Fleshing Out the Bible at Philistine Gath

The ongoing excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath, which is Biblical Gath of the Philistines, home of Achish and Goliath and one of the largest sites in Israel, have yielded a wide variety of rich and—at times surprising—finds. Of much significance are the many finds from the excavations that have a direct and clear connection with the Biblical text. This includes explicit evidence of several events mentioned in the Bible, such as Hazael’s conquest of Gath (2 Kings 12:17/18), the earthquake during the reign of Uzziah (e.g., Amos 1:1) and Hezekiah’s westward expansion (e.g., 2 Kings 18:8), as well as finds that have enabled a new and more new nuanced understanding of various events, customs, and objects mentioned in the Biblical text. All told, the finds from the excavations provide many examples of how the archaeological discoveries from the Iron Age Levant can serve as excellent tools both for a deeper understanding of the Biblical text and can provide a new and hitherto unknown perspective based on the material remains from the times in which the Biblical texts were initially composed. This was part of the New Answers to Old Questions DVD.