Biblical History【Biblical History】Adullam Cave
Adullam Cave
Adullam is an ancient Canaanite city located in the Shephelah hill country on the western side of the Judean Mountains in Israel. It was inhabited as early as the Patriarchal period in the 20th century BC (Genesis 38:1). By the early 15th century BC, when the Israelites entered Canaan, the area already had established towns. (Joshua 12:15, 15:35)
The city of Adullam is located between David’s hometown of Bethlehem and the Philistine city of Gath; it is about 20 kilometers east of Bethlehem and 15 kilometers west of Gath, at the eastern end of the Valley of Elah. As a youth, David killed the Philistine giant Goliath in the Valley of Elah. (1 Samuel 17:41-51; 21:9) In the complex terrain of the valleys around the Valley of Elah, there are many limestone caves scattered about. One of these caves, located near the city of Adullam, is what the Bible refers to as the Cave of Adullam. (1 Samuel 22:1)
Internal troubles continually led to external threats (see: 1 Kings 20:1; 2 Kings 6:24, etc.), ultimately resulting in the fall of Samaria to the Assyrian Empire in 722 BC. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed, and its people were taken into captivity. (2 Kings 17:5-6)
In the approximately 700 years following Assyrian rule, Samaria successively experienced rule under Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Judean Hasmonean Dynasty, and Roman regimes. In 30 BC, Herod the Great, the Roman-appointed ruler of Judea, rebuilt Samaria and renamed it Sebaste (Sebastiyeh) in honor of Caesar Augustus.
The first mention of Adullam in the Bible is in Genesis Chapter 38. After Judah proposed to his brothers to sell their brother Joseph into slavery, he left home and went to his friend Hirah the Adullamite. There he married a Canaanite woman and had three sons. (Genesis 38:1-5)
When the Israelites left Egypt and entered Canaan, Adullam was one of the thirty-one Canaanite city-states that were captured. (Joshua 12:7-8, 15)
When the Israelites divided the land of Canaan, Adullam was assigned to the tribe of Judah.
During Saul’s reign (about 1050-1010 BC), David fled to the Cave of Adullam for a period of time to escape Saul’s pursuit. The choice of this as a hiding place may be due to David’s interest in this area. The relatively familiar, complex and steep terrain facilitates maneuverability and concealment. Soon after, his brothers and his father’s family left their homes and came to the Cave of Adullam; in addition, about 400 people “who were in embarrassment, in debt, and troubled in spirit” also fled here to follow the Lord. David; (1 Sam. 22:1-5) Some of them later became David’s mighty men. (2 Samuel 23:13)
Hiding in the dark cave, the danger of Saul’s pursuit would come at any time, and the hardship of hunger and cold was excruciating; but even though David fell into such a difficult and desperate situation, he still showed firm faith and praise to God. Feelings. The writing background of Psalm 57 may have been written while hiding in the cave of Adullam or En-Gedi.
After the division of the United Kingdom of Israel, King Rehoboam of Judah (c. 931-913 BC) fortified the city, including Adullam. (2 Chronicles 11:7)
During Nehemiah’s first term as governor of Judah (ca. 444-432 BC), a portion of the people of Judah who had returned from Babylon lived in Adullam. (Nehemiah 11:30)
Lord, I will praise you among the people and sing your praises among the nations! For your love reaches to the heavens; your truth reaches to the firmament. (Psalm 57:9-10)
At harvest time, three of the thirty warriors went down to the cave of Adullam to meet David. The Philistine army camped in the Valley of Lifuyin.
《2 Samuel 23：13》
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【Biblical History】Adullam Cave Bibliography
Bibliography
1. Books
– Bai Yunxiao. *Dictionary of Biblical Place Names*. Beijing Central Compilation and Translation Press, December 2001.
– Ma Ziyi. *Biblical Geography*. Shanghai Xuelin Press, July 2005.
– Liang Tianshu. *Concise Bible History and Geography Illustrated*. Shanghai People’s Publishing House, November 2006.
– John H. Walton. Old Testament Background and Chronology (Revised and Expanded Edition), translated by Liang Jieqiong. Huashen Publishing House, 1998.
– Wayne House. New Testament Background and Chronology (Revised and Expanded Edition), translated by Cai Lizhen. China Evangelical Seminary Press, 2000.
– John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas. *Old Testament Bible Background Commentary*, translated by Li Yongming, Xu Chengde, and Huang Fenghao. Campus Evangelical Fellowship Press, July 2006.
– Cai Jintu. *Atlas of Biblical and Church History*. Chinese Bible Society.
– Susan Chen. *Joshua Study Guide*, part of the SOWIM’s Bible Study Video Series. Dao Sheng Publishing House.
After that, the king of Syria gathered his entire army from Hadad and came up to besiege Samaria.
《2 Kings 6：24》
