Zev Radovan

“House of David” or house of cards? According to excavator Avraham Biran and paleographer Joseph Naveh, the fifth line from the bottom of this basalt stela from Tel Dan includes the phrase “House of David.” In the accompanying article, Philip R. Davies counters that Biran and Naveh have unjustifiably broken a six-letter word in two to arrive at their reading and that they have been too quick to find a Biblical parallel to the events listed on the stone. Saying that King David was about as historical as King Arthur, Davies suggests several alternative readings.