The House of David

One of the most beloved characters in the Bible is King David. Scripture says he was a man after God's own heart, and David’s name is the most frequently mentioned name in the entire Bible. He is revered above all Israelite kings and the Messianic covenant was established through his lineage. Despite his key role in Israel 's history, until recently, some critics questioned his very existence. In our generation two archaeological discoveries now confirm the existence and reign of this great king of Israel :

• Tel Dan Stela. In the summer of 1993, while excavating a site known as Tel Dan (in the Old Testament land of Dan) an impressive royal palace was unearthed. In the ruins archaeologists discovered the remains of a black basalt stela, or stone slab, dated from the ninth century BC. The inscription on the stela refers both to the “House of David” and to the “King of Israel.” That the inscription, in early Aramaic, refers not simply to David but to the House of David, the dynasty of the renowned king, is even more remarkable.[1]

• The Mesha Stela or Moabite Stone.  This monument, dating likely to between 840 and 820 BC, was found 13 miles east of the Dead Sea at Diban in 1868. Since 1875, it has been displayed in the Louvre in Paris . Only during recent research it was (re-)discovered that, like the Tel Dan Stela, the Mesha Stela has similar references to “King of Israel” and “House of David,” again confirming the reign of the Biblical David.[2]