Bible Location
3 cross references · Modern-day map available
The Valley of Elah was the battlefield valley between Judah and the Philistines where David faced Goliath. It is important because it preserves one of the Bible's most iconic confrontation settings. First appears in 1 Sam 17:2.1
Coordinates
31.69, 34.96
First appears
1 Sam 17:2
AI summary: The Valley of Elah matters because the terrain itself frames the drama of David and Goliath. The opposing camps line the valley, and the place becomes a lasting emblem of faith confronting intimidating power. The cross references present the Valley of Elah as a battlefield of courage, covenant confidence, and remembered victory.1
Latitude
31.69
Longitude
34.96
Bible references
3
Valley of, where the Israelites were encamped when David killed Goliath (1 Sam. 17:2, 19). It was near Shochoh of Judah and Azekah (17:1). It is the modern Wady es-Sunt, i.e., “valley of the acacia.” “The terebinths from which the valley of Elah takes its name still cling to their ancient soil. On the west side of the valley, near Shochoh, there is a very large and ancient tree of this kind known as the ’terebinth of Wady Sur,’ 55 feet in height, its trunk 17 feet in circumference, and the breadth of its shade no less than 75 feet. It marks the upper end of the Elah valley, and forms a noted object, being one of the largest terebinths in Palestine.” Geikie’s, The Holy Land, etc. 3
Source note: this 1893 dictionary language reflects its period and may be culturally insensitive or outdated. It is presented as historical source material, not as ai-BIBLE’s language, interpretation, or endorsement.
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, place metadata, and linked Bible cross references.
Alistair de Blacquiere-Clarkson, “ai-BIBLE Bible Names JSON Factsheet Aggregating Material from Smith’s Bible Dictionary & Hitcocks’s New and Complete Analysis of the Bible.” ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
M.G.Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.