Jerusalem

The Name. The name "Jerusalem" occurs 806 times in the Bible, 660 timesin the Old Testament and 146 times in the New Testament; additional references to the cityoccur as synonyms.

Jerusalem was established as a Canaanite city by the Chalcolithic period (ca. 4000-3100b.c.), occupying the southeast hill that currently bears the name "City ofDavid." Steep slopes on each side of the hill provided a defensible site, and aspring at the foot of the hill provided necessary water. The earliest probable occurrenceof the name appears in the Execration Texts of Egypt (nineteenth to eighteenth centuriesb.c.) as Rusalimum. The Amarna Letters from Late Bronze Age Egypt (fourteenthcentury b.c.), written in the Akkadian language, include the name Urusalim. InAssyrian and Babylonian texts relating to the kingdom of Judah, Ursalimmu or asimilar form appears.

The archaeological investigation of Jerusalem is hampered by continued occupation;thus, even though no evidence exists for the sanctity of the site in Canaanite thought,human nature supports the assumption that the city had a religious center. The nameconsists of two elements: yrw and salem [el'v]. yrwmay signify "foundation" or "city, " while salem [el'v] is thename of a deity. The name means either "the foundation of (the god) Shalem," the patron-god of the city, or "the city of Shalem." Thus, a certainsanctity adhered to the city long before David acquired it.

Jerusalem in the Old Testament. Salem. The first occurrence of Jerusalem is inJoshua 10:1, but an allusion to Jerusalem appears in Genesis 14:18 with the reference toMelchizedek, king of Salem. Poetic parallel construction in Psalm 76:2 ( Heb 76:3 ) equatesSalem with Zion. Theologically, the Canaanite city of Shalem has become the biblical cityof Shalom, Peace. Prophetically, Isaiah spoke of the Prince of Peace (Shalom) who wouldreign on David's throne (in Jerusalem), a reference full of messianic portent ( Isa 9:6 ).

Jebus. At the time of the Israelite occupation of Canaan, Jerusalem was known asJebus, a shortened expression for "City of the Jebusites." References in Joshua,Judges, and 1 Chronicles note that Jebus is another name for Jerusalem. The Romans alsorenamed the city Aelia Capitolina, but in both cases the older name revived.

City of David. Second Samuel recounts David's conquest of Jebus, exploiting thesecret watershaft from the spring Gihon outside the city wall to its exit within the city.From that time on David "took up residence in the fortress, and called it the City ofDavid" ( 5:9 ).His subsequent construction of a palace made Jerusalem a royal city. His decision to rulefrom Jerusalem elevated a city, poorly situated for either trade or military activity, tocapital status. The politically neutral city, belonging to neither the northern norsouthern tribes, also became his personal property.

David transformed Jerusalem into the religious center of his kingdom by bringing intoit the ark of the covenant ( 2 Sam 6:1-19 ).Although David was not allowed to construct a temple, the arrival of the ark foreverlinked Jerusalem with the cult of Yahweh. Solomon, David's son, enhanced the religiousdimension of the city by constructing the temple of the Lord, symbolizing the presence ofYahweh in Jerusalem and Israel. David began the process of establishing the royal andreligious nature of Jerusalem, but it was Solomon who transformed the former Jebusitestronghold into a truly capital and national cultic center. The royal and covenantalfunctions of Jerusalem are linked in Psalm 2:6, where God announces that "I haveinstalled my King on Zion, my holy hill."

Jerusalem is imbued with an eternal nature in several passages in the Old Testament. AsYahweh's spokesman, Nathan promised David a dynasty that would rule in perpetuity ( 2 Sam 7:15 ). Thispromise was extended to Jerusalem because of its function as the royal city. In addition,Solomon described the temple as the place for God to "dwell forever" ( 1 Kings 8:13 ).While both kingship and covenant were to be centered in Jerusalem forever (cf. Psalms 132 ), thepromise was conditional ( 1 Kings 9:6-9 ).