What is Keilah in the Bible?
Town that David saved from a Philistine attack and then left when the LORD warned that its people would hand him over to Saul.
Keilah is a walled town of Judah that David rescued from the Philistines. It lay in the lowland (Shephelah) of Judah, southwest of Jerusalem.
Keilah in the Bible
Joshua lists it among a group of nine cities with their villages (Joshua 15:44). When the Philistines attacked Keilah and robbed its threshing floors, David asked the LORD whether to go. His men were afraid, so he asked again, and the LORD promised victory.
David and his men struck the Philistines, carried off their cattle, and saved the town's inhabitants (1 Samuel 23:1-5). Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David there, bringing an ephod (1 Samuel 23:6). Saul believed David was trapped in a town with gates and bars and gathered his forces to besiege it (1 Samuel 23:7-8).
David asked the LORD whether the men of Keilah would hand him over, and the LORD answered that they would. So David and about six hundred men left, and Saul gave up the expedition (1 Samuel 23:12-13). After the exile, Hashabiah and Bavai, each ruler of half the district of Keilah, helped repair Jerusalem's wall (Nehemiah 3:17-18).
Judah's genealogy also mentions Keilah the Garmite (1 Chronicles 4:19).
- Role
- Town in Judah
- First mention
- Joshua 15:44
- Appearances in the Bible
- 16 mentions
Questions about Keilah
What is Keilah in the Bible?
Keilah is a walled town of Judah that David rescued from the Philistines. It lay in the lowland (Shephelah) of Judah, southwest of Jerusalem. Joshua lists it among a group of nine cities with their villages (Joshua 15:44). When the Philistines attacked Keilah and robbed its threshing floors, David asked the LORD whether to go. His men were afraid, so he asked again, and the LORD promised victory. David and his men struck the Philistines, carried off their cattle, and saved the town's inhabitants (1 Samuel 23:1-5). Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David there, bringing an ephod (1 Samuel 23:6). Saul believed David was trapped in a town with gates and bars and gathered his forces to besiege it (1 Samuel 23:7-8). David asked the LORD whether the men of Keilah would hand him over, and the LORD answered that they would. So David and about six hundred men left, and Saul gave up the expedition (1 Samuel 23:12-13). After the exile, Hashabiah and Bavai, each ruler of half the district of Keilah, helped repair Jerusalem's wall (Nehemiah 3:17-18). Judah's genealogy also mentions Keilah the Garmite (1 Chronicles 4:19).
Where is Keilah first mentioned in the Bible?
Keilah is first mentioned in Joshua 15:44.
How many times is Keilah mentioned in the Bible?
Number of mentions in the Bible: 16.