Valley of Elah

Biblical Text

The Valley of Elah appears in 1 Samuel 17, where the Israelite army led by Saul faced the army of the Philistines. According to 1 Samuel 17:1–3, the Philistines encamped at Ephes-dammim, between Shochoh, which belonged to Judah, and Azekah, while Israel encamped in the Valley of Elah. The two armies stood on the hills on either side, with the valley between them.

At that time Goliath of Gath came out day after day to challenge Israel to single combat. David, the son of Jesse, had come to bring food to his brothers (1 Samuel 17:17–19) when he stepped forward to take up the challenge. He chose smooth stones from the brook and struck Goliath down with his sling (1 Samuel 17:40, 49). This event is commonly known as David and Goliath. Later, in 1 Samuel 21:9, Ahimelech the priest of Nob gives David a sword, calling it "the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah."

Name and Geography

The Hebrew word elah refers to a kind of large tree. It is commonly understood as the terebinth, and Korean Bible translations sometimes render the same word as "oak" in other passages.

The valley lies in the foothill region (the Shephelah) between the Philistine coastal plain to the west and the hill country of Judah to the east. It is regarded as one of the routes leading from the coast into the Judean hill country, and many interpreters see the Philistine encampment there as an attempt to push into the interior of Judah. The valley is widely identified with today's Elah Valley in Israel, and the sites identified with biblical Shochoh and Azekah lie nearby. Some scholars connect Khirbet Qeiyafa, a hilltop site beside the valley excavated since the late 2000s, with the time of David, but that interpretation remains disputed.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The name Valley of Elah appears only in 1 Samuel and does not occur in the New Testament. The place is significant as the site of David's first public appearance before Israel. Here David declares that "the battle is the LORD's" (1 Samuel 17:47). The narrative's transition from Saul to David also begins in earnest in this valley.

Interpretations and Points of Discussion

• Exemplary reading and redemptive-historical reading: This passage is often read as an example of courage grounded in trust in God. By contrast, some preachers in the Reformed tradition emphasize a "redemptive-historical reading," an approach that reads a text within the unfolding of God's work of salvation in history. They caution against reading David merely as a model to imitate. Instead, they see David as a representative who fought on Israel's behalf and, further, as a figure who foreshadows Jesus Christ. Many preachers draw on both readings.
• The five stones: The text does not say why David chose five stones. A widely circulated explanation holds that he also had in mind the four giants of Gath mentioned in 2 Samuel 21:22, but this is an interpretation from outside the text.

In the Korean Church

The story of David and Goliath is frequently taught in Sunday school and preached from the pulpit, so the Valley of Elah is a familiar place name to churchgoers. It is often included in itineraries for pilgrimages to Israel, and pilgrims reportedly pick up stones from the brook in the valley as keepsakes.