Situated on the river Baradā, known to the Greeks as Chrysorrhoas ("streaming with gold"), at the foot of Mount Antilibanus, it was captured by David but recovered its liberty in the reign of Shelomoh (Solomon); self-ruling until Tiglath-Pileser III of Ashur (Assyria) took it (isn't that a nicely Judeocentric view of one of the Arab world's great cities! - click here for the UNESCO version).
Genesis 14:15 mentions it as being in the vicinity of Chovah (חובה) - or perhaps that should be read the other way around: the place Av-Raham completed his victory in the War of the Kings.
Genesis 15:2 tells us that Av-Raham's chief steward, who was sent to Padan Aram to find a wife for Yitschak, was named Eli-Ezer of Damasek.
2 Samuel 8: David captured the city after its Aramean residents sided with the King of Tsovah (צוֹבָה) in the wars against the Pelishtim (Philistines); BUT...
1 Kings 11:24: Rezon ben El-Yada (רְזוֹן בֶּן אֶלְיָדָע) captured it back during the interregnum following the death of David, and remained an adversary of Shelomoh (Solomon) all their lives.
2 Kings16:9: Tiglath-Pileser captured it and deported its citizens in the time of King Achaz (אָחָז).
Isaiah 7:8 names it quite specifically as the chief city of Aram, though most English translations feel at liberty to change the text and name it as Syria; its chief at that time was Retsin (רְצִ֑ין), which may a dialect variation of Rezon in 1 Kings 11:24; and if so, probably a dynastic title rather than a perosn's name.
Isaiah 8:4, 10:9 and 17:1 also make reference to Damasek, as do Genesis 15:2 and many, many others.
Copyright © 2019 David Prashker
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