A fortified Shephelah city rescued by David from the Philistines, whose fickle inhabitants planned to hand him over to Saul.
city in Judah·4 Bible books·4 chapters·16 verse appearances
What and where is this?
Keilah lay in the lowlands of , identified with the tribal list in Joshua 15:44. It becomes prominent in 1 Samuel 23, where the Philistines are raiding its threshing floors. , though himself a fugitive, inquires of God and leads his men to defeat the Philistines and relieve the city. When Saul hears David is in a walled town and advances to besiege it, David again inquires of God through the ephod and learns that the men of Keilah would indeed surrender him. He and his men — now numbering about six hundred — escape before Saul arrives. The episode illustrates the dangerous ambiguity of David's status and the unreliability of those he protected. Keilah also appears in Nehemiah 3:17–18 among the districts whose leaders helped repair the walls of .
People, places, and events in this story
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Places in this story
Modern location: Khirbet Qila. Coordinates from OpenBible.info.
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Where this appears in Scripture
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