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Elah Valley....
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The valley gets it name from the Elah tree, a type of oak or terebinth tree. This large and old Elah tree still remains in the valley, reminding visitors of the day when trees proliferated in the Shephelah (1 Kings 10:27).
The Shephelah is a Hebrew world which means
the low land.
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The best view of the valley is from the commanding hilltop of Azekah. This strategic city was wisely fortified by Rehoboam, and it was one of the last cities to fall to the
Babylonians in the invasion of Judah in 586 B.C. The valley below is the location of the battle of
David and Goliath.
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The Brook Elah is famous for the five stones it contributed to the young slinger,
David. Some surmise that David chose five stones instead of the one needed in case he needed to face Goliath's four brothers. |
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Located on the east end of the valley is the site of Adullam. This place proved to be the perfect place for
David to hide in his initial flight from
Saul. As it today rests on the border between pre-'67 Israel and the
West Bank, so in David's day, this site was apparently in "no-man's land" where he could stay safely out of the path of
Saul or the Philistines. 1 Samuel 22 says that
David hid in the "cave of Adullam." Today there are many caves at the site and it's not clear which one or ones David used, as many have been used and modified in the years since. While he was here, 400 men who were in debt, distress or discontent, gathered around
King David.
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