Place Old Testament
Elah Valley
Also known as Valley of, Elah
The Elah Valley, where David defeated the Philistine giant Goliath. Mentioned in 3 verses across 1 book, first at 1 Samuel 17:2.
Why it matters. Site of David's victory over Goliath
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.691, 34.963 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Elah Valley
The Elah Valley was the location of the memorable confrontation between David and the Philistine champion Goliath (1Samuel 17). The Philistines gathered their armies there to battle against King Saul and the Israelites.
The valley was situated on the border between Judah and Philistia, near the city of Azekah. It was likely an open area suitable for battle. David, then a young shepherd boy, arrived at the Israelite camp and accepted Goliath's challenge. With a sling and a stone, David struck down Goliath, and the Philistines fled in defeat.
After this victory, the Elah Valley became famous as the site of David's triumph and the place where he launched his ascent to the throne. The "sword of Goliath" that David took from the fallen giant was kept in Nob, and David later retrieved it when fleeing from Saul (1Sa.21.9).
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 3 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.