Skip to content

Place Old Testament

Siphmoth

Siphmoth was one of the towns in southern Judah that received a share of the spoils from David after he defeated the Amalekites (1Sam. 30:28). Mentioned once in Scripture, at 1 Samuel 30:28.

Why it matters. Town in southern Judah that received spoils from David

Primary passages
Location
31.374, 35.075 (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 Siphmoth

Siphmoth is mentioned only once in the Bible, in the context of David's distribution of the spoils after his victory over the Amalekites (1Sam. 30:28). After rescuing his wives and the families of his men from the Amalekites who had raided Ziklag, David sent gifts from the plunder to the elders of various towns in Judah, including Siphmoth. This gesture was likely intended to strengthen David's relationships with these towns and gain their support as he sought to establish his kingdom. The exact location of Siphmoth is unknown, but it was probably situated in the southern part of Judah, near other towns mentioned in the same passage, such as Aroer, Eshtemoa, and Hormah. The name "Siphmoth" may be derived from the Hebrew word "sapham," meaning "to cover" or "to hide," possibly indicating a concealed or protected location. However, the significance of the name remains uncertain due to the limited information provided in the biblical text.

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.

Record type: Place. FaithGraph explanations on this page are editorial and are not Scripture.