The BibleGospel Companion

Hachilah

חֲכִילָה · cha.khi.lah · H2444“my hope is in her” Hitchcock's 18693 mentions, all in 1 Samuel

Where it is

KainKainCarmelCarmelMachpelahMachpelahZiorZiorJattirJattirArabArabHachilahabout 42 km across

31.47° N, 35.22° E · ?; now Zahrat al Kula

Coordinates and map: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · drawn without map tiles

Mentioned most in

1 Samuel · 3
Counted from 3 references · STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

About this place

Hachilah was a hill located in the Wilderness of Ziph, in the region of Judah. It is mentioned in the context of David's flight from King Saul. The Ziphites, who inhabited the area, went to Saul at Gibeah and informed him that David was hiding in the strongholds at Hachilah (1Sa.23.19). Saul sought David in the Wilderness of Ziph and camped at Hachilah (1Sa.26.1, 3). David learned of Saul's presence and sent out spies to confirm his location. In a daring move, David and Abishai sneaked into Saul's camp at night and took Saul's spear and water jug, demonstrating that he could have killed Saul but chose to spare his life (1Sa.26.4-12). The hill of Hachilah served as a strategic hideout for David, providing him with a vantage point to monitor Saul's movements and evade capture. The exact location of Hachilah is not specified in the Bible, but it is described as being near the Wilderness of Ziph, which was located in the eastern part of the Judean wilderness.

Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Every mention

3 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)

1 Samuel 3 mentions

1 Samuel 23:19Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, “Doesn’t David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert?1 Samuel 26:1The Ziphites came to Saul to Gibeah, saying, “Doesn’t David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert?”1 Samuel 26:3Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert, by the way. But David stayed in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

What the dictionary says

The darksome hill, one of the peaks of the long ridge of el-Kolah, running out of the Ziph plateau, “on the south of Jeshimon” (i.e., of the “waste”), the…

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Read the article →

Sources