What is the significance of the city of Jebus in Joshua 18:28? Historical Name and Etymology “Jebus” derives from the people-group called the Jebusites (Heb. יְבוּסִי, Yevusi). Extra-biblical sources confirm a cognate town name: Egyptian Execration Texts (c. 19th century BC) and the Amarna Letters (EA 286, c. 14th century BC) record “Rushalimum/Urusalim,” linguistically identical to early “Jerusalem,” showing continuous occupation before Israel’s arrival. The Septuagint renders the term as Ἰεβούς (Iebous), preserving consonantal equivalence found in all major manuscript families, an important datum for textual reliability. Geographic Setting Jebus occupied the ridge south of today’s Temple Mount, bounded by the Kidron and Tyropoeon Valleys and fed by the perennial Gihon Spring. Topographically defensible yet agriculturally supported by surrounding terraces, the site’s placement explains its stubborn holdout against Israelite conquest until David’s time (2 Samuel 5:6-9). Allocation within Benjamin Joshua 18 lists Jebus among Benjamin’s border cities, not Judah’s, underscoring internal tribal boundaries. Although Judah would later control Jerusalem politically through David, the earlier allotment to Benjamin explains later Levitical and priestly presence (cf. Nehemiah 11:3-4). The overlap also prefigures the city’s unifying role, drawing together northern Benjamin and southern Judah under one monarchy. The Jebusites and Their Culture Archaeology attests to a mixed Canaanite population practicing fertility cults centered on high places. Biblical data describe the Jebusites as resilient, maintaining autonomy even after Joshua’s campaigns (Judges 1:21). Their fortifications—including Cyclopean walls and the famous Stepped Stone Structure—correlate with Middle Bronze urban engineering typical of Canaanite polities, validating the biblical narrative of a formidable bastion. Archaeological Corroboration 1. Stepped Stone Structure and Large Stone Structure (excavations by Macalister, Kenyon, and more recently Eilat Mazar) demonstrate massive pre-Israelite defensive works. 2. Warren’s Shaft and the Siloam Channel reveal an ingenious water system contemporaneous with Jebusite occupation, aligning with the narrative that Joab gained access via a “water shaft” (2 Samuel 5:8 “water tunnel”). 3. Bullae inscribed “Gemaryahu son of Shaphan” and “Baruch son of Neriah” (discovered in the City of David) place later biblical figures within the same stratigraphic sequence, reinforcing historical continuity. 4. Layers of destruction ash dating c. 1000 BC coincide with the approximate Ussher-derived date for David’s conquest, supporting the chronologically conservative reading. Transition from Jebus to Jerusalem under David David’s capture transformed a Canaanite stronghold into “the city of David” (2 Samuel 5:9). The new political-theological capital fulfilled Deuteronomy 12’s anticipation of a central sanctuary (“the place the LORD your God will choose”). The renaming from “Jebus” to “Jerusalem” (“foundation/peace of Salem”) echoes Genesis 14:18 where Melchizedek ruled “Salem,” revealing a salvific through-line: Melchizedek’s priesthood, Davidic kingship, and Jesus’ eternal priest-king role (Psalm 110; Hebrews 7). Temple Mount and Salvation-History Centrality 1 Chronicles 21 locally situates the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite—purchased by David—as the temple site (2 Chronicles 3:1). The altar of sacrifice, later over-shadowed by Solomon’s Temple, typologically foreshadows Christ’s atoning cross within sight of the same ridge (John 19:17-20). Thus the city’s Jebusite origins serve God’s redemptive plan: from pagan stronghold to the locus of substitutionary sacrifice and resurrection proclamation (Luke 24:47). Messianic Prophecy and Fulfillment Prophets consistently cast Jerusalem as God’s chosen habitation (Psalm 132:13-14; Isaiah 2:2-3; Zechariah 12:2-3). The triumphal entry (Zechariah 9:9; John 12:13-15) and resurrection preaching at Pentecost (Acts 2) climax the prophetic thread. The city once called “Jebus” hosts the empty tomb, providing historical-geographical anchorage for the “minimal facts” argument for Jesus’ resurrection: indisputable death by crucifixion, empty tomb, post-mortem appearances, and explosive growth of the Jerusalem church—each fact supported by early creedal material (1 Corinthians 15:3-7) and multi-attestation. Eschatological Outlook Revelation 21 projects a New Jerusalem descending from heaven, eradicating the memory of pagan Jebus and consummating God’s purpose to dwell with His redeemed people. The earthly Jerusalem’s history, beginning as Jebus, prefigures this eschatological city where God’s glory fully replaces human rebellion. Practical Implications for the Believer The transformation of Jebus into Jerusalem illustrates God’s power to redeem hostile territory and rebellious hearts. Just as the stronghold capitulated to David’s greater Son, so every life must yield to the risen Christ. The believer’s inheritance, like Benjamin’s, is secured not by human conquest but by divine allotment—ultimately realized in the New Jerusalem. Until then, worship, evangelism, and holy living proclaim the King who turned Jebus into the epicenter of salvation. |
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