Place Old Testament
Zela
Zela was a city in Benjamin where Saul and his family were buried . Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at Joshua 18:28.
Why it matters. A city in Benjamin where Saul's family was buried
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.793, 35.197 (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 Zela
Zela was a city located in the territory allotted to the tribe of Benjamin (Jos.18.28). It is mentioned as part of a group of fourteen cities north of Jerusalem, though its exact location is uncertain. Some suggest it may be identified with Khirbet Salah between Jerusalem and Gibeon. Notably, Zela contained the ancestral tomb of Kish, the father of King Saul. After Saul and his sons were killed by the Philistines, David had their bones buried in this tomb at Zela (2Sa.21.14). The name Zela in Hebrew may mean "rib" or "side" as of a hill. Zela is possibly the same as Zilu mentioned in the Tell el-Amarna Letters.
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 2 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.