David & Goliath: The Valley of Elah

Recent discoveries make it possible to pinpoint the location of the Valley of Elah, where David slew Goliath. In this incredible journey, we head to the valley for the first time in our lives. In the episode, we will answer the questions we always had about this story: Why didn’t the armies attack each other and instead resort to a man-on-man battle? How could David sling a stone so accurately and not miss? And how could the Israelites hear Goliath when they were a valley apart?

In this episode, we will explore Khirbet Qeiyafa, a fortified city on top of the hill that overlooks the Valley of Elah. This place is believed to be the Shaaraim mentioned in this Biblical account. Then we will go to the river where David possibly picked the 5 smooth stones from, and explore its topology to better understand why neither army attacked each other. We will try slinging the stones with our own DIY slingshot, similar to the shepherd’s slingshot that David would have had. Then we will perform a sound test: One of us will stand on top of the mountain while the other will scream as Goliath would have from the middle of the valley; and we will see if we can hear each other as the Biblical account says they did. And as a bonus, we will share with you a recent theological discovery in this account that was hidden for a thousand years!

So join us on this adventure as we seek to find the answers about David and Goliath at the Valley of Elah!

SuperiorWord Sermon links:

1. David and Goliath, The Valley of Elah, Part 1

2. David and Goliath, The Valley of Elah, Part 2 —

3. David and Goliath, The Valley of Elah, Part 3 —

4. David and Goliath, The Valley of Elah, Part 4 — Available on Sep 6

5. David and Goliath, The Valley of Elah, Part 5 —

Season 4, Episode 6 (S04E06)

00:00 Intro
02:22 Arrival
03:43 60-Second Recap
05:13 Shaaraim (Khirbet Qeiyafa)
11:00 Valley of Elah
12:35 The River
16:22 DIY Slingshot
19:40 Goliath Voice Test
23:47 Hidden Pictures
26:38 Conclusion

Copyright Notices:
— The original illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and these digitally adjusted compilations of them the copyright of FreeBibleimages
— Ostracon image by Khirbet Qeiyafa Exhibition in Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem, Israel.
— Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
— Maps by Google Maps

[SnR]

Thank you all so much for watching! We hope the video was a blessing to you. Here are the links to the sermons:

1. David and Goliath, The Valley of Elah, Part 1

2. David and Goliath, The Valley of Elah, Part 2 —

3. David and Goliath, The Valley of Elah, Part 3 —

[davidba]

Can I like this more than once? 😄 We, as Christians, have read or heard this story many times, but to actually see where it happened and to see verification of the details of what was done and how makes it real for us. Thank you!!

[charlesdavis]

God’s Word is true. The Bible is true. God bless. Love this channel.

[kathidori]

Again you infected me: with your joy, your enthusiasm, your love for the stories in the bible and your humor. And I even thank you for it!

[pushparajdominic]

Apart from their amazing work, I praise God for this lovely couple. They are made for each other. See how much they love each other and are of the same mind and purpose. The most important thing is his love for Jesus, it stands out. Sergio and Rhodha, your work is really a blessing to many many. Love from Bangalore

[mightywind]

Your enthusiasm is inspiring and what a joy to see. Thanks for making a Bible story come to life.

[KowboyUSA]

You guys do the very best Bible history tours anywhere.

[tomklock]

Fascinating! The Word of God always shows itself to be true.

[kimweidner]

Oh my gosh, I feel like crying! This is my favorite one yet!! God is so AWESOME! He gave bravery to what the Philistines thought was a weak little boy.
Is there nothing to impossible for God? NO!!

[GregWattsKofC]

Im a retired acoustic engineer and your audio test is conclusive of thee biblical account of David and Goliath. However given the ambient noise of the modern day traffic behind Sergio it hindered the test you both did. It would have been much clearer and easier to hear back then.
I enjoy your documented adventures. I spent many years from 1995 until 2002 in Israel and Europe. What a blessing to be able to revisited the sites through your eyes. May God bless you all.

[DavidHelling]

Thank y'all for stewarding the time the Lord has given you into this sweet ministry. Love all you guys' videos!

[pabloc]

This is an outstanding production. The quality of your videos is on par with professional documentary productions like what one might find on the Discovery channel. But the content is far superior to anything they'd put out.

[davidba]

This just blows my mind! To actually go to the very place where David (my namesake 😃) fought Goliath. How cool is that?! Please keep these videos coming! Love it!!

[cynthiamoore]

God bless you guys!!!! The Lord is using you to bring more clarity to his

[mikes-bmedic]

I’m an atheist but can certainly appreciate those who have a religious conviction. Haters don’t comment.

Absolutely love history and archeology. Particularly of interest to me is Middle East history. This channel more than satisfies my interests. The presentation of facts by this couple who are clearly interested and excited by their exploits.

This channel is awesome and it’s brilliant to see a young couple loving life, exploring and importantly sharing their knowledge and experiences.

They are adding value to the world.

[antonpamchenko]

I just discovered your channel. This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I love old battlefields, but this was the iconic battle of the ages, and you're standing where it happened. I'll probably never see Israel, so your videos are the next best thing.

[Tonetwisters]

I cannot begin to explain how mind blowing it is for me, to see all these places where these Bible "stories" happened ... just incredible. It really brings them to life and reality. Thank you Sergio & Rhoda for doing these and thank you for being so sweet and enthusiastic! Love, from Jacksonville Florida!

[mclotfelter]

Sergio and Rhoda I wish you a heartfelt greetings from Texas. And to all my brothers and sisters in Christ watching this from all over the world I pray that Yeshua will bless and inspire you like he has me in watching these videos. This post is 2 years in the making so I apologize if its long but it has been on my heart to say. I can not thank you enough for opening up your lives and home to bring in an extended family of over 200k to show us the locations and bring the bible to life for us. You have showed us where our Lord and Savior walked, where he talked, where he died, and where he conquered death and said "I AM". You have taken us to George's wedding, and Joy's baptism. You have had Suhail show us an awesome Humus recipe and my favorite was Ruth and the Easter Cookies. You have taken us to Lithuania to meet probably the most inspiring woman I have ever had the chance to listen to. All the negatives she has faced in life and to still be so full of God's love. My mother made me promise to take my dad to Israel after her passing because it was his dream to go. I was hoping to take him in Sept to show him all the places that Sergio and
Rhoda have taken us to. Unfortunately this pandemic has not made that possible at this time but I still have showed him these videos. If it is God's will I will bring him and I would love to meet up with you two and buy you dinner to say thank you for all the enjoyment, and inspiration that you have given so many of us. Like Sergio, I also like to eat. If not, then I will find you in the Kingdom and we can go to eat then. I pray for the Lord to continue to bless you two and keep you safe. And to all my brothers and sisters in Christ watching around the world I pray that the Lord bless and strengthen each and every one you. God Bless!!!!

[kellyfel]

This was so cool, how great is our God, we see a field that looks impossible to someone to be heard from so far away. This show us how true and great the bible is. Love your videos, God Bless you, hello from the Dominican Republic :)

[jasonspears]

You two are so awesome! What a perfect example of how amazing God is for using you two to make these videos! Yall are showing the world these places they may never get a chance to see! Keep it up! God bless you!