BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Where Is the Valley of Rephaim?

Locating David’s war with the Philistines

 

Mentioned in connection with King David’s war against the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:17-25), the Valley of Rephaim is one of many biblical locations whose exact location is less than certain. Although the valley has traditionally been located near Jerusalem, Sabine Kleinman, an archaeologist at Tel Aviv University, has a new theory. Publishing in the Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, Kleiman argues that the Valley of Rephaim was located much farther south, very close to another famous biblical valley, the Valley of Elah.

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Defeating Rapha

According to the Bible, after David was anointed king, the Philistines launched an attack, taking up position in the Valley of Rephaim. Based largely on the fact that this story comes immediately after David’s conquest of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5), most scholars have assumed the valley was nearby. Indeed, a valley by this name is located just a few miles outside Jerusalem, on the road to Tel Aviv. However, even since the earliest efforts to compile geographic lists of biblical places, the accepted location of this valley has frequently changed.

According to Kleiman, the valley’s association with Jerusalem has led scholars to overlook clues within the biblical text itself, particularly references to other geographic markers, such as Geba and the stronghold, Baal-Perazim. Although the location of these places is sometimes debated, there are compelling arguments for placing them not near Jerusalem, but farther south, near the Valley of Elah. The stronghold, for instance, is frequently associated with the site of Adullam, where David camped when he fled from Achish of Gath, and which features in several other biblical stories. Of particular interest is 2 Samuel 23 13–17, where the Philistines are yet again encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. This time, however, the stronghold to which David goes is explicitly mentioned as being near Adullam.

Baal-Perazim, associated in the Bible with a source of water, may be identified with a spring near Adullam named ‘Ain Faris, a possible corruption of the name Perazim. Interestingly, a third site in the area, Khirbat ‘Id el-Ma, could be a corruption of the Hebrew word for “stronghold” (metzudah). This site is also features a large, fortified structure that dates to around the time of David.

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Identifying Geba is perhaps a little more straightforward, as there are several known locations with this or similar-sounding names. But which site is the correct one? While some have suggested that it was either Gibeon or Geba of Benjamin, Kleiman points instead to Gibeah of Judah, only a little southwest of Khirbat ‘Id el-Ma, and thus very close to Adullam and the possible location of Baal-Perazim. The biblical phrase “from Geba until Gezer” would thus delineate the total territory of Philistine control in the Shephelah, with the passage referring to a complete victory over the Philistines that drove them from the lowlands. Considering these geographic clues, Kleinman concludes that the location of the Valley of Rephaim must be southwest of Jerusalem in the Shephelah, between the cities of Gath and Bethlehem.

However, locating the Valley of Rephaim in this area does more than just agree with the other geographic markers in the Bible. According to Kleiman, it may explain the very origins of the valley’s name. When David reigned during the tenth century BCE, the city of Gath was one of the most powerful Philistine cities. It controlled a significant portion of the lowlands, particularly the area nearest to the events recorded in 2 Samuel 5 and 23. As recorded in 2 Samuel 21:15–22, Gath was home to the sons of Rapha. Although the sons of Rapha were remembered as giants, excavations at the site of Gath (Tell es-Safi) have uncovered an inscription and several stamp seal impressions that refer to the family of Rapha. Based on the style of the impressions, it is evident that the family of Rapha was a highly esteemed family within the city. As laid out by Kleiman, it is plausible that the biblical “sons of Rapha” can be associated with the family of Rapha known from Gath. Whether they were giants or not is another question. Regardless, as Gath held control over much of the area, the name of the valley may well originate with this family.

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Related reading in Bible History Daily

Who Were the Philistines?

The Riddle of the Rephaim

The Destruction of Philistine Gath

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library

World Wonders: The Valley of Elah

Kings Og’s Iron Bed

Gath of the Philistines: A New View of Ancient Israel’s Archenemy