Hebrew Scroll of Kings
The Hebrew Scroll of Kings came from the group of Scrolls that were written in Lithuania before the 20th century and were damaged in the Holocaust. They were moved to Israel after 1948.
This Scroll of Kings contains both books called First Kings and Second Kings. It is written in the customary way the ancient Scrolls were written in that both books are on one Scroll and thee is no break in the books indicating where one book ends and the second book begins. Second Kings begins on sheet 8 column 3 near the middle of the page. There are no markers indicating this position.
The Scroll of Kings shown with new etz chaim, Scroll rollers.
This photograph shows the Scroll opened where First and Second Kings meet.
Spring of Gihon
This photograph of Kings (First) tells about King David commanding Zadok the Priest to take his son Solomon to the spring of Gihon and anoint Solomon King of Israel. Photograph of the Scroll of Kings The yad is pointing to the Hebrew word Gihon.
1 Kings 1:32 – And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon. Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too. As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.
ויאמר המלך דוד קראו־לי לצדוק הכהן ולנתן הנביא ולבניהו בן־יהוידע ויבאו לפני המלך׃
ויאמר המלך להם קחו עמכם את־עבדי אדניכם והרכבתם את־שׁלמה בני על־הפרדה אשׁר־לי והורדתם אתו אל־גחון׃
ומשׁח אתו שׁם צדוק הכהן ונתן הנביא למלך על־ישׂראל ותקעתם בשׁופר ואמרתם יחי המלך שׁלמה׃
ועליתם אחריו ובא וישׁב על־כסאי והוא ימלך תחתי ואתו צויתי להיות נגיד על־ישׂראל ועל־יהודה׃
ויען בניהו בן־יהוידע את־המלך ויאמר אמן כן יאמר יהוה אלהי אדני המלך׃
כאשׁר היה יהוה עם־אדני המלך כן יהי עם־שׁלמה ויגדל את־כסאו מכסא אדני המלך דוד׃
וירד צדוק הכהן ונתן הנביא ובניהו בן־יהוידע והכרתי והפלתי וירכבו את־שׁלמה על־פרדת המלך דוד וילכו אתו על־גחון׃
ויקח צדוק הכהן את־קרן השׁמן מן־האהל וימשׁח את־שׁלמה ויתקעו בשׁופר ויאמרו כל־העם יחי המלך שׁלמה׃
ויעלו כל־העם אחריו והעם מחללים בחללים ושׂמחים שׂמחה גדולה ותבקע הארץ בקולם׃
וישׁמע אדניהו וכל־הקראים אשׁר אתו והם כלו לאכל וישׁמע יואב את־קול השׁופר ויאמר מדוע קול־הקריה הומה׃
עודנו מדבר והנה יונתן בן־אביתר הכהן בא ויאמר אדניהו בא כי אישׁ חיל אתה וטוב תבשׂר׃
ויען יונתן ויאמר לאדניהו אבל אדנינו המלך־דוד המליך את־שׁלמה׃
In 2005 I was on an archaeological expedition in Israel and we excavated the newly discovered fill where King Hezekiah filled the access to the Spring of Gihon before the siege of Jerusalem. In that work we saw the exact spot at the Spring of Gihon where Solomon was anointed as King of Israel. The following photographs show this account.
Showing some of Hezekiah’s debris fill to stop access to the Spring of Gihon.
Over thousands of years the street level has been covered with many feet of rubble.
Newly excavated Spring of Gihon where Solomon was taken to be anointed as King of Israel
Overlooking the Spring of Gihon, this is the exact spot Solomon was anointed as King of Israel.
