• David, City Of
    Aid to Bible Understanding

    • DAVID, CITY OF

      The name given to the “stronghold of Zion” after its capture from the Jebusites. (2 Sam. 5:6-9) This section is understood to be the spur or ridge that runs S from Mount Moriah. It thus lay S of the site of the temple later built by Solomon. Today this narrow southern plateau is considerably lower than Mount Moriah. Josephus claimed that the Maccabees (or Hasmonaeans) removed the crest of the hill in the second century B.C.E. so that it would not appear to rival the height of the temple area. So, it is possible that in ancient times its height may have been more comparable, though still beneath the height of the temple site.

      This site was very suitable for a “stronghold,” since it was protected by deep valleys on three sides, on the W the Tyropean valley, and on the E the Kidron valley, which joins the Valley of Hinnom at the southern end of the spur. (1 Chron. 11:7) The city required major protection only from the N, and here the ridge became even narrower, making an attack extremely difficult. The northern boundary of this “city of David” has not yet been definitely established, though some authorities recommend as likely the above-mentioned narrow place. Over the centuries debris has filled in the valleys to a great extent, making the strategic location and strength of this site less notable. The total area of the ancient city of David is estimated to have been no more than eight or ten acres (3.2 or 4 hectares).

      In the Kidron valley near the foot of the eastern flank of the spur on which the stronghold sat, there is a spring called Gihon. (1 Ki. 1:33) Archaeological excavations indicate that from ancient times a tunnel or shaft was cut through the rock, making access to the spring possible without leaving the city walls. It is suggested that it was by climbing up this shaft that Joab and his men were able to penetrate the stronghold and take it.—2 Sam. 5:8; 1 Chron. 11:5, 6.

      The name “city of David” resulted from David’s making his royal residence there, after ruling for seven and a half years in Hebron. Here, with contributions from Hiram of Tyre, David’s “house of cedars” was built. (2 Sam. 5:5, 9, 11; 7:2) David had the ark of the covenant brought from the house of Obed-edom up to the city of David, his wife, Michal, being able to see the procession approach from a window of David’s house. (2 Sam. 6:10-16; 1 Chron. 15:1, 29) Upon his death, the king was buried in the city, a custom followed with many other monarchs of the Davidic line.—1 Ki. 2:10.

      FROM SOLOMON’S REIGN ONWARD

      Solomon transferred the Ark to the newly constructed temple on the more spacious plateau to the N of the city of David. The expression that they ‘brought up the ark out of the city of David’ shows that the temple area lay on higher ground, Mount Moriah being higher than the southern spur. (1 Ki. 8:1) After his marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter, Solomon had placed her in the city of David. (1 Ki 3:1) But, upon the completion of a new residence closer to the temple area, he removed her from the city of David because it was viewed as holy, the Ark having been stationed there. (1 Ki. 9:24; 2 Chron. 8:11) Solomon did further building work in the city of David, and Hezekiah did repair work there in preparation for Assyrian Sennacherib’s attack. (1 Ki. 11:27; 2 Chron. 32:5) Hezekiah also diverted the waters of the Gihon spring, bringing them over to the W side of the city of David, evidently by means of the rock-cut tunnel that has been discovered connecting that spring with the Pool of Siloam on the SW slope of the spur. (2 Chron. 32:30) His son and successor, Manasseh, built an outer wall along the eastern slope facing the Kidron valley.—2 Chron. 33:14.

      From the above texts it is evident that, although Jerusalem’s area expanded in course of time, the city of David remained a distinct sector. This held true even after the return from Babylonian exile, certain features of the city being mentioned in connection with the work crews doing repairing of the city walls. (Neh. 3:15, 16) The “Stairway of the City of David” apparently led down from the southern extremity of the city. (Neh. 12:37) Excavations here have revealed portions of such a stairway, and a flight of steps roughly cut in the rock still lead down from the hill at this point.

      In the Christian Greek Scriptures the term “David’s city” is applied to Bethlehem, the birthplace of David and of Jesus.—Luke 2:4, 11; John 7:42; see JERUSALEM; OPHEL.

      [Map on page 427]

      CITY OF DAVID

      MT. ZION

      MT. MORIAH

      Temple

      Tyropean Valley

      Kidron Valley

      Valley of Hinnom

      Gihon

  • Day
    Aid to Bible Understanding

    • DAY

      [Hebrew, yohm; Greek, he·meʹra].

      Jehovah God introduced this fundamental division of time when, after the dissolution or removal of the obstructing cause of darkness, he caused the moisture-covered earth to experience its first day and night as it rotated on its axis through the light of the sun. “God brought about a division between the light and the darkness. And God began calling the light Day, but the darkness he called Night.” (Gen. 1:4, 5) Here the word “Day” refers to the daylight hours in contrast with the nighttime. However, the record thereafter goes on to use the word “day” to refer to other units of time of varying length. In both the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures the word “day” is used in a literal and in a figurative or even symbolic sense.

      A solar day, the fundamental unit of time, is established by one complete rotation of the earth on its axis, as front the time the sun leaves a meridian, the highest point it attains at midday, until it returns to it. This solar or civil day is currently divided into two periods of twelve hours each. The forenoon period is indicated by the Latin “ante meridiem” (a.m.) and the afternoon period by the Latin “post meridiem” (p.m.). However, in Bible times various other methods were used for dividing the day.

      The Hebrews began their day in the evening, after sunset, and ended it the next day at sunset. The day, therefore, ran from evening to evening. “From evening to evening you should observe your sabbath.” (Lev. 23:32) This follows the pattern of Jehovah’s creative days, as indicated at Genesis 1:5: “There came to be evening and there came to be morning, a first day.”—Compare Daniel 8:14.

      The Hebrews were not the only ones who reckoned a day from evening to evening; the Phoenicians, Numidians and Athenians also did so. The Babylonians, on the other hand, counted the day from sunrise to sunrise; while the Egyptians and the Romans reckoned it from midnight to midnight (as is commonly done today).

      Although the Hebrews officially began their day in the evening, they sometimes spoke of it as if beginning in the morning. For example, Leviticus 7:15 says: “The flesh of the thanksgiving sacrifice of his communion sacrifices is to be eaten on the day of his offering. He must not save up any of it until morning.” This usage was doubtless simply a matter of convenience of expression, to indicate overnight.

      As mentioned in the creation account, the daylight period is also called “day.” (Gen. 1:5; 8:22) In the Bible it is divided up into natural periods such as the morning twilight or morning darkness, just before the day’s beginning with the rising of the sun or dawning (Ps. 119:147; 1 Sam. 30:17; Job 3:9); thereafter follow the morning (Gen. 24:54), noon or midday (Deut. 28:29; 1 Ki. 18:27; Isa. 16:3; Acts 22:6), and the time of the sunset, marking the day’s close and followed by the evening twilight or evening darkness. (Gen. 15:12; Josh. 8:29; 2 Ki. 7:5, 7) The times for making certain offerings or the burning of incense by the priests were also time periods known to the people.—1 Ki. 18:29, 36; Luke 1:10.

      With reference to the slaying of the Passover lamb on Nisan 14, the Scriptures speak of the “two evenings.” (Ex. 12:6) While Jewish tradition tends to present this as the time from noon (when the sun begins to decline) on until sundown, it appears that the correct meaning is that the first evening corresponds with the setting of the sun, and the second evening with the time when the sun’s reflected light or afterglow ends and darkness falls. (Deut. 16:6; Ps. 104:19, 20) This understanding was also that offered by the Spanish rabbi Aben-Ezra (1092-1167 C.E.), as well as by the Samaritans and the Karaite Jews. It is the view presented by such scholars as Michaelis, Rosenmueller, Gesenius, Maurer, Kalisch, Knobel and Keil.

      There is no indication that the Hebrews used hours in dividing up the day prior to the Babylonian exile. The word “hour” found at Daniel 3:6, 15; 4:19, 33; 5:5 in the Authorized Version is translated from the word sha·ʽahʹ, which, literally, means “a look,” and is more correctly translated a “moment.” The use of hours by the Jews, however, did come into regular practice following the exile. As to the “shadow of the steps” referred to at Isaiah 38:8 and 2 Kings 20:8-11, this may possibly refer to a sundial method of keeping time, whereby shadows were projected by the sun on a series of steps.—See SUNDIAL.

      The early Babylonians used the sexagesimal system based on mathematical scales of twelves and sixties. From this system we get our time division whereby the day is partitioned into 24 hours (as well as into two periods of 12 hours each), and each hour into 60 minutes of 60 seconds each.

      In the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry the practice of dividing the daylight period into hours was common. Thus, at John 11:9 Jesus said: “There are twelve hours of daylight, are there not?” These were generally counted from sunrise to sunset, or from about 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. So, the “third hour” would be about 9 a.m., and it was at this time that the holy spirit was poured out at Pentecost. (Matt. 20:3; Acts 2:15) When Jesus, tired out from a journey, was sitting at Jacob’s fountain it was about the “sixth hour” or noon, which was also the time when Peter became very hungry at Joppa. (John 4:6; Acts 10:9, 10) It was also about noon when darkness fell over all the earth until the “ninth hour,” or about 3 p.m., when Jesus expired on the torture stake. (Matt. 27:45, 46; Luke 23:44, 46) This ninth hour was also called “the hour of prayer.” (Acts 3:1; 10:3, 4, 30) So, the “seventh hour” would be about 1 p.m. and the “eleventh hour” about 5 p.m. (John 4:52; Matt. 20:6-12) The night was also divided into hours at that time.—Acts 23:23; see NIGHT.

      There are times when the Hebrews used ‘day and night’ to mean only a portion of a solar day of twenty-four hours. For example, 1 Kings 12:5, 12 tells of Rehoboam’s asking Jeroboam and the Israelites to “go away for three days” and then return to him. That he did not mean three full twenty-four hour days but, rather, a portion of each of three days is seen by the fact that the people came back to him “on the third day.” At Matthew 12:40 the