Page 76 - Advanced Bible Geography ebook

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Beersheba

Beersheba means the “well of seven.” In Genesis 21:31, Abraham and Abimelech took an oath of
witness that the former had dug the well and seven ewe lambs were offered in sacrifice. Isaac took an
oath here and on the same day found water. He called it Shibah.

Beersheba marked the southern limit of Judah, though theoretically this extended to the “river of Egypt”
(Gen 15:18). South of Beersheba begins a great desert Negev, so it is the extreme border of cultivated
land. “From Dan to Beersheba” was proverbial expressions identifying the northern and southern
borders of Israel

Ziklag

It was a Biblical town located in the Negev region in Southern
Judah. It was a provincial town within the Philistine Kingdom of
Gath when Achish was king. This town was given to David who
appeared to be acting as a vassal of the Philistines while David
was fleeing from Saul. David used the city as his home base.
According to I Sam. 30, while David was encamped with the
Philistine army in the Jezreel Valley, the Amalekites attacked the town burning the buildings and
capturing the population, including David’s two wives and children. When David’s men discovered that
their families had been captured, they went in pursuit but a third of them were too exhausted to
continue. Finding an abandoned slave, David gave him a fig cake, a raisin cake, and water, and
persuaded him to lead them to the Amalekite raiders. David found raiders feasting and celebrating, so
David engaged in battle with them for a night and day and ultimately became victorious.

Two days after return from this expedition, David received tidings of the disastrous battle at Mt. Gilboa
and the death of Saul and his sons (2 Sam 1:1-16). He left Ziklag and returned to Hebron, along with his
band of 600 men and all their families. It was in Hebron that David was made King of Judah.

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