Period
Early Israelite History
The Kingdom of Saul
Location
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On the Origin of the Israelites
William Dever: Who Were the Israelites and Where Did They Come From?
"Jebus" in Early Israelite History
Main Jerusalem Timeline > Urusalim > Jebus

Jerusalem plays no significant role in early Israelite history. Yet because of its later significance it is repeatedly mentioned.

In the books of Joshua, Judges, and Samuel the city is referred to as Jerusalem but also as Jebus which, according to Joshua 18:28, is the same. In the latter passage, the city is part of the land inherited by the tribe of Benjamin. According to Judges 1:8, the city is conquered and destroyed by the tribe of Judah. A few verses later (Judges 1:21), however, it seems as if no such destruction ever occurred. In fact, the entire report on David's conquest in 2. Samuel 5 makes little sense if the city had already been in Israelite hands.

David himself first rules only over the Southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin and the seat of his government is Hebron. His move to Jerusalem was particularly meaningful if the city was associated with none of the tribal groups he wished to unite.

The name "Jebus" is not attested for Jerusalem anywhere outside the Bible. The etymology suggests something like "he has trampled," though it is not stated who its (divine) destroyer may have been or what destruction this refers to.