The ‘Ashbaal ben Bada’ inscription is an Ostracon inscription that was discovered during the excavations at Khirbet Qiafa in 2012 and was published in 2015. The inscription was found on a jar from the Iron Age 2a (early 10th century BC). At the beginning of the inscription there are several broken letters that may have suggested to identify as the word ‘Halkat’ or ‘Kbarat’, and then the name ‘Ashbaal ben Bada’.

The name ‘Eshbaal’ was the name of one of Saul’s sons (1 Chronicles 8:33; Shem 9:39), which is identified with the man Bashoth, Saul’s son who reigned after his father was killed in battle (2 Samuel 2 ‘, VIII-X’). The name ‘Bada’ is not mentioned in the Bible, but the name ‘Badan’ is mentioned in two places (1 Samuel 12:11; 1 Chronicles 7:17). A number of researchers think that the presence of this person’s name on Gabi Kankanen shows that he was a person of high status and had an important administrative position. Prof. Moshe Garsiel from Bar-Ilan University proposed to identify him with Yishbaam ben Hachmoni, one of King David’s heroes (2 Samuel 23:8; 1 Chronicles 11:11).

There are researchers who believe that his full name was ‘Ashbaal ben [Abd Estorat]’, which matches the name of the father to the name of the son, in terms of theophoric names associated with the Canaanite cult, but this does not provide absolute proof that this is a non-Jewish/Israeli person.

Sources

Garsiel M., ‘The Ashbaal ben Bada inscription uncovered in King David’s Citadel in the Elah Valley: its interpretation and importance for the history of the period’, in: Tabgar A. and others (editors), in Ma’aba Ha’er 6 (1977), pp. 219-236.

Garfinkel Y. and others, Debating Khirbet Qeiyafa: A Fortified City in Judah from the Time of King David, Jerusalem 2015.

Petrovich D., ‘Connecting Khirbet Qeiyafa to the Proper Israelite King: Sauline Stronghold or Davidic Fortress’, JESOT 7 (2021), pp. 82-118.