Bible - Book of Joshua

Joshua 7:13

Jos 7, 13: "Arise, sanctify the people. You shall say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for thus says the Lord, God of Israel: An anathema is in the midst of you, O Israel. You will not be able to face your enemies, until you remove the anathema from among you.'"

Second Book of the Maccabees

2 M 6, 13-14 : For it is a sign of great goodness not to tolerate for long those who commit impiety, but to inflict punishment on them without delay. Indeed, with regard to the other nations, the Master waits with great patience, before chastising them, until they have reached the height of their sins.

The Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: "Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: establish the cities of refuge of which I spoke to you through Moses, so that he who has killed unintentionally may find refuge there, and so escape the wrath of the next of kin, the avenger of blood. "Cf. Joshua 20:1-9 and Exodus 21:12-13. See Bible excerpts below.

It goes on to say: "And the elders of the city shall not deliver the innocent into the hands of him who seeks to kill him, but shall receive him and allow him to dwell there, and he shall remain there until the judgment and until the death of the high priest then in office; after which he may return to his city and to his house. "Cf. Joshua 20:1-9 and Num 35:25-28. See below.

In this law, merciful love for one's neighbor is observed and organized. This is the law of the cities of refuge, as well as the law of the Levitical cities.

Cities of refuge: This law, to which the preceding quotation refers (Joshua 20:1-6), concerns the cities of refuge, which served as asylums for manslaughterers. They were thus exempt from the law of vengeance (which Jude will mention in the last lines in EMV 566.8, perhaps referring to Genesis 9:6 and certain passages we recall below). These cities of refuge were six in number, including Hebron (as here) and Kedesh (as in EMV 342.1.2.7.9).

Levitical cities: These were among the 48 Levitical cities, where the Levites lived. See the biblical excerpt below, in the Book of Joshua, chapter 21.

Prescriptions relating to both can be found in Exodus 21:12-13 | Numbers 35 | Deuteronomy 4:41-43 | Deuteronomy 19:1-13 | Joshua 20-21. See Bible excerpts below.

In Jeremiah's letter to the exiles, we read, among other things, the following. Letter from Jeremiah 1:1-72 (sometimes inserted in Baruch 6). The biblical excerpt has been provided below.

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Book of Joshua 20, 1-9 (cities of refuge)

Joshua 20, 1-9: Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying: "Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: 'As I commanded you through Moses, appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, where the murderer who has killed someone by mistake, without knowing it, may flee, and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. The murderer will flee to one of these cities; he will stop at the entrance of the city gate, and expose his case to the elders of that city; they will take him in with them in the city, and give him a home to live with them. If the avenger of blood pursues him, they will not deliver the murderer into his hands, for he has unknowingly killed his neighbor, whom he did not hate before. The murderer will remain in this city until he appears before the assembly to be judged, until the death of the high priest who will be in office in those days. Then the murderer will turn and return to his city and his house, to the city from which he fled."

They consecrated Cedes in Gallilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Cariath-arbe, which is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah. On the other side of Jordan, opposite Jericho to the east, they designated Bosor, in the desert, in the plain, a city of the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, of the tribe of Gad, and Gaulon in Bashan, of the tribe of Manasseh. These were the cities assigned to all the children of Israel and to the stranger who sojourned among them, so that whoever had killed anyone by mistake might take refuge there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, before appearing before the assembly.

Book of Numbers 35, 25-28

Num 35:25-28 : And the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the avenger of blood, and cause him to return to the city of refuge where he fled; and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. If the murderer leaves before that time the territory of the city of refuge where he fled, and the avenger of blood meets him outside the territory of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the murderer, he will not be guilty of murder; for the murderer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest; and, after the death of the high priest, the murderer may return to the land where his possession is.

Book of Exodus 21, 12-13

Ex 21, 12-13 : Whoever strikes a man dead must be put to death. But if he has not laid a snare for him, and God has presented him to his hand, I will appoint a place for him to take refuge in.

Deuteronomy 4, 41-43

Dt 4, 41-43 : Then Moses set apart three cities on the other side of the Jordan, to the east, so that they might serve as a refuge for a murderer who had inadvertently killed his neighbor, without having previously been his enemy, and that by taking refuge in one of these cities he might save his life. These were: Bosor, in the desert, in the plain, for the Reubenites; Ramoth, in Gilead, for the Gadites, and Golan, in Bashan for the Manassites.

Deuteronomy 19, 1-13

Deut 19, 1-13: When Yahweh your God has cut off the nations whose land Yahweh your God is giving you, and you have driven them out and are living in their towns and houses, then you shall separate three towns in the middle of the land Yahweh your God is giving you to possess. You shall repair the roads leading to them, and divide the territory of the land that Yahweh, your God, is giving you as an inheritance into three parts, so that every murderer may flee to these cities. This is the case in which the murderer who takes refuge there will have his life saved: if he has inadvertently killed his neighbor, without having previously been his enemy. For example, a man goes to cut wood in the forest with another man; his hand raises the axe to fell a tree; the iron escapes from the handle, hits his companion and kills him: this man will flee to one of these cities and his life will be saved. Otherwise, the avenger of blood, pursuing the murderer in the ardor of his anger, would reach him, if the path were too long, and deal him a mortal blow; and yet this man would not have deserved death, since he had no previous hatred against the victim. Therefore I command you: Set apart three cities. And if Yahweh, your God, enlarges your borders, as he swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land he promised your fathers to give you, - provided you observe and do all these commandments I command you today, loving Yahweh, your God, and always walking in His ways, - you shall add three more cities to these three, so that innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of the land Yahweh, your God, is giving you for an inheritance, and that there will be no blood on you. But if a man hates his neighbor, and ambushes him and strikes him dead, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his city shall send and seize him, and deliver him into the hands of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Thine eye shall have no pity on him, and thou shalt take away innocent blood from Israel, and thou shalt prosper.

Book of Joshua 21, 1-43 (Levitical cities)

Joshua 21:1-43: The heads of the families of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of the children of Israel, and spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Chanaan, saying, "Yahweh has commanded by Moses that cities be given to us for our habitation, and their suburbs for our livestock." The children of Israel gave the Levites, out of their inheritance, according to Yahweh's command, the following cities and their suburbs.

The lot was cast first for the families of the Caathites; and the sons of Aaron the priest, from among the Levites, obtained by lot thirteen cities from the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Simeon and the tribe of Benjamin; the other sons of Caath obtained by lot ten cities from the families of the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh. The sons of Gerson obtained by lot thirteen cities from the families of the tribe of Issachar, the tribe of Asher, the tribe of Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. The sons of Merari, according to their families, obtained twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the tribe of Zebulun. The children of Israel gave these cities and their suburbs to the Levites by lot, as Yahweh had commanded by Moses.

From the tribe of the sons of Judah and from the tribe of the sons of Simeon, they gave the following cities by name; these were for the sons of Aaron, from among the families of the Caathites, from among the sons of Levi, for the lot was cast for them first. They gave them, in the hill country of Judah, the city of Arbé, father of Enac, which is Hebron, and its suburbs all around. But the countryside around this city and its villages they gave for possession to Caleb son of Jephone. To the sons of Aaron the priest they gave the city of refuge for the murderer, Hebron with its suburbs, and Lebna with its suburbs, Jether with its suburbs, Estemo with its suburbs, Holon with its suburbs, Dabir with its suburbs, Ain with its suburbs, Jeta with its suburbs, Bethsames with its suburbs: nine cities of these two tribes. From the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon with its suburbs, Gibeba with its suburbs, Anathoth with its suburbs, Almon with its suburbs: four towns. Total cities of the priests, sons of Aaron: thirteen cities and their suburbs.

As for the families of the sons of Caath, Levites, and the other sons of Caath, the cities that fell to them by lot were from the tribe of Ephraim. The children of Israel gave them the city of refuge for the murderer, Shechem and its suburbs, in the hill country of Ephraim, as well as Gazer and its suburbs, Cibsaim and its suburbs, Beth-Horon and its suburbs: four cities. From the tribe of Dan: Eltheco with its suburbs, Gabathon with its suburbs, Aijalon with its suburbs, Geth-Remmon with its suburbs: four towns. Of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Thanah with its suburbs, and Geth-Remmon with its suburbs: two towns. Total: ten towns with their suburbs, for the families of the other sons of Caath.

To the sons of Gerson, from among the families of the Levites, they gave, from the half-tribe of Manasseh, the city of refuge for the murderer, Gaulon in Bashan and its suburbs, and Bosra and its suburbs: two cities. From the tribe of Issachar: Cohesion and its suburbs, Dabereth and its suburbs, Jaramoth and its suburbs, En-Gannim and its suburbs: four towns. From the tribe of Asher: Masal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs, Helcath with its suburbs, Rohob with its suburbs: four towns. From the tribe of Naphtali: the city of refuge for the murderer, Cedes in Galilee and its suburbs, as well as Hamoth-Dor and its suburbs, Carthan and its suburbs: three cities. Total cities of the Gersonites, according to their families: thirteen cities and their suburbs. To the families of the sons of Merari, to the rest of the Levites, they gave, of the tribe of Zebulun: Jecnam and its suburbs, Cartha and its suburbs, Damna and its suburbs, Naalol and its suburbs: four cities And of the tribe of Reuben, Bosor and its suburbs, Jassa and its suburbs, Cedemoth and its suburbs, Mephaath and its suburbs: four cities. And from the tribe of Gad: the city of refuge for the murderer, Ramoth in Gilead and its suburbs, as well as Manaim and its suburbs, Heshbon and its suburbs, Jaser and its suburbs: in all four cities. Total of the cities assigned by lot to the sons of Merari, according to their families, forming the rest of the families of the Levites: twelve cities.

Total cities of the Levites in the midst of the possessions of the children of Israel: forty-eight cities and their suburbs. Each of these cities had its suburbs all around; so it was with all these cities. So Yahweh gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their fathers; they took possession of it and settled there. Yahweh gave them rest all around them, as he had sworn to their fathers; none of their enemies could resist them, and Yahweh delivered them all into their hands. Of all the good words that Yahweh had spoken to the house of Israel, not one remained without effect; all were fulfilled.

Jeremiah 1:1-72 (sometimes transposed in Baruch 6:1-72) - On idols

Jer 1, 1-72 | Ba 6, 1-72 : Copy of the letter Jeremiah sent to those who were about to be taken captive to Babylon by the king of the Babylonians, to tell them what God had commanded them to say. Because of the sins you have committed before God, you are to be taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians. So when you get to Babylon, you will stay there for many years and a long time, up to seven generations; and after that I will bring you out in peace. Now you will see in Babylon gods of silver, gold and wood, which are carried on the shoulders and inspire fear in the nations. Take heed, then, that you too do not imitate these foreigners and allow yourselves to be seized by the fear of these gods. When you see crowds of people thronging before and behind them, and paying them homage, say in your heart, "It is you, Master, who must be worshipped." For my angel is with you, and cares for your life.

For the tongue of these gods has been polished by a workman; it is overlaid with gold and silver, but they are only lies, and cannot speak. As for a girl who loves finery, gold has been taken, and crowns have been prepared to place on the heads of these gods. The priests go so far as to steal gold and silver from their gods, and use it for their own purposes; they even give it to the prostitutes in their houses. They adorn them with rich garments, like men, these gods of silver, gold and wood; but these can defend themselves neither from rust nor from worms. When they have been clothed in purple garments, they still have to wipe their faces, because the dust of the house covers them with a thick layer. Here's one holding a scepter, like a provincial governor: he won't kill anyone who offends him. This other carries a sword or an axe in his hand, but he cannot defend himself against the enemy or thieves. It is clear that these are not gods, so do not fear them.

As a man's vessel, when broken, becomes useless: so are their gods. If you place them in a house, their eyes fill with the dust of the feet of those who enter. Just as prison doors are carefully closed on a man who has offended the king, or on a man about to be led to his death, so the priests defend the dwelling of their gods with strong doors, with locks and bolts, lest they be robbed by thieves. They light lamps, and even more of them than for themselves, and these gods can see none. They are like one of the beams of the house, and it is said that their hearts are eaten away by the vermin that comes out of the ground, and devours them and their clothes, without their feeling it. Their faces turn black with the smoke that rises from the house. On their bodies and heads flutter the owls, swallows and other birds; and similarly frolic the cats themselves. By this you will know that they are not gods, so do not fear them.

The gold with which they are covered to embellish them, if someone does not remove the rust, they will not make it shine; for they did not even feel anything when they were melted down. These idols were bought at the highest price, and there is no breath of life in them. Having no feet, they are carried on shoulders, showing men their shameful impotence. May those who serve them be confused with them! If they fall to the ground, they won't get up of their own accord; and if someone puts them upright, they won't set themselves in motion; and if they lean, they won't straighten. It is as if offerings were placed before the dead. The priests sell the victims offered to them and make a profit from them; their wives salt them and give nothing to the poor or infirm. Women in childbirth or in an impure state touch their sacrifices. Knowing therefore from these things that they are not gods, do not fear them.

And why call them gods? For it is women who come to bring their offerings to these gods of silver, gold and wood. And in their temples the priests sit, their tunics torn, their heads and faces shaven, and their heads uncovered. They roar and shout before their gods, as if at a funeral feast. Their priests strip them of their garments, and they clothe their wives and children in them. Whether harm or good is done to them, they can give neither back; they are unable to establish a king or overthrow him. Nor can they give wealth, or even a coin. If someone, having made a vow to them, does not fulfill it, they do not claim. They will not save a man from death, nor snatch the weak from the hand of the powerful. They will not restore sight to the blind, nor deliver the distressed. They will not have pity on the widow, nor do good to the orphan. These idols of wood, overlaid with gold and silver, are like rocks cut out of the mountain, and those who serve them will be put to shame. How can we believe or say that they are gods?

The Chaldeans themselves dishonor them, when, seeing a man who cannot speak, they present him to Bel asking that the mute speak, as if the god could hear anything. And though they realize it, they cannot abandon these idols; for they have no feeling. The women, surrounded by a rope, go and sit on the paths, burning coarse flour; and, when one of them, drawn by some passer-by, has slept with him, she reproaches her neighbor for not having been deemed worthy of the same honor, and for not having seen her rush braid broken. Everything that is said about idols is a lie. How then can we believe or say that they are gods?

They have been fashioned by craftsmen and goldsmiths; they cannot be otherwise than the workers want them to be. And the workers who fashioned them don't have long to live: how then could their works be of long duration? They have left nothing but lies and disgrace to posterity. Whether war comes, or some other calamity, the priests deliberate among themselves as to where they will hide with their gods: how then is it not understood that these are not gods, who cannot save themselves from war or some other calamity?

These idols of wood, overlaid with gold and silver, will later be recognized as lies; for all nations and kings it will be obvious that they are not gods, but works of men's hands, and that there is no divine work in them. To whom, then, would it not be obvious that they are not gods?

They will never establish a king over a land, nor give rain to men. They will not know how to judge their own affairs, nor will they protect against injustice, since they can do nothing, like crows that stand between heaven and your earth. And when the fire falls on the house of these wooden gods, overlaid with gold and silver, their priests will flee and be saved; but they will be consumed like beams in the midst of the flames. They will resist neither a king nor an enemy army. How can we admit or think that they are gods?

They will not escape thieves and robbers, these gods of wood, covered in silver and gold. Men more powerful than them will take away the silver and gold, and walk away with the rich clothes with which they've been covered, and these gods won't be able to help themselves. So it is better to be a king displaying his strength, or a useful vessel in the house, which the master uses, than to be these false gods; or a door to a house, guarding what is there, than to be these false gods; or a wooden pillar in a king's house, than to be these false gods. The sun, the light and the stars, which are bright and sent for the benefit of men, obey God. Likewise the lightning, when it appears, is beautiful to behold; the wind also blows over all the land; and the clouds, when God commands them to cover the whole earth, carry out what they are ordered to do. Fire too, when sent from on high to consume the mountains and forests, does as it is commanded. But idols are not comparable, either in beauty or in power, to all these things. We must therefore neither think nor say that they are gods, since they can neither discern what is right, nor do good to men. Knowing therefore that they are not gods, do not fear them.

They cannot curse or bless kings. They don't show the nations signs in the sky; they don't shine like the sun, they don't shine like the moon. Beasts are better than them, since they can flee to find shelter and be useful to themselves. So in no way is it obvious to us that they are gods; so don't fear them.

Just as a scarecrow in a field of cucumbers protects from nothing, so it is with their wooden gods, covered in gold and silver. Just like a thorn bush in a garden, on which all the birds land, or a dead man thrown into a dark place, so are their wooden gods, overlaid with gold and silver. The very purple and scarlet that spoil on them make it clear that they are no gods. They themselves will eventually be devoured and become a disgrace in the land. Better is the righteous man who has no idols; he will not have to fear confusion.

Come closer: there (to the north) lies Gerimot. Do you remember Joshua? This is the site of the defeat of the kings who sought to attack the camp of Israel, which was strengthened by its alliance with the Gibeonites. Gerimot, Jarmout, Yarmouth: The description provided is perfectly consistent with recent archaeological discoveries, which have uncovered traces of fortifications at Khirbit el Yarmuk, 27 km west-southwest of Jerusalem, and less than two kilometers from Beth Shemesh. However, in Maria Valtorta’s time, the supposed location was indicated further east—Jean-François Lavère,*Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel According to Maria Valtorta* and*The Valtorta Enigma*, Volume 1, page101.     

This is the site of the defeat of the kings who sought to attack the camp of Israel, which was strengthened by its alliance with the Gibeonites ( Joshua 10:1–14): Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, learned that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction, that he had treated Ai and its king as he had treated Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon, having made peace with Israel, were living among them. He was then greatly afraid; for Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, even larger than Ai, and all its men were valiant. Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, sent word to Oham, king of Hebron; to Pharam, king of Jerimoth; to Japhia, king of Lachish; and to Dabir, king of Eglon: “Come up to me and help me, so that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.” ” So the five kings of the Amorites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jerimoth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon—gathered together and marched up with all their armies; they set up camp near Gibeon and laid siege to it. The people of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal: “Do not withhold your help from your servants; hurry to come up to us, rescue us, and come to our aid; for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country have joined forces against us.” ” So Joshua set out from Gilgal, he and all the warriors with him, and all the valiant men of war. The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands, and not one of them will stand against you.” Joshua came upon them suddenly; having marched all night from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into confusion before Israel; Israel inflicted a great defeat on them near Gibeon, pursued them along the road leading up to Beth-horon, and defeated them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel down the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord rained large stones down on them from the sky as far as Azekah, and they died; more died from the hailstones than were killed by the sword of the Israelites. Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day the Lord delivered the Amorites into the hands of the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!” And the sun stood still, and the moon stood still, until the nation had avenged itself on its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of the Righteous? And the sun stood still in the midst of the sky and did not hasten to set for nearly a whole day. There has never been a day like that, either before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord was fighting for Israel.  

And nearby was Beth-Shemesh, the priestly city of Judah, where the Philistines returned the Ark along with the offering of gold—which the soothsayers and priests had required of the people to be delivered from the plagues that were tormenting the guilty Philistines. 1 Samuel 6:1–15: The Ark of Yahweh remained in the land of the Philistines for seven months. Then the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners and said to them, “What shall we do with the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how we are to send it back to its place.” ” They replied, “If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it back empty, but be sure to offer a guilt offering to him; then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.” The Philistines asked, “What kind of restitution shall we make to him?” They replied, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, for the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. So make models of your tumors and models of the mice that are ravaging the land, and thus give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps he will cease to lay his hand so heavily upon you, upon your gods, and upon your land. Why would you harden your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened theirs? Did they not let the children of Israel go after he had brought his punishments upon them? Now, then, make a new cart and take two nursing cows that have never been yoked; harness the cows to the cart, and take their calves away from them into the stall. Take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart; then, having placed the gold objects you have given as a restitution offering in a chest beside it, send it on its way, and it will go. Watch it closely: if it goes up the road toward its border, to Beth-Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster upon us; but if not, we will know that it was not his hand that struck us, and that this has happened to us by chance.”

So the people did as they were told; they took two nursing cows, harnessed them to a cart, and shut their calves in the stall. They placed the ark of Yahweh on the cart, along with the box containing the golden mice and the models of their tumors. The cows went straight toward Beth-Shemesh; they kept following the same path, walking and lowing, without turning to the right or to the left. The princes of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-Shemesh. The people of Beth-Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. Looking up, they saw the ark and rejoiced at the sight of it. The cart came to the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite and stopped there. There was a large stone there. They split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites, after bringing down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was beside it, containing the gold objects, placed everything on the large stone. The people of Beth-Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord on that day.

And there, over there, is Tsorea, bathed in sunlight, the homeland of Samson. Seraa , Sar’a, Tsor’ah, Tsorea, Tsorea, Soréa. SeeJudges 13:2: “There was a man from Saraa, of the clan of Dan, named Manoah; his wife was barren and had never given birth.”

And, a little further east, Timna, where he married and where he performed so many feats, but also committed many follies.  Timnata, Timnatha, Timna. According to Maria Valtorta, Timnatah would thus be located a little east of Saara, which is entirely consistent with the biblical context of Judges 13,1–6 | Judges 14:1–5 | Joshua 15:10–57 | Joshua 19:43 | 2 Chronicles 28:18. This would suggest locating it about twenty kilometers west of Bethlehem. (Jean-François Lavère,Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel According to Maria Valtorta).        

Where he married and where he performed so many feats, but also committed many follies Judges 14:1–20: Samson went down to Timnah, and there he saw a woman among the daughters of the Philistines. When he returned, he told his father and mother, saying, “I saw a woman in Timnah among the daughters of the Philistines; now get her for me as my wife.” His father and mother said to him: “Is there no woman among your brothers’ daughters or among all our people that you must go and take a wife from the Philistines, who are uncircumcised?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me.” ” His father and mother did not know that this was from the Lord; for He was seeking a cause for conflict with the Philistines. — At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When they arrived at the vineyards of Timnah, behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of Yahweh came upon Samson; and, with nothing in his hand, Samson tore the lion apart as one would tear apart a young goat. And he did not tell his father and mother what he had done.

He went down and spoke to the woman, and she pleased him. Some time later, having returned to Timnah to take her as his wife, he took a detour to look at the lion’s carcass, and there he found a swarm of bees and honey inside the lion’s body. He scooped some up in his hands and ate it as he went along; and when he came near his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass. Samson’s father went down to the woman’s house; and there Samson held a feast, as was the custom among young men. As soon as they saw him, they invited thirty companions to be with him.

Samson said to them, “I’m going to give you a riddle. If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and if you can guess it, I will give you thirty tunics and thirty sets of clothes; but if you cannot explain it to me, then you must give me thirty tunics and thirty sets of clothes.” ” They said to him, “Tell us your riddle, so that we may hear it.” He said to them, “Out of the eater came something to be eaten; out of the strong came the sweet.” For three days, they could not solve the riddle. On the seventh day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us; otherwise, we will burn you and your father’s house. Surely you invited us here just to rob us?” ” Samson’s wife wept beside him and said, “You have nothing but hatred for me, and you do not love me. You have set a riddle before the sons of my people, and you haven’t explained it to me!” He replied to her, “I haven’t explained it to my father or my mother—why should I explain it to you?” She wept before him like this throughout the seven days of the feast; on the seventh day, as she was tormenting him, he explained the riddle to her, and she explained it to the people of her town. The townspeople said to Samson on the seventh day, before sunset: “What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have guessed my riddle.”

The Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon. There he killed thirty men; taking their spoils, he gave the spare clothes to those who had solved the riddle. Then, burning with anger, he went up to his father’s house. Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions, whom he had chosen as a friend.

And there were Azekah and Soko, which were Philistine camps at that time. 1 Samuel 17:1: The Philistines, having gathered their armies to wage war, assembled at Soco, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Soco and Azeka, at Ephes-Dommim.

Further down, here is Zanoah, one of the cities of Judea. Szanoé, Zanuah, Zanoah, Zano’akh. Mentioned inJoshua 15:56: “Jezreel, Jucadam, Zanoé.”  

And here—turn around—is the Valley of the Terebinth where David defeated Goliath. See 1 Samuel 17:2–54: Saul and the men of Israel also gathered and camped in the Valley of the Terebinth; and they drew up in battle formation opposite the Philistines. The Philistines were stationed on the mountain on one side, and Israel was stationed on the mountain on the other side; the valley lay between them. Then a champion came out from the Philistine camp; his name was Goliath; he was from Gath, and his height was six cubits and a span. A bronze helmet covered his head, and he wore a scale coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He wore bronze shoes on his feet and carried a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the tip of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-bearer walked ahead of him. Goliath stopped and, addressing the battalions of Israel, shouted to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man to come down against me. If he prevails against me in battle and kills me, we will be subject to you; but if I prevail against him and kill him, you will be subject to us and serve us.”

The Philistine added, “Today I challenge the army of Israel: Give me a man, and we will fight each other. ” When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they were terrified and filled with great fear. Now David was the son of a man from Bethlehem in Judah named Jesse, an Ephrathite, who had eight sons; this man was old and advanced in years during the time of Saul. The three eldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul into battle; and the names of these three sons who had gone to war were Eliab, the eldest, Abinadab, the second, and Shammah, the third. David was the youngest. The three older sons were with Saul, and David would go back and forth from Saul’s camp to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem. The Philistine came forward morning and evening, and he appeared for forty days. Jesse said to David, his son, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers, and run to the camp to your brothers. And these ten cheeses, take them to the commander of their thousand. Go and see how your brothers are doing, and bring back a token from them. Saul and they, along with all the men of Israel, are in the Valley of Terebinth, fighting against the Philistines.”

David rose early in the morning and, leaving the sheep with a shepherd, took the provisions and set out, just as Jesse had commanded him. When he arrived at the camp, the army was marching out of the camp to form battle lines, and war cries were being shouted. The Israelites and the Philistines lined up in formation, unit against unit. David handed his baggage over to the baggage keeper and ran toward the troops. As soon as he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. While he was talking with them, the champion—his name was Goliath, the Philistine from Gath—stepped forward from the Philistine ranks, uttering the same taunts, and David heard him. When they saw this man, all the men of Israel retreated before him, overcome with great fear. An Israelite said, “Do you see that man coming forward? He is coming forward to defy Israel. Whoever kills him, the king will shower him with great riches, give him his daughter, and free his father’s household from all taxes in Israel.” ” David said to the men standing near him, “What will be done for the one who kills this Philistine and removes the disgrace from Israel? Who is this Philistine, this uncircumcised man, that he should insult the armies of the living God? ” The people repeated the same words to him, saying, “That is what will be done for the one who kills him.” Eliab, his older brother, heard him speaking to the men, and Eliab’s anger flared up against David, and he said: “Why have you come down here, and with whom have you left this small flock in the wilderness? I know your pride and the wickedness of your heart; you have come down just to watch the battle.”

David replied, “What have I done now? Wasn’t that just a figure of speech?” ” Then, turning away from him to speak to another, he spoke the same words; and the people answered him as they had the first time. When the words David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, who sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail! Your servant will go and fight this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “You cannot go against this Philistine to fight him, for you are but a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” ” David said to Saul, “When your servant was tending his father’s sheep, and a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I would go after it, strike it, and snatch the sheep from its mouth; if it turned against me, I would seize it by the jaw, strike it, and kill it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, and it will be the same with this Philistine, this uncircumcised man—for he has defied the armies of the living God. ” David added, “The Lord, who has delivered me from the lion and the bear, will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!”

Saul had David put on his clothes, placed a bronze helmet on his head, and clad him in a coat of mail; then David girded Saul’s sword over his armor, and he tried to walk, for he had never worn armor before. David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these weapons; I am not used to them.” So David took them off, picked up his staff, selected five smooth stones from the stream, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, his quiver. Then, with his sling in hand, he advanced toward the Philistine. The Philistine drew closer to David little by little, preceded by the man carrying the shield. The Philistine looked, saw David, and despised him, for he was very young, fair-haired, and handsome. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with a staff?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.” ” David replied to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword, spear, and javelin; but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will deliver you into my hands; I will strike you down and cut off your head; today I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth; and the whole earth will know that Israel has a God; and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle belongs to the Lord, and He has delivered you into our hands.”

The Philistine rose, set out, and advanced toward David, and David hurried to run toward the front of the army to meet the Philistine. David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it with his sling; he struck the Philistine on the forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. Thus David, with a sling and a stone, prevailed over the Philistine; he struck the Philistine dead. And there was no sword in David’s hand. David ran over, stopped beside the Philistine, and, seizing his sword and drawing it from its sheath, killed him and cut off his head with it. Seeing their hero dead, the Philistines fled. Then the men of Israel and Judah rose up, shouting, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance to Gath and to the gates of Ekron. The corpses of the Philistines lay strewn along the road from Saraim to Gath and to Ekron. When the Israelites returned from pursuing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. David took the Philistine’s head and had it brought to Jerusalem, and he placed the Philistine’s weapons in his tent.

That is Maqqeda, where Joshua defeated the Amorites. Maqeda, Makkedah, Maqqeda. SeeJoshua 10:10–41|Joshua 15:41.  Joshua 10:10–41: And the Lord threw them into confusion before Israel; Israel inflicted a great defeat on them near Gibeon, pursued them along the road leading up to Beth-horon, and defeated them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel down the slope of Beth-horon, the LORD rained large stones from the sky upon them as far as Azekah, and they died; more died from the hailstones than were killed by the sword of the Israelites. Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day the Lord delivered the Amorites into the hands of the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!” And the sun stood still, and the moon stood still, until the nation had avenged itself on its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of the Righteous? And the sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to set for nearly a whole day. There has never been a day like that, either before or since, when the Lord obeyed the voice of a man; for the Lord was fighting for Israel.   

Joshua, and all Israel with him, marched from Lebna to Lachish; he set up camp before it and attacked it. And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hands of Israel, who captured it on the second day and struck it down with the edge of the sword, along with all the living creatures within it, just as he had done to Lebna. — Then Horam, king of Gezer, went up to help Lachish; but Joshua defeated him and his people, leaving no one to escape. Joshua and all Israel with him moved from Lachish to Eglon; they set up camp before it and attacked it. They captured it that same day and put it to the sword; Joshua devoted every living thing in it to destruction that day, just as he had done to Lachish.

Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they attacked it. After capturing it, they struck it down with the edge of the sword—the city, its king, all its surrounding towns, and every living thing in it—leaving no one to escape, just as Joshua had done to Eglon; and he devoted it to destruction, along with every living thing in it. Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned toward Debir and attacked it. They captured it, along with its king and all its surrounding towns; and they struck them down with the edge of the sword, and they utterly destroyed every living thing in it, sparing no one. Joshua dealt with Debir and its king just as he had dealt with Hebron and just as he had dealt with Libnah and its king. Joshua conquered the entire land—the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, and the foothills—along with all their kings, sparing no one and devoting everything that breathed to destruction, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua defeated them from Kadesh-Barnea to Gaza, and throughout the land of Goshen as far as Gibeon.

Joshua 15:41: Gideroth , Beth-Dagon, Naama, and Makkedah—sixteen cities and their villages.

Turn around again. Do you see that solitary mountain in the middle of the plain that once belonged to the Philistines? There lies Gath, the homeland of Goliath and the place where David took refuge with Achish to escape Saul’s mad rage. Get , Gath, Tel es-Safieh. Mentioned several times in the Bible (including 1 Samuel 17:4). The site was identified in 1887, but it was not until 2001 that excavations confirmed earlier hypotheses. Maria Valtorta’s description is all the more remarkable for this (Jean-François Lavère,Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel According to Maria Valtorta).         

There lies Gath, the homeland of Goliath and the place where David sought refuge with Achish to escape Saul’s mad rage. See 1 Samuel 27:1–4: David said to himself: “One day I will perish at the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than to take refuge quickly in the land of the Philistines, so that Saul may give up searching for me throughout the territory of Israel; thus I will escape from his hand.” ” So David set out, along with the six hundred men who were with him, and they went to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Gath. David stayed with Achish in Gath, along with his men—each with his family—and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the wife of Nabal. It was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, and he did not pursue him any further.    

This open landscape is the plains of the very fertile land of the Philistines. We will travel that way to Ramlé. Ramlé , Ramla, Ramleh. Historians identify Ramlé as the only city in Palestine founded by the Arabs, built around 705–715 by Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik. The fact that the name is “mentioned by Jesus” seems to indicate that it existed well before the^8thcentury (Jean-François Lavère,*Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel* based on Maria Valtorta).          

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Book of Joshua 10:1–51 (Gerimoth | Megiddo)

Joshua 10:1–51: Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction, that he had treated Ai and its king as he had treated Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon, having made peace with Israel, were living among them. He was then greatly afraid; for Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, even larger than Ai, and all its men were valiant warriors. Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, sent word to Oham, king of Hebron; to Pharam, king of Jerimoth; to Japhia, king of Lachish; and to Dabir, king of Eglon: “Come up to me and help me, so that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.” ” So the five kings of the Amorites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jerimoth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon—gathered together and went up with all their armies; they set up camp near Gibeon and laid siege to it. The people of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal: “Do not withhold your help from your servants; hurry to come up to us, rescue us, and come to our aid; for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country have joined forces against us.” ” So Joshua set out from Gilgal, he and all the warriors with him, and all the valiant men of war. The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands, and not one of them will stand against you.” Joshua came upon them suddenly; having marched all night from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into confusion before Israel; Israel inflicted a great defeat on them near Gibeon, pursued them along the road leading up to Beth-horon, and defeated them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel down the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord rained large stones down on them from the sky as far as Azekah, and they died; more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the sword of the Israelites. Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day the Lord delivered the Amorites into the hands of the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!” And the sun stood still, and the moon stood still, until the nation had avenged itself on its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of the Righteous? And the sun stood still in the middle of the sky and was not in a hurry to set for nearly a whole day. There has never been a day like that, either before or since, when the Lord obeyed the voice of a man; for the Lord was fighting for Israel.

Joshua, and all Israel with him, marched from Lebna to Lachish; he set up camp before it and attacked it. And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hands of Israel, who captured it on the second day and struck it down with the edge of the sword, along with every living thing in it, just as he had done to Lebnah. — Then Horam, king of Gezer, went up to help Lachish; but Joshua defeated him and his people, leaving no one to escape. Joshua and all Israel with him moved from Lachish to Eglon; they set up camp before it and attacked it. They captured it that very day and put it to the sword; Joshua devoted every living thing in it to destruction that day, just as he had done to Lachish.

Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they attacked it. After capturing it, they struck it down with the edge of the sword—the city, its king, all its surrounding towns, and every living thing in it—leaving no one to escape, just as Joshua had done to Eglon; and he devoted it to destruction, along with every living thing in it. Joshua and all Israel with him then turned toward Debir and attacked it. They captured it, along with its king and all its surrounding towns; and they struck them down with the edge of the sword, and they utterly destroyed every living thing in it, leaving no one to escape. Joshua dealt with Debir and its king just as he had dealt with Hebron and just as he had dealt with Libnah and its king. Joshua conquered the entire land—the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, and the foothills—along with all their kings, sparing no one and devoting everything that breathed to destruction, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua defeated them from Kadesh-Barnea to Gaza, and throughout the land of Goshen as far as Gibeon.

Book of Joshua 15:41 (Macedah)

Joshua 15:41: Gideroth, Beth-Dagon, Naama, and Maceda: sixteen cities and their villages.

Book of Joshua 15:56 (Zanuah)

Joshua 15:56: “ Jezreel, Jukadam, Zanoah”

1 Samuel 6:1–15 (Beth-Shemesh—The Ark Returned by the Philistines)

1 Sam 6:1–15: The ark of the Lord remained in the land of the Philistines for seven months. Then the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners and said to them, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we are to send it back to its place.” ” They replied, “If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it back empty, but be sure to offer a guilt offering to him; then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.” The Philistines asked, “What kind of restitution shall we make to him?” They replied, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, for the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. So make models of your tumors and models of the mice that are ravaging the land, and thus give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps he will cease to lay his hand so heavily upon you, your gods, and your land. Why would you harden your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened theirs? Did they not, after he had brought his punishments upon them, let the children of Israel go? Now, then, make a new cart and take two nursing cows that have never been yoked; harness the cows to the cart, and take their calves away from them into the stall. Take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart; then, having placed the gold objects you have given as a restitution offering in a chest beside it, send it on its way, and it will go. Watch it closely: if it goes up the road toward its border, to Beth-Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster upon us; but if not, we will know that it was not his hand that struck us, and that this has happened to us by chance.”

So the people did as they were told; they took two nursing cows, harnessed them to a cart, and shut their calves in the stall. They placed the ark of Yahweh on the cart, along with the box containing the golden mice and the models of their tumors. The cows went straight toward Beth-Shemesh; they kept following the same path, walking and lowing, without turning to the right or to the left. The princes of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-Shemesh. The people of Beth-Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. Looking up, they saw the ark and rejoiced at the sight of it. The cart came to the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite and stopped there. There was a large stone there. They split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. The Levites, after bringing down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was beside it, containing the gold objects, placed everything on the large stone. The people of Beth-Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord on that day.

1 Samuel 17:1–54 (Gath | Socoh | Azekah | Valley of Tiberin | David and Goliath)

1 Sam 17:1: The Philistines gathered their armies to go to war and assembled at Socoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Socoh and Azekah, at Ephes-Dommim.

1 Sam 17:2–54: Saul and the men of Israel also gathered and encamped in the Valley of Terebinth; they drew up in battle formation opposite the Philistines. The Philistines were stationed on one side of the mountain, and Israel was stationed on the other side; the valley lay between them. Then a champion came out from the Philistine camp; his name was Goliath; he was from Gath, and his height was six cubits and a span. A bronze helmet covered his head, and he wore a scale armor; the weight of the armor was five thousand shekels of bronze. He wore bronze shoes on his feet and carried a bronze javelin between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the tip of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-bearer walked ahead of him. Goliath stopped and, addressing the battalions of Israel, shouted to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man to come down against me. If he prevails against me in battle and kills me, we will be subject to you; but if I prevail against him and kill him, you will be subject to us and serve us.”

The Philistine added, “Today I challenge the army of Israel: Give me a man, and we will fight each other. ” When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they were terrified and filled with great fear. Now David was the son of a man from Bethlehem in Judah named Jesse, an Ephrathite, who had eight sons; this man was old and advanced in years during the time of Saul. The three eldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul into battle; and the names of these three sons who had gone to war were Eliab, the eldest; Abinadab, the second; and Shammah, the third. David was the youngest. The three older sons were with Saul, and David would go back and forth from Saul’s camp to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem. The Philistine came forward morning and evening, and he appeared for forty days. Jesse said to David, his son, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers, and run to the camp to your brothers. And these ten cheeses—take them to the commander of their thousand. Go and see how your brothers are doing, and bring back a token from them. Saul and they, along with all the men of Israel, are in the Valley of Terebinth, fighting against the Philistines.”

David got up early in the morning and, leaving the sheep with a shepherd, took the provisions and set out, just as Jesse had commanded him. When he arrived at the camp, the army was marching out of the camp to form battle lines, and war cries were being shouted. The Israelites and the Philistines lined up in formation, unit against unit. David handed his baggage over to the baggage keeper and ran toward the troops. As soon as he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. While he was talking with them, the champion—his name was Goliath, the Philistine from Gath—stepped forward from the Philistine ranks, uttering the same taunts, and David heard him. When they saw this man, all the men of Israel retreated before him, overcome with great fear. An Israelite said, “Do you see that man coming forward? He is coming forward to defy Israel. Whoever kills him, the king will shower him with great riches, give him his daughter, and free his father’s household from all taxes in Israel.” ” David said to the men standing near him, “What will be done for the one who kills this Philistine and removes the disgrace from Israel? Who is this Philistine, this uncircumcised man, to insult the armies of the living God? ” The people repeated the same words to him, saying, “That is what will be done for the one who kills him.” Eliab, his older brother, heard him speaking to the men, and Eliab’s anger flared up against David, and he said: “Why have you come down here, and with whom have you left this small flock in the wilderness? I know your pride and the wickedness of your heart; you have come down just to watch the battle.”

David replied, “What have I done now? Wasn’t that just a figure of speech?” ” Then, turning away from him to speak to another, he spoke the same words; and the people answered him as they had the first time. When the words David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, who sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail! Your servant will go and fight this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “You cannot go against this Philistine to fight him, for you are a child, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” ” David said to Saul, “When your servant was tending his father’s sheep, and a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I would go after it, strike it, and snatch the sheep from its mouth; if it turned against me, I would seize it by the jaw, strike it, and kill it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, and it will be the same with this Philistine, this uncircumcised man—for he has defied the armies of the living God. ” David added, “The Lord, who has delivered me from the lion and the bear, will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!”

Saul had David put on his clothes, placed a bronze helmet on his head, and clad him in a coat of mail; then David girded Saul’s sword over his armor, and he tried to walk, for he had never worn armor before. David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these weapons; I am not used to them.” So David took them off, picked up his staff, selected five smooth stones from the stream, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, his quiver. Then, with his sling in hand, he advanced toward the Philistine. The Philistine drew closer to David little by little, preceded by the man carrying the shield. The Philistine looked, saw David, and despised him, for he was very young, fair-haired, and handsome. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with a stick?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.” ” David replied to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword, spear, and javelin; but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will deliver you into my hands; I will strike you down and cut off your head; today I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth; and the whole earth will know that Israel has a God; and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle belongs to the Lord, and He has delivered you into our hands.”

The Philistine rose, set out, and advanced toward David, and David hurried to run toward the front of the army to meet the Philistine. David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it with his sling; he struck the Philistine on the forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. Thus David, with a sling and a stone, prevailed over the Philistine; he struck the Philistine dead. And there was no sword in David’s hand. David ran over, stopped beside the Philistine, and, seizing his sword and drawing it from its sheath, killed him and cut off his head with it. Seeing their hero dead, the Philistines fled. Then the men of Israel and Judah rose up, shouting, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance to Gath and to the gates of Ekron. The corpses of the Philistines littered the road from Saraim to Gath and to Ekron. When they returned from pursuing the Philistines, the Israelites plundered their camp. David took the Philistine’s head and had it brought to Jerusalem, and he placed the Philistine’s weapons in his tent.

1 Samuel 27:1–4 (Gath | David, Achish, Saul)

1 Sam. 27:1–4: David said to himself: “One day I will perish at the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than to flee quickly to the land of the Philistines, so that Saul will give up searching for me throughout the territory of Israel; thus I will escape his hand.” ” So David set out, along with the six hundred men who were with him, and they went to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Gath. David stayed with Achish in Gath, along with his men—each with his family—and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the wife of Nabal. It was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, and he did not pursue him any further.

Book of Judges 13:2 (Corea)

Judg 13:2: There was a man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, named Manoah; his wife was barren and had never given birth.

Book of Judges 14:1–20 (Samson—Timnah)

Jg 14:1–20: Samson went down to Timnah, and there he saw a woman among the daughters of the Philistines. When he returned, he told his father and mother, saying, “I saw a woman in Timnah among the daughters of the Philistines; now get her for me as my wife.” His father and mother said to him: “Is there no woman among your brothers’ daughters or among all our people that you must go and take a wife from the Philistines, who are uncircumcised?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me.” ” His father and mother did not know that this was from the Lord; for He was seeking a cause for conflict with the Philistines. — At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When they arrived at the vineyards of Timnah, behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of Yahweh came upon Samson; and, with nothing in his hand, Samson tore the lion apart as one would tear apart a young goat. And he did not tell his father and mother what he had done.

He went down and spoke to the woman, and she pleased him. Some time later, when he returned to Timnah to take her as his wife, he took a detour to look at the lion’s carcass, and there was a swarm of bees and honey in the lion’s body. He scooped some up in his hands and ate it as he went along; and when he came near his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass. Samson’s father went down to the woman’s house; and there Samson held a feast, as was the custom among young men. As soon as they saw him, they invited thirty companions to be with him.

Samson said to them, “I’m going to give you a riddle. If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and if you can guess it, I will give you thirty tunics and thirty sets of clothes; but if you cannot explain it to me, then you must give me thirty tunics and thirty sets of clothes.” ” They said to him, “Tell us your riddle, so that we may hear it.” He said to them, “Out of the eater came something to be eaten; out of the strong came the sweet.” For three days, they could not solve the riddle. On the seventh day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us; otherwise, we will burn you and your father’s house. Surely you invited us here just to rob us?” ” Samson’s wife wept beside him and said, “You have nothing but hatred for me; you do not love me. You have set a riddle before the sons of my people, and you have not explained it to me!” He replied to her, “I have not explained it to my father or my mother—why should I explain it to you?” She wept before him like this throughout the seven days of the feast; on the seventh day, as she was tormenting him, he explained the riddle to her, and she explained it to the people of her town. The townspeople said to Samson on the seventh day, before sunset: “What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have guessed my riddle.” The Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon. There he killed thirty men; taking their spoils, he gave the spare clothes to those who had solved the riddle. Then, burning with anger, he went up to his father’s house. Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions, whom he had chosen as a friend.