Wikipedia's first sentence called it “said david smote the syrians”. Today it says “place where david smote the arameans”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). Nelson and Sons. : Missing or empty |title= ( help ) Valley of Salt - a place where it is said David smote the Syrians (2 Sam. 8:13).1 This valley (the' Arabah) is between Judah and Edom on the south of the Dead Sea . Hence some interpreters would insert the words, "and he smote Edom ," after the words, "Syrians" in the above text.2 It is conjectured that while David was leading his army against the Ammonites and Syrians, the Edomites invaded the south of Judah, and that David sent Joab or Abishai against them, who drove them back and finally subdued Edom.
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 15962044.
The opening as it stood in 2010
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). Nelson and Sons. : Missing or empty |title= ( help ) The Valley of Salt , valley of saltpits , valley of Saltpits , or vale of saltpits ( ) is a place where it is said David smote the Syrians (2 Sam. 8:13). This valley (the Arabah ) is between Judah and Edom on the south of the Dead Sea . Hence some interpreters would insert the words, "and he smote Edom ," after the words, "Syrians" in the above text. It is conjectured that while David was leading his army against the Ammonites and Syrians, the Edomites invaded the south of Judah, and that David sent Joab or Abishai against them, who drove them back and finally subdued Edom.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 322694824.
The opening as it stood in 2015 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). Nelson and Sons. : Missing or empty |title= ( help ) The Valley of Salt , valley of saltpits , valley of Saltpits , or vale of saltpits ( ) is a place where it is said David smote the Syrians (2 Sam. 8:13). This valley (the Arabah ) is between Judah and Edom on the south of the Dead Sea . Hence some interpreters suggest the phrase, "and he smote Edom ," instead of the "Syrians" in the above text.This confusion may be due to the Hebrew word Edom אדם being similar to the word Aram ארם.In Hebrew, the resh "ר" and the daleth "ד" are very similar and easily confused if not written carefully. It is conjectured that while David was leading his army against the Ammonites and Syrians, the Edomites invaded the south of Judah, and that David sent Joab or Abishai against them, who drove them back and finally subdued Edom. (Comp. title to Ps. 60 (Ps. 59 in the Septuagint ).) 2 Samuel 8:13 - And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 616224119.
The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Valley of Salt, between Canaan and Edom The Valley of Salt , valley of saltpits , valley of Saltpits , or vale of saltpits ( ) is a place where it is said David smote the Arameans (2 Sam. 8:13). This valley (the Arabah ) is between Judah and Edom on the south of the Dead Sea . Hence some interpreters suggest the phrase, "and he smote Edom ," instead of the "Arameans" in the above text. This confusion may be due to the Hebrew word Edom אדם being similar to the word Aram ארם. In Hebrew, the resh "ר" and the daleth "ד" are very similar and easily confused if not written carefully. It is conjectured that while David was leading his army against the Ammonites and Arameans, the Edomites invaded the south of Judah, and that David sent Joab or Abishai against them, who drove them back and finally subdued Edom. (Comp. title to Ps. 60 [Ps. 59 in the Septuagint ].) 2 Samuel 8:13 - And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Arameans in the Valley of Salt.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 935537715.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Valley of Salt, between Canaan and Edom The Valley of Salt , valley of saltpits , valley of Saltpits , or vale of saltpits ( ) is a place where it is said David smote the Arameans (2 Sam. 8:13). This valley (the Arabah ) is between Judah and Edom on the south of the Dead Sea . Hence some interpreters suggest the phrase, "and he smote Edom ," instead of the "Arameans" in the above text. This confusion may be due to the Hebrew word Edom אדם being similar to the word Aram ארם. In Hebrew, the resh "ר" and the daleth "ד" are very similar and easily confused if not written carefully. It is conjectured that while David was leading his army against the Ammonites and Arameans, the Edomites invaded the south of Judah, and that David sent Joab or Abishai against them, who drove them back and finally subdued Edom. (Comp. title to Ps. 60 [Ps. 59 in the Septuagint ].) 2 Samuel 8:13 - And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Arameans in the Valley of Salt.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1071549979.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Valley of Salt, between Canaan and Edom The Valley of Salt , valley of saltpits , valley of Saltpits , or vale of saltpits ( Hebrew : גיא-המלח ) is a place where David smote the Arameans (2 Sam. 8:13). This valley (the Arabah ) is between Judah and Edom on the south of the Dead Sea . Hence some interpreters suggest the phrase, "and he smote Edom ," instead of the "Arameans" in the above text. This confusion may be due to the Hebrew word Edom אדם being similar to the word Aram ארם. In Hebrew, the resh "ר" and the daleth "ד" are very similar and easily confused if not written carefully. It is conjectured that while David was leading his army against the Ammonites and Arameans, the Edomites invaded the south of Judah, and that David sent Joab or Abishai against them, who drove them back and finally subdued Edom. (Comp. title to Ps. 60 [Ps. 59 in the Septuagint ].) 2 Samuel 8:13 - And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Arameans in the Valley of Salt.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1295697369. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “said david smote the syrians”. Today it says “place where david smote the arameans”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
said david smote the syrians
Now
place where david smote the arameans
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
