Place Old Testament
Nob
Nob was a city of priests near Jerusalem, known for a massacre ordered by King Saul and as a temporary location of the Ark of the Covenant. Mentioned in 6 verses across 3 books, first at 1 Samuel 21:1.
Why it matters. A city of priests near Jerusalem
- Location
- 31.800, 35.233 (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 Nob
Nob was a city of priests located near Jerusalem, possibly between the city and Anathoth (1Sam. 21:1; 22:9, 11, 19; Neh. 11:32; Isa. 10:32). It is most notable as the site where King Saul ordered the massacre of the priests who had assisted David when he was fleeing from Saul (1Sam. 22:11-19). Ahimelech, the priest at Nob, had provided David with the sacred bread of the Presence and the sword of Goliath (1Sam. 21:1-9). Nob was also one of the places where the Ark of the Covenant was kept for a time during its travels (2Sam. 6:1). The exact location of Nob is uncertain, but it was likely situated on a hill north of Jerusalem, possibly at Ras el-Mesharif or another nearby site that afforded a view of the city.
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 6 verses across 3 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.