Place Old Testament
Helkath-hazzurim
Also known as Helkath-hazzurim =ESV, KJV; Helkath Hazzurim =NIV
Helkath-hazzurim, meaning "Field of Swords," was the site of a battle between David's men and those of Ish-bosheth, resulting in Abner's defeat (2Sa.2.16). Mentioned once in Scripture, at 2 Samuel 2:16.
Why it matters. Site of a battle between David's and Ish-bosheth's men
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.880, 35.280 (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 Helkath-hazzurim
Helkath-hazzurim, meaning "Field of Swords" or "Field of Hostilities," was the name given to a site where a battle took place between the men of David and those of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul (2Sa.2.16). After Saul's death, Ish-bosheth was proclaimed king over Israel, while David was anointed as king over Judah. The battle at Helkath-hazzurim was part of the ongoing conflict between the two factions. Twelve men from each side were chosen to fight in hand-to-hand combat, and they killed each other simultaneously. This led to a fierce battle in which David's men, under the leadership of Joab, defeated Abner and the men of Israel. The exact location of Helkath-hazzurim is not specified, but it was likely near Gibeon, where the two armies initially confronted each other (2Sa.2.13).
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 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
2 Samuel (1 verse)