Was David Just an Opportunist in a Rise to Power? Challenging the Story of the Valley of Elah — Part II

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David chops off the head of the giant, Goliath. Stained glass window.

Was David Just an Opportunist in a Rise to Power? Challenging the Story of the Valley of Elah — Part II

The story of David rise to power is very political. The well-known tale of the famous giant-slayer and second king of the Israelites, according to the Hebrew Bible, goes that after an exchange of words, a young David took a stone from his bag, charged towards Goliath, and slung the stone at the giant. “The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.” David quickly ran to the fallen giant, took the huge sword, and cut off Goliath’s head. He then “took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.”

But this is where the whole story gets murky…

[Read Part I Here]

The Unofficial Story

Before proceeding any further, it is important to understand how David rose to prominence. While most accept the traditional story of the Valley of Elah, upon reexamination, many have been reading it the wrong way. In other words, the story is partially backwards.


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