testimonies, the expressions "Damascus road experience" and "Damascus experience" are widely used to describe a decisive, life-changing experience of faith.