Place Old Testament
Hachilah
Also known as Hachilah =ESV, KJV; Hakilah =NIV
Hachilah was a hill in the Wilderness of Ziph, where David hid from Saul and where the Ziphites revealed David's location to Saul (1Sa.23.19; 26:1, 3). Mentioned in 3 verses across 1 book, first at 1 Samuel 23:19.
Why it matters. A hill in the Wilderness of Ziph, near David's hideout.
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.467, 35.217 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Hachilah
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.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 3 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.