A city given to David; originally Judah's, then Simeon's
Ziklag
Named in 12 verses across 5 books, first in Joshua 15:31.
צִקְלַגZiklag
The name means “measure pressed down.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869
About Ziklag Written by AI
Ziklag was a city located in the Negev region of Judah, initially allotted to the tribe of Judah (Jos.15.31) and later to Simeon (Jos.19.5; 1Ch.4.30). The Philistine king Achish of Gath gave the city to David when he fled from King Saul (1Sa.27.6). David and his men lived there for over a year, making raids on the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites (1Sa.27.8-9). While David and his men were away, the Amalekites attacked and burned Ziklag, taking captive the women and children (1Sa.30.1-2). David pursued them, defeated them, and recovered all that was taken (1Sa.30.18-20). David sent some of the spoils from this victory to his friends in Judah (1Sa.30.26). After Saul's death, David departed from Ziklag to go to Hebron (2Sa.1.1). During David's reign, some Benjamites and Manassites defected to him at Ziklag (1Ch.12.1,20). In the time of Nehemiah, Ziklag was reinhabited by the people of Judah (Neh.11.28). Its exact location is uncertain.
Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.
Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897
A town in the Negeb, or south country of Judah (Josh. 15:31), in the possession of the Philistines when David fled to Gath from Ziph with all his followers. Achish, the king, assigned him Ziklag as his place of residence. There he dwelt for over a year and four months. From this time it pertained to the kings of Judah (1 Sam. 27:6). During his absence with his army to join the Philistine expedition against the Israelites (29:11), it was destroyed by the Amalekites (30:1, 2), whom David, however, pursued and utterly routed, returning all the captives (1 Sam. 30:26-31). Two days after his return from this expedition, David received tidings of the disastrous battle of Gilboa and of the death of Saul (2 Sam. 1:1-16). He now left Ziklag and returned to Hebron, along with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, and his band of 600 men. It has been identified with ‘Asluj, a heap of ruins south of Beersheba. Conder, however, identifies it with Khirbet Zuheilikah, ruins found on three hills half a mile apart, some seventeen miles north-west of Beersheba, on the confines of Philistia, Judah, and Amalek.
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.
31.378, 34.874 See it on a map
Where the Bible names it
- Joshua 15:31
Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
- Joshua 19:5
Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah,
- 1 Samuel 27:6
That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah.
- 1 Samuel 30:1
On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down.
- 1 Samuel 30:14
We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”
- 1 Samuel 30:26
When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”
- 2 Samuel 1:1
After the death of Saul, David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.
- 2 Samuel 4:10
when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news!
- 1 Chronicles 4:30
Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,
- 1 Chronicles 12:1
Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who helped him in battle;
- 1 Chronicles 12:20
When David went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.
- Nehemiah 11:28
in Ziklag; in Meconah and its villages;
From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.