The Date of the List of Towns that Received the Spoil of Amalek (1 Sam 30:26–31)

Abstract

The paper discusses the structure, distribution and date of the town list in 1 Samuel 30:27–31. It first analyzes the story of 1 Samuel 30 and concludes that it is a unified literary work. It then examines the structure of the town list and the distribution of the toponyms and suggests new identifications for several places (e.g., Bethel = Tel Beersheba; Bor-ashan = Tell Beit Mirsim; Athach = Tell 'Aitūn). In light of the archaeological data of the excavated sites, it is suggested that the list should be dated prior to Sennacherib's campaign against Judah in 701 BCE. Since the story of 1 Samuel 30 is an integral part of the pre-Dtr cycle story of David, the dating of the town list sheds light on the date of the entire cycle.

Keywords:

• DAVID
• AMALEK/AMALEKITES
• TELL 'AITŪN
• TEL BEERSHEBA