Gibeon and Israel : The Role of Gibeon and the Gibeonites in the Political and Religious History of Early Israel

Dr Blenkisopp examines Gibeon, a city of significance in ancient Israel, and the political and religious importance upon it.

The site of the city of Gibeon is now identified with a fair degree of certainty with el-Jîb, a site about eight miles north-west of Jerusalem. Gibeon is mentioned about forty times in the Old Testament, and was clearly a city of some significance, particularly at the time of Saul, David and Solomon. Dr Blenkinsopp examines the evidence, principally contained in the Bible, relating to Gibeon and the Gibeonites, making use of confirmatory evidence provided by excavations at el-Jîb and ancient Near Eastern non-biblical writings. He discusses the ethnic identity of the Gibeonites, the obscure history of the ark before the transfer to Jerusalem, the role of local sanctuaries, the political and religious significance of Saul and the events which are described in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles as taking place in and around Gibeon. Gibeon and Israel is likely to become a standard work of reference on the subject.