The Tel Dan Stele

2025-06-28

The Tel Dan Stele was found in the Biblical town of Dan, formerly Laish, in northern Israel. It is proposed that it dates from the ninth century B.C. It is a significant archaeological find because it mentions the names of Biblical kings, including King David. At the time of the discovery in 1993, there was no extrabiblical evidence of David.

Whoever the writer of this stele was or whoever’s words they are, they claimed to have killed certain kings. Because it is fragmentary, they are inconclusive as to who they were. However, many conclude that these kings were “Jehoram son of Ahab king of Israel” and “Ahaziahu son of Jehoram king of the House of David.” Some concluded that seventy other kings were killed.

Many have concluded that Hazael king of Syria is the speaker of the conquests mentioned and the one who erected the stele. The stele said that “Hadad made me king and Hadad went in front of me,” where Hadad was a deity of the Syrians. The author also mentioned how the king of Israel had gone into his father’s land, perhaps a justification for the slaying of the king of Israel.

Ahaziah and Jehoram

Though the stele is fragmentary and many question the names mentioned in it, it is significant that all these names are mentioned together. Jehoram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah were contemporary kings and were killed by the same man, Jehu, who succeeded Jehoram as king of Israel. “And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot” (2 Kings 9:23-24). And later, “But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there” (2 Kings 9:27).

Jehu also had the seventy sons of king Ahab killed, which could have been the seventy kings mentioned. “And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel” (2 Kings 10:7).

In addition, Jehu is mentioned on the stele.

Hazael

Though the king of Syria is not mentioned here, he is mentioned as a candidate for the author of the inscription of this stele. If he were the author who erected this stele, and the kings mentioned above were the actual kings recorded on it, then he very well could be the author. If he is the author, he lied about these events, taking credit for Jehu’s actions.

Hazael, who essentially made himself king by killing king Benhadad (2 Kings 8:15), attributed this to his god Hadad making him king. It was the LORD who showed Elisha the prophet that Hazael would be king (2 Kings 8:13), but the Syrian would have attributed it to his own god Hadad. Hazael had began incorporating Israelite land into his kingdom during the reign of Jehu, who had become king of Israel in Jehoram’s stead. “In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel” (2 Kings 10:32). While Hazael was taking credit for all his conquests during this time, he would have incorporated Jehu’s conquests as well.

The House of David

This is a big find to corroborate the existence of the historical king David. David would not have been a distant ancestor of Ahaziah’s, so it would be strange that this was some fabrication. The name David also means uncle and some other things, but all these things would seem ridiculous in this context. Would anyone really think someone would put an inscription to the king of the house of uncle? It followed that David is the name of a person.

Conclusion

I think it is important that while this stele is fragmentary, putting all these little things together support the veracity of the Biblical texts. The partial names, the phrase “house of David,” and the period from which it came all help in corroborating Biblical history as it is written.