Valley of Rephaim
Encyclopedia
Valley of Rephaim
- . A valley descending southwest from Jerusalem
to the Valley of Elah
below, it is an ancient route from the coastal plain to the Judean Hills, probably named after the legendary race of giants.
became king over all Israel
, the Philistines
, judging that he would now become their uncompromising enemy, made a sudden attack upon Hebron
, compelling David to retire from it. He sought refuge in "the hold" at Adullam
, and the Philistines
took up their position in the valley of Rephaim, on the west and south-west of Jerusalem. Thus all communication between Bethlehem
and Jerusalem was intercepted. While David and his army were encamped here, there occurred that incident narrated in . Having obtained divine direction, David led his army against the Philistines, and gained a complete victory over them. The scene of this victory was afterwards called Baal-perazim
.
A second time, however, the Philistines rallied their forces in this valley . Again warned by a divine saying, David led his army to Gibeon, and attacked the Philistines from the south, inflicting on them another severe defeat, and chasing
them with great slaughter to Gezer
(q.v.). There David kept in check these enemies of Israel.
Rephaite
Rephaim is a Northwest Semitic term that occurs in the Hebrew Bible as well as other, non-Jewish ancient texts from the region...
- . A valley descending southwest from Jerusalem
Emek Refaim
Emek Refaim is the main street of the German Colony, a neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel. It takes its name from the biblical Valley of Rephaim which began its descent from Jerusalem here.-Etymology:...
to the Valley of Elah
Valley of Elah
The Valley of Elah, "the valley of the oak or terebinth" , best known as the place described in the Bible where the Israelites were encamped when David fought Goliath . It was near Azekah and Socho...
below, it is an ancient route from the coastal plain to the Judean Hills, probably named after the legendary race of giants.
Biblical story
When DavidDavid
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
became king over all Israel
History of ancient Israel and Judah
Israel and Judah were related Iron Age kingdoms of ancient Palestine. The earliest known reference to the name Israel in archaeological records is in the Merneptah stele, an Egyptian record of c. 1209 BCE. By the 9th century BCE the Kingdom of Israel had emerged as an important local power before...
, the Philistines
Philistines
Philistines , Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age . According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from the Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with...
, judging that he would now become their uncompromising enemy, made a sudden attack upon Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
, compelling David to retire from it. He sought refuge in "the hold" at Adullam
Adullam
Adullam is a region of Israel near the Valley of Elah , west of Gush Etzion. The villages of Aderet, Neve Michael/Roglit, and Aviezer are located here. In the 1950s there were plans to set up Adullam as a formal political/economic region, on the model of Lachish, but the plans were not carried out...
, and the Philistines
Philistines
Philistines , Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age . According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from the Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with...
took up their position in the valley of Rephaim, on the west and south-west of Jerusalem. Thus all communication between Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
and Jerusalem was intercepted. While David and his army were encamped here, there occurred that incident narrated in . Having obtained divine direction, David led his army against the Philistines, and gained a complete victory over them. The scene of this victory was afterwards called Baal-perazim
Baal-perazim
Ba'al-Perazim was a place in ancient Israel.It was the scene of a victory gained by David over the Philistines . It is called Mount Perazim in Isaiah 28:21...
.
A second time, however, the Philistines rallied their forces in this valley . Again warned by a divine saying, David led his army to Gibeon, and attacked the Philistines from the south, inflicting on them another severe defeat, and chasing
them with great slaughter to Gezer
Gezer
Gezer was a Canaanite city-state and biblical town in ancient Israel. Tel Gezer , an archaeological site midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, is now an Israeli national park....
(q.v.). There David kept in check these enemies of Israel.