The Tel Dan Inscription: Indeed We Found the “House of David”!

The “House of David” inscription was found in the early 1990s during excavations led by Prof. Avraham Biran at biblical Tel Dan in northern Israel. In the inscription, attributed to the Aramean King Hazael, the latter boasts that he killed Jehoram, king of Israel and Ahaziah, king of Judah, of the house of David. This is one of the most important and earliest mentions of the house of David and the name of King David in an extra-biblical source.

The Aramean-Israelite-Judahite struggle also appears in 2 Kings 9, where it is Jehu son of Nimshi, who kills King Jehoram and King Ahaziah. The deep involvement of the prophet Elisha in the political events is also mentioned.

In the picture: Above: The “house of David” inscription, which was smashed and only three pieces were found.