Khirbet al-Ra'i

Khirbet al-Ra'i
(Arabic: The Ruin of the Shepherd)

Excavating the ruins of Khirbet al-Ra'i, located 2-1/2 miles west of Lachish, Yosef Garfinkel (2015-2019) recovered archaeological evidence establishing a clear transition of cultures, from its Philistine beginnings to a large substantial Hebraic settlement during the 10th century B.C.

Khirbet al-Ra'i's location atop a hill provided a strategic defensible location for a city and would sit at the border of Israel and Philistia.

Second only to Khirbet Qeiyafa, a large well preserve pottery assemblage, complete or nearly complete, was recovered adding to the library of ceramic typology of the early 10th century B.C. This preservation resulted from a sudden destruction that occurred during this period.

In consideration of all of the data, Garfinkel and his collaborators believe that they found the biblical city Ziklag, a location that has been under debate for some 150 years. Up until now, no proposed site has matched the geographical location, cultural transition, and time period as described by the Bible.

The Bible records when the Philistine king Achish gave Ziklag to David:

Then David said in his heart, "Now I will be swept away one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should utterly escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand." So David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife. And it was told to Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him. Then David said to Achish, "If now I have found favor in your sight, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?" So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. (1 Sam 27:1-6)

The Bible records when Ziklag was attacked that chronologically corresponds to the archaeological destruction layer found by Garfinkel:

Then it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag and had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire; and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great—they did not put anyone to death—and carried them off and went their way. Then David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. So David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. (1 Sam 30:1-4)

Not only contributing to the growing body of archaeological evidence of a large and powerful Hebraic kingdom, Khirbet al-Ra'i provides evidence of the rise of King David as the Bible described.