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Lesson 42 Hope of Israel Ministries BIBLE Correspondence Course 13

known of YEHOVAH’s name only through
contact with Israel, and at a time when Israel was
expanding to the Euphrates River toward Mari!
And when was that? -- IN THE DAYS OF
SAUL AND DAVID! (See II Samuel 8:9-10
and I Kings 4:21.)
It has become fashionable for writers to
make uncorroborated statements concerning a
supposed lack of Old Testament evidence in cer-
tain respects. Among these assaults are those
which claim there are no archaeological refer-
ences concerning the Judah Kings of the Royal
House of David (c. 1008-586 B.C.).
Such statements are completely untrue
and, in respect of the House of David, it is worth
citing some archaeological examples contem-
porary with the biblical period in question.
In 1993 a discovery was made at Tel Dan
(at the foot of Mount Hermon) which became the
most significant artifact in the modern State of
Israel. It is now regarded as a national treasure
since it proves, irrespective of the Bible, that the
House of David was an historic reality.
The inscription was created by King The Tel Dan Inscription that mentions the “House
Hazael of Aram-Damascus in about 825 B.C., of David.”
and it relates to his father, Hadad II, being vic-
torious in battle against Jehosaphat (c. 860 Israel and King Jehosaphat of Judah. This battle
B.C.). The most important aspect of the text, is recounted in the Old Testament in II Kings
however, is that it specifically relates to Hadad 3:5-27.
defeating the “foot soldiers, charioteers and Discovered by the German missionary,
horsemen of the King of the House of David”. F.A. Klein, the Moabite Stone caused another
The much prized Tel Dan Inscription battle when the Berlin Museum expressed an
now resides in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. interest in removing it to the West. The Jewish
Another kingly stele boasting of conflict Encyclopedia relates that, on hearing of this,
with the House of David is the Moabite Stone local Arabs heaved it out of the earth, lit fires
from about 860 BC. This 42 by 24 inch black around it and doused it with cold water so that it
basalt monument (107 x 61 cms) was discovered fragmented. Mediation was subsequently con-
in 1868 at Dhiban, 20 miles east of the Dead Sea ducted by the French Consulate in Jerusalem,
(across from En-gedi) and is now housed in The whose conservators restored the artifact, while
Louvre Museum, Paris. As reported in Time offering enough money to purchase the House of
Magazine, December 1995, it is the most exten- David Moabite Stone and placate the inhabitants
sive inscription ever recovered from ancient of Dhiban.
Palestine. Recently, the press and media have been
The Moabite Stone contains 36 lines of discussing another inscribed tablet that was dis-
Phoenician script which relate to the rebellion of covered in the summer of 2000 at Jerusalem’s
King Mesha of Moab against King Jehoram of so-called Temple Mount. The find was made by

Archaeology and the Bible