BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

David’s First Command Post?

Is Khirbet al-Ra‘i in the Shephelah biblical Ziklag?

Atop the summit of a small ridge in the Judean foothills (Shephelah) several miles southwest of Jerusalem sits an ancient town whose remains are known today as Khirbet al-Ra‘i. The site, which commands expansive views of the Shephelah, the coastal plain to the west, and south toward the northern Negev, was a small but strategic settlement that thrived during the early Iron Age (c. 1200–950 BCE). In their article entitled “Biblical Border Town: Is Khirbet al-Ra‘i Where David First Ruled?” authors Kyle H. Keimer, Gil David, Saar Ganor, and Yosef Garfinkel provide an introduction to the site. They focus on the broad range of archaeological evidence they uncovered during several excavation seasons, which demonstrates a convergence of Canaanite, Philistine, and Israelite cultural influences.

Khirbet al-Ra‘i is positioned at the intersection of two important trade routes, one connecting the coast to the Judean highlands and another coming north from Beersheba. “Anyone controlling the site stood to gain wealth and influence from the lucrative trade moving through the area,” the authors point out. As a consequence, this border town “played a significant role in mediating the Shephelah’s complex cultural and political realities.” In the early Iron Age, with Egypt’s once-powerful imperial presence rapidly receding from the area, new groups such as the Israelites and Philistines vied for social and political dominance with the remaining Canaanite cities and towns in the Shephelah.

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The archaeological team opened up four excavation areas at the site. Interestingly, no fortifications were discovered, leading the team to conclude that even at its peak, “Khirbet al-Ra‘i was simply an enclosed settlement defended by the outer walls of its perimeter houses.” At the town’s highest point, they discovered construction dating to the 13th and 12th centuries BCE that replaced older buildings beneath. During this phase, the town was home to local Canaanites. The most significant architecture discovered here was a rectangular pillared building that appears to have been cultic in nature, as suggested by objects unearthed there such as a bronze “smiting god” figurine and a ceramic cult stand.

Beginning in the mid-12th century BCE, the Philistines began to establish themselves at various coastal and inland sites such as Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Gath. Khirbet al-Ra‘i grew to more than 4 acres in size, and new buildings were constructed at the summit. One building in particular, a square structure with a large rectangular room and three small adjoining rooms, also appears to have served a cultic function—but intriguingly, both Canaanite and Philistine materials were present. Indeed, the pottery reveals a mix of the two cultures’ typical forms: some vessels are Canaanite forms with Philistine decorations, and others are the opposite. Canaanite imagery such as the bull’s head on a krater handle, for instance, was found cheek-by-jowl with a bowl decorated with a Philistine-style painted bird.

Evidence from elsewhere at the site dating to this period is similarly mixed. In one area, for example, the team exposed two typical Canaanite houses, although both feature pillared courtyards, which may reflect Philistine influence. They also discovered several lamp-and-bowl foundation deposits, representative of a common Canaanite practice—but one such deposit included a Philistine bell-shaped bowl.

One particular discovery from this period holds special interest: in a stone-lined silo, a sherd was found with a Proto-Canaanite inscription that reads “Jerubbaal,” a name known from the Bible (Judges 6:32). Of course, it is unlikely that the inscription refers to the biblical figure, but it is an important addition to our knowledge of personal names from this era, and lends true-to-life plausibility to the story recounted in the biblical text.

The discovery of so many blended elements, from small finds to architecture, indicates that Khirbet al-Ra‘i was occupied by a mixture of Canaanites and Philistines throughout much of the early Iron Age. “Indeed,” the authors point out, “this mix of cultural elements matches what is found at other sites from the same period, including Gezer and Beth Shemesh, as the Philistines expanded eastward into the Shephelah.”

But this relatively calm period in the site’s history came to an abrupt close at the end of the 11th century BCE, as the border town was devastated by fires on multiple occasions. Following this period of destruction, in the tenth century much of the site was rebuilt according to a new plan, and there was a noticeable change in pottery styles from the Canaanite and Philistine styles to types better known from the Judean heartland at sites such as Khirbet Qeiyafa, which is generally associated with Judah’s expansion into the Shephelah. This reality marks a major transition at the site and has important “implications for understanding the development of early Israel and Judah, especially during the time of the United Monarchy under Saul and David” around the turn of the tenth century.

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This phase, too, was short-lived, as indicated by another massive destruction layer. Indeed, whether because of the magnitude of the destruction or for some other reason, Khirbet al-Ra‘i lay abandoned until the seventh century BCE, when it was resettled as part of the kingdom of Judah, as indicated by a lmlk jar handle and a Judean shekel weight discovered there. At this time, the town was likely a Judean outpost manned by Greek mercenaries.

As a final note, the authors raise a significant question relating to the historical account detailed in the Hebrew Bible: Is this border town to be identified with biblical Ziklag, a town given to David by the Philistine King Achish of Gath in payment for his service (1 Samuel 27:6)? Over the years, scholars have proposed several locations for Ziklag, but the authors point out how well this site fits the biblical geography and, perhaps, even the biblical description of the destruction of the site at the hands of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 27:8–9; 30:1). Such an identification remains unproven, but the suggestion is tantalizing nonetheless.

Khirbet al-Ra‘i provides uniquely fascinating insights into the convergence of Canaanite, Philistine, and Israelite cultures in the early Iron Age. For more on this site and its historical implications, read the article “Biblical Border Town: Was Khirbet al-Ra‘i Where David First Ruled?” in the Winter 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

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Subscribers: Read the full article, “Biblical Border Town: Was Khirbet al-Ra‘i Where David First Ruled?” by Kyle H. Keimer, Gil Davis, Saar Ganor, and Yosef Garfinkel, in the Winter 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

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Related reading in Bible History Daily

What Is the Shephelah?

What Is the Negev?

Who Were the Philistines, and Where Did They Come From?

Digging into Ancient Ashkelon: The 2015 Season

Who Were the Philistines?

Archaeological Evidence of Gideon the Judge?