Tou (biblical figure)

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King Tou, also known as Toi in the Bible, was a king of Hamath, an ancient city in Syria. In the books of Samuel and Chronicles, Tou is described as paying homage to David, the king of Israel, after David defeated Hadadezer, king of Zobah. This shows a moment of alliance between David and neighboring rulers.

Some scholars think Tou may be the same person as Tai (or Ta), a king mentioned in inscriptions from Palistin, a kingdom that included Hamath, Aleppo, and Carchemish in northwestern Syria and southern Turkey. These inscriptions call a king “Tai the Hero, King of Palistin,” and many researchers identify Tai with Toi.

Palistin emerged after the Bronze Age collapse and was a Syro-Hittite state dating to at least the 11th century BC, home to diverse groups, including Sea Peoples. The idea that Tou and Tai are the same king is a scholarly theory, not a confirmed fact.