

As a result, the rocks of Palestine repeatedly play a part in the Bible story, and the book is also rich in metaphors which follow from [[Moses]]’ first Biblical reference to God as a Rock (Deut 32:4). (1) In the unsettled state of this region in Old Testament times, it was a sensible precaution to use the natural defensive quality of rocky sites to build fortress cities. So great were the natural advantages of such sites for defense that many of these fortresses were to all intents impregnable, given the military techniques of the period; siege or treachery offered the only hopes of capture. (2) The rock offered shelter from the storm (whether actual or figurative). The limestones of Palestine are full of caves, and thus we find [[David]] hiding from [[Saul]] in the cave of [[Adullam]] (1 Sam 22:1) or the rocks around [[En-gedi]] (24:1-3). (3) The rock served as a source of water to Israel in the wilderness (Exod 17:6; Num 20:11). It is a well-known feature of limestone terrain that