Why Jerusalem?

In an earlier post, we touched on the Bible being a "Jerusalem-centric" book. In other words, the capital of the Southern Kingdom played a key role in the history of ancient Israel functioning as the religious and political center from the time of David until its destruction at the hands of the Romans in 70 CE. Its mentioned approximately 750 times by name in the Bible and over 2000 times by other designations. More impressive is its claim to being the most excavated city in the world.

But why is it special?

It has minimal resources to offer other than stones for building. It does contain an attractive water source (Gihon Spring) suitable to sustain life. One would conjecture with all the spiritual significance surrounding it Torah would make use of it-not one mention. Its name appears for the first time in Joshua. Neither Joshua nor Judges elevates the status of Jerusalem. In fact, the city existed in obscurity for over 6,000 years until David claimed it.

Other capitals predated Jerusalem's prestige. Shiloh was the first Israelite capital under Joshua until Saul shifted the power base to Gibeah. After finally wresting royal control from Saul, David initially set up shop at Hebron in the south. It wasn't until he conquered Jebus from the Jebusites that he renamed it the City of David AKA Jerusalem and permanently entrenched it as the capital of Judah.

Which leads us to a series of questions.

Why did David move his capital north to Jerusalem from Hebron? Why not remain there?

What did Jerusalem have to offer that other traditional capitals (Shiloh or Gibeah) didn't? Shiloh was the original resting place for the Tabernacle when the Israelites rooted themselves in the land. Why not return to the glory days and reestablish Shiloh as the capital?

Jerusalem is kind of off the beaten path and tucked away in the rugged Judean hills, unaccessible to high volumes of traffic. Capitals are places of commerce, exchange of ideas, political power bases, and typically situated in urban settings. You need people to participate in these activities. Jerusalem doesn't fit the bill.

Again, with all these factors working against Jerusalem to be a prime capital city, why did David choose it?

Here are a number of reasons why David chose Jerusalem, for personal and political interests, to be a permanent fixture for the Judean monarchy.

1. Proximity to Home

David grew up in Bethlehem, a meager 7 miles south of Jerusalem. He likely lead his flocks around the area and perhaps to the Gihon Spring itself. This was familiar territory for him. His clashes with the Jebusites as a shepherd for water and grazing rights may have embittered his attitude towards them. This would motivate him later to conquer their city.

2. National Unity

If David's goal was to create a unified nation instead of a tribal society, he needed to move north. Remaining in Hebron, he would only be recognized as king of Judah. If he moved to a more centralized location, chances increased for a cohesive nation comprised of all the tribes.

The Jebusite enclave also drove a geographical wedge between the north and the south, depreciating the probability for a unified nation. This necessitated a takeover of the city to eliminate any internal threats from foreigners. David did not raze the city to the ground, but magnanimously spared the inhabitants of Jerusalem. This shrewd move allowed him to neutralize any menacing actions from foreigners yet allowed him the latitude to incorporate them into his administration. For example, he bought the threshing floor from Aravnah the Jebusite where he later established the Tabernacle and Uriah the Hittite became one of his warlords.

3. Tribal Appeasement

Saul descended from the line of Benjamin, David from Judah. David was not considered a legal heir to throne in the eyes of the Benjaminites. Johnathan and Ish-Boshet, Saul's sons, claimed blood rights to the throne but they died. David may have been too afraid to continue capitalistic functions at Gibeah because it was associated with Saul and he was not of royal lineage. So David did what any good politician would do: he compromised. Jerusalem is technically situated in Benjaminite territory with the Valley of Hinnom acting as the north-south border between Judah and Benjamin. This brilliant, tactical move gave the Benjaminites "bragging rights" and allowed David to keep a crooked eye out for them in closer proximity to squash any revolts. David kept his friends close and his enemies closer.

4. Tradition of Kingship

This concept of kingship associated with Jerusalem stretches back to Melchi-Tzedek, who was both king and high priest of God Most High. Abraham had a delectable communion meal with Melchi-Tzedek and payed a tithe to him from his plunder to honor the king. If Abraham payed taxes, so goes the logic, then every Israelite who is a son of Abraham should pay taxes to the king of Jerusalem.

There is also a semantic feel of "righteousness" associated with Jerusalem. In Hebrew, Melchi-Tzedek means "my righteous king" or "king with righteousness." Kings who were not righteous nor legal heirs to the throne tended to self-indict themselves are righteous. Sargon of Assyria selected his name intentionally, which means "king with truth," although he was not a legal heir to the throne-just like David. Perhaps these thoughts ruminated in David's mind, propelling him to set up shop in Jerusalem.

Here is an even more fascinating insight that could be related to David's outlook on Jerusalem being associated with righteousness. Melchi-Tzedek's name occurs only two instances in the Bible. Once in Genesis 14 when Abraham visits him. Guess where the other mention occurs? Psalm 110-a Psalm David devised.

5. Geopolitical Advantage

Every nation needs revenue to subsist. Fiscal gains are generated by taxing commerce that runs through road systems. Jerusalem sits at a centralized crossroads that runs in all cardinal directions. It's perched along the main artery (Patriarchal Highway or Watershed Ridge Route) that runs north and south from Dan to Beersheva and the road that runs east and west from Jordan to Jaffa. If David controls Jerusalem, he controls trade and stands to make a pretty penny. In other words, he becomes a baller shot caller.

Jerusalem wasn't chosen by David because God said so. The realities behind the decisions of the Biblical characters provide a window into their cognitive dispositions as the divine-human drama unfolds. Learning to read in between the lines and with careful attention to events that predate or postdate the present events recorded in the text helps us get a firmer grasp of why people did what they did.