Tonight I was watching Jeopardy! and a clue popped up that had a very personal connection.

The clue came in the category of Lost & Found.

In 2019 Archaeologists in Israel said they found the town of Ziklag, used by this Hebrew King for refuge from Saul.

I definitely remember when this announcement was made two years and one day ago. I had just returned home from digging at Khirbet al-Ra’i with the archaeologists who made the announcement.

As I think back to the dig tonight I remember taking many loads of dirt to the dump site with a wheelbarrow. Working on a dig is very hard work.

We removed a lot of dirt as we worked our way down through the layers of the site.

We found a lot of pottery shards that helped tell the story of the site.

We also uncovered a lot of walls that helped tell the story of what took place on the site over time.

You can see here the location of Khirbet al-Ra’i on a map of Judah and Philistia. It was located very near that border and we could see in the different layers of the dig how it changed hands over the years.

I also had many conversations with the archaeologists while on the dig as we discussed what the site may be and knew that the announcement was coming.

Can you answer the Jeopardy! clue in the form of a question? I believe that many people know the answer.

I will give you an additional hint.

Khirbet simply means ‘ruin of’ but al-Ra’i means the place of the Shepherd. Which Hebrew King was know for being a shepherd?

The contestant who buzzed in responded with:

Who is David?

They of course had the right question.

Steven