Place Old Testament
Michmash
Also known as Michmash =ESV, KJV; Mikmash =NIV
Michmash, a town in Benjamin where Saul camped (1Sa.13.2, 5, 11, 16, 23) and near which Jonathan defeated a Philistine garrison (1Sa.14.5, 31). Mentioned in 11 verses across 4 books, first at 1 Samuel 13:2.
Why it matters. A town in Benjamin; site of Saul's camp and Jonathan's victory
- Location
- 31.870, 35.279 (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 Michmash
Michmash was a town in the territory of Benjamin, located about 7 miles north of Jerusalem. It is first mentioned in the Bible as the place where Saul gathered his troops to fight against the Philistines (1Sa.13.2). The Philistines had a garrison at Michmash, and their troops were encamped there (1Sa.13.5, 11, 16, 23). Jonathan, Saul's son, launched a daring attack on the Philistine garrison near Michmash, which led to a great victory for Israel (1Sa.14.5, 31). After the Babylonian exile, some people from Michmash returned to resettle in their hometown (Ezra 2:27; Nehemiah 7:31; 11:31). The prophet Isaiah mentions Michmash in his prophecy about the advance of the Assyrian army, indicating that it was on the route from the north to Jerusalem (Isaiah 10:28).
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 11 verses across 4 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.