Footnote 5 – Is This King David’s Tomb?

According to the Bible, David “was buried in the City of David” (1 Kings 2:10); Solomon “was buried in the city of his father David” (1 Kings 11:43; 2 Chronicles 9:31); and Rehoboam “was buried with his fathers in the City of David” (1 Kings 14:31; 2 Chronicles 12:16). Likewise, Abijam/Abijah (1 Kings 15:8; 2 Chronicles 13:2–3), Asa (1 Kings 15:24; 2 Chronicles 16:14), Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:51; 2 Chronicles 21:1), Joram (2 Kings 8:24; the notice in 2 Chronicles states that, although Joram was buried in the City of David, it “was not in the tomb of the kings”), Ahaziah (2 Kings 9:28), Joash (2 Kings 13:1; as with Joram, although he was buried in the City of David, he “was not buried in the tombs of the kings” 2 Chronicles 24:25), Amaziah (2 Kings 14:20; in 2 Chronicles 25:28 in the Masoretic text, it says “City of Judah” instead of “City of David”; other witnesses have “City of David”; see, e.g., NRSV, REB, NJB), Azariah/Uzziah (2 Kings 15:7; in 2 Chronicles 26:23, it says “in the burial field of the kings”; some translations read beside or in the field adjoining, since Uzziah was a leper), Jotham (2 Kings 15:38; 2 Chronicles 27:9), Ahaz (2 Kings 16:20; cf. 2 Chronicles 28:27: Ahaz “was buried in the city, in Jerusalem; his body was not brought to the tombs of the kings of Israel”). In 2 Chronicles 32:33, Hezekiah is said to have been buried “on the upper part of the tombs of the sons of David.”
The burial of later kings is often noted, but is never located in the City of David.