New Light on the House of David Inscription

The House of David inscription – the first extra-biblical evidence for the existence of the Davidic dynasty – was discovered at Tel Dan in 1993. The inscription provides support for the view that David was an actual historical figure and that a united monarchy under Saul, David, and Solomon actually existed. As for the extent of this monarchy, the discussion continues.

The House of David inscription was discovered in 1993 at Tel Dan, an important archaeological site in northern Israel. The inscription was found reused in a later construction, indicating that the original monument on which it was engraved was broken in ancient times. In excavations led by Prof. Avraham Biran, three fragments of the inscription were discovered – the first in 1993 and two additional fragments a year later. Upon the rejoining of the fragments, it became clear that this was an Aramaic victory inscription from the 9th century BCE, in which a king of Aram, presumably Hazael, boasts of his victories over Jehoram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah of the “House of David.”

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who, what, when?

The inscription is written in ancient Aramaic, in the Phoenician script, and its language resembles that of other documents of the 9th century BCE. Despite the monument’s fragmentary state, the phrase “House of David” can be identified in the ninth line, most likely referring to the Davidic dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Judah. The text describes a military campaign, the destruction of cities, and the killing of kings, and aligns with the known conflicts between the Kingdom of Aram-Damascus and the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Analysis of the script and its comparison to that of other Aramaic inscriptions helped scholars reconstruct the missing parts, and linguistic studies have confirmed that the inscription is indeed from the 9th century BCE.   How did the inscription change the state of research on the Kingdom of David and Solomon?   Until the discovery of the inscription, no extra-biblical evidence for the Davidic dynasty was known, and scholars doubted the very existence of a united monarchy under David and Solomon. The discovery of the inscription bearing the words “House of David” provided the necessary confirmation that the dynasty was known outside the Bible after the presumed period of David and Solomon’s reign. From then on, the question of the kingdom’s existence was no longer in doubt, and the focus of research shifted to assessing the size of the kingdom and the extent of its rule. Most scholars agree that the Tel Dan inscription proves that the “House of David” dynasty existed at the latest in the 9th century BCE. Some argue that David was a local ruler of a small kingdom, while others believe that his kingdom was large but not as large as the one described in the Bible.

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Discrepancies Between the Inscription and the Bible

The House of David inscription was discovered in 1993 at Tel Dan, an important archaeological site in northern Israel. The inscription was found reused in a later construction, indicating that the original monument on which it was engraved was broken in ancient times. In excavations led by Prof. Avraham Biran, three fragments of the inscription were discovered – the first in 1993 and two additional fragments a year later. Upon the rejoining of the fragments, it became clear that this was an Aramaic victory inscription from the 9th century BCE, in which a king of Aram, presumably Hazael, boasts of his victories over Jehoram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah of the “House of David.”

Discovery Map

New light on the house of david inscription

A new study is examining the possibility that fragment A and fragment B of the Tel Dan inscription were written by different people. RTI photographs of the fragments do reveal subtle differences in their engraving, but the study has not yet reached a final conclusion. You are invited to examine the images of the fragments yourself – what do you think?

The script

In the 9th century BCE, over 2,800 years ago, the Phoenician – or as it is commonly called “ancient Hebrew” – script was the prevailing script in our region. The House of David inscription is written in Aramaic using this script. In the table before you, the ancient Hebrew letters are displayed. Try to identify letters in the inscription yourself. Which letters can you identify?