And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?

1 SAMUEL 26:1KJV
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1 Samuel 26:1 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 26:1 mean?

1 Samuel 26:1 describes local people giving King Saul information about David’s hiding place. Their report brings David’s location to the attention of the king who is pursuing him, setting another encounter between the two men in motion.

The Ziphites phrase their report as a question: “Doth not David hide himself…?” Their words identify a hill near a wilderness area, giving Saul a landmark for his search.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 26:1

  • “before” — פָּנִים (panim): This word can refer to the front or face of something. Here it describes the hill’s position in relation to Jeshimon, rather than saying that the hill existed earlier in time.
  • “Jeshimon” — יְשִׁימוֹן (yeshimon): The word is associated with a desolate place or wilderness. The KJV presents it as a place name, marking the landscape near David’s hiding place.

Why 1 Samuel 26:1 matters

  • The report comes from people familiar with the area, not from Saul’s own search party. The verse names them as the Ziphites and says they came to Saul at Gibeah.
  • The Ziphites had reported David’s whereabouts before. In 1 Samuel 23:19, they also told Saul that David was hiding near Hachilah.
  • The report leads to a search, but it does not give Saul possession of David. In 1 Samuel 26:2–3, Saul goes into the wilderness and camps near the hill while David remains in the wilderness.

Where else these words appear

“Ziphites” Hebrew H2130 · used in 3 verses

  • 1 Samuel 23:19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?
  • Psalms 54:1 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us? Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.

“Hachilah” Hebrew H2444 · used in 3 verses

  • 1 Samuel 23:19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?
  • 1 Samuel 26:3 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

“Jeshimon” Hebrew H3452 · used in 13 verses

  • Numbers 21:20 And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.
  • 1 Samuel 23:24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.
  • Psalms 106:14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.

“Gibeah” Hebrew H1390 · used in 43 verses

  • Joshua 15:57 Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:
  • Judges 20:21 And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.
  • 1 Samuel 14:16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.