Place Old Testament
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). Mentioned in 16 verses across 4 books, first at Joshua 15:44.
Why it matters. A town in the Shephelah of Judah, rescued by David
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.614, 35.003 (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 Keilah
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.
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 16 verses across 4 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.