A Rose By Any Other Name...
SALEM
I Chronicles 11: 4, 5 - "And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David." The castle of Zion that is mentioned in I Chronicles 11: 5 is none other than the entire city of David itself. By the Late Bronze Age, the Jebusites had constructed a protective wall around the city and they felt secure inside their, 10 acre, strong hold. II Samuel 5: 6, 7 tells the same story about King David's arrival - " And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither. Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David." Notice that, in this telling of the story, the city of David is called the strong hold of Zion.
The purpose of this study is to clarify the terms used in the Bible when it refers to the 10 acre site that is most commonly called the city of David. Here are more examples. II Samuel 5: 9 says, "So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David..." This time the city of David is called the fort. I Chronicles 11: 7 says, "And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David." Here, the city of David is called the castle. Most people, when they think of a castle, picture a single building with flags blowing in the wind at the top of pointed towers. In this case, however, "the castle" refers to the entire (10 acre) site of the city of David. Here is a list of eleven different names that refer to the city of David:
Salem - Genesis 14: 8 and Psalm 76: 2
The Jebusite - Joshua 15: 8
Jerusalem - Joshua 15: 8 and I Chronicles 11: 4
Jebusi - Joshua 18: 16, 28
The Strong Hold of Zion - II Samuel 5: 7
The Fort - II Samuel 5: 9
Jebus - I Chronicles 11: 4
The Castle of Zion - I Chronicles 11: 5
The Castle - I Chronicles 11: 7
Millo - I Chronicles 11: 8 and II Chronicles 32: 5 (Yes, Millo refers to the entire 10 acre site! See our Millo page).
Zion - II Chronicles 5: 2
The purpose of this study is to clarify the terms used in the Bible when it refers to the 10 acre site that is most commonly called the city of David. Here are more examples. II Samuel 5: 9 says, "So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David..." This time the city of David is called the fort. I Chronicles 11: 7 says, "And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David." Here, the city of David is called the castle. Most people, when they think of a castle, picture a single building with flags blowing in the wind at the top of pointed towers. In this case, however, "the castle" refers to the entire (10 acre) site of the city of David. Here is a list of eleven different names that refer to the city of David:
Salem - Genesis 14: 8 and Psalm 76: 2
The Jebusite - Joshua 15: 8
Jerusalem - Joshua 15: 8 and I Chronicles 11: 4
Jebusi - Joshua 18: 16, 28
The Strong Hold of Zion - II Samuel 5: 7
The Fort - II Samuel 5: 9
Jebus - I Chronicles 11: 4
The Castle of Zion - I Chronicles 11: 5
The Castle - I Chronicles 11: 7
Millo - I Chronicles 11: 8 and II Chronicles 32: 5 (Yes, Millo refers to the entire 10 acre site! See our Millo page).
Zion - II Chronicles 5: 2
Millo (The City of David) facing South. Photo by A. Chrysler - 1984