The Berean Codex™Scripture Research Project
Research library · Reception history · Dependency analysis

1 Kings 12:19 — Tel Dan “House of David” dynastic evidence

A reusable research record with provenance and relationships kept separate from the presentation layer.

HISTORICAL_CONTEXTHIST_TEL_DAN_1KI_12_19

Evidence state: strong evidence

The ninth-century BCE Tel Dan Stele contains the Aramaic sequence commonly read by scholars as “House of David,” providing independent epigraphic evidence for a Davidic dynastic designation. This is directly relevant to 1 Kings 12:19’s “house of David” language while remaining external historical context rather than a textual witness to Kings.

Documented evidence

Claim: The stele preserves an Aramaic sequence commonly read as “House of David.”

Evidence Type: epigraphic/historical

Confidence: strong evidence

Sources: SRC_JEWISH_MUSEUM_TEL_DAN

Competing interpretations

Classification: disputed interpretation

Note: The reading/segmentation and historical implications have been debated in scholarship; v51 records the common dynastic reading without treating every proposed implication as established.

What this does not establish

It does not prove every narrative or chronology associated with David.
It does not by itself establish the size or character of David’s kingdom.
It is not a manuscript witness to 1 Kings 12:19 and does not validate the verse’s wording.
Release Introduced
v51
Passage Id
PASSAGE_1KI_12_19
Category
davidic_dynasty_epigraphic_context
Evidence Classification
strong evidence
Date Range
{
    "start_bce": 850,
    "end_bce": 800,
    "label": "9th century BCE",
    "certainty": "museum/exhibition dating"
}
Original Language
{
    "language": "Aramaic",
    "occurrence": "ביתדוד / bytdwd",
    "text_state": "COMMONLY_READ_EPIGRAPHIC_SEQUENCE",
    "translation": "House of David"
}
Exact Relevant Context
Aramaic victory-stele fragments from Tel Dan; museum presentation identifies a reference to the royal “House of David.” 1 Kings 12:19 uses “house of David” as a dynastic/political designation.
Status
ACTIVE_PASSAGE_CONTEXT_RECORD