Keilah

Keilah, a town in the Shephelah of Judah, was rescued by David from Philistine attack but later threatened to betray him to Saul (Joshua 15:44; 1Samuel 23).

Keilah was a town located in the Shephelah, or lowland region, of Judah (Joshua 15:44). During the time of King Saul, the Philistines attacked Keilah and robbed the threshing floors. David, who was fleeing from Saul at the time, inquired of the Lord and was directed to go and save Keilah (1Sa.23.1-5). David and his men successfully defended the town against the Philistines. However, when Saul heard that David was in Keilah, he planned to besiege the city and capture him. David again sought the Lord's guidance and learned that the people of Keilah would surrender him to Saul. As a result, David and his men left Keilah and continued to evade Saul (1Sa.23.7-13). Keilah is also mentioned in the genealogies of Judah (1Ch.4.19) and in the context of the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls during the time of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:17-18). The exact location of Keilah is uncertain, but it is believed to be in the western foothills of Judah, possibly at the site of Khirbet Qila, about 8 miles northwest of Hebron.

Citadel, a city in the lowlands of Judah (Josh. 15:44). David rescued it from the attack of the Philistines (1 Sam. 23:1-8); but the inhabitants proving unfaithful to him, in that they sought to deliver him up to Saul (13), he and his men “departed from Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go.” They fled to the hill Hareth, about 3 miles to the east, and thence through Hebron to Ziph (q.v.). “And David was in the wilderness of Ziph, in a wood” (1 Sam. 23:15). Here Jonathan sought him out, “and strengthened his hand in God.” This was the last interview between David and Jonathan (23:16-18). It is the modern Khurbet Kila. Others identify it with Khuweilfeh, between Beit Jibrin (Eleutheropolis) and Beersheba, mentioned in the Amarna tablets.