Adullam
Adullam is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet esh Sheikh Madhkur. It appears across 9 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Adullam carries one of the richest narrative histories of any city in the Hebrew Bible. It first appears in Genesis 38:1, 12 as the home of Judah's Canaanite friend Hirah and the setting for the story of Judah and Tamar. Joshua 12:15 records it as a Canaanite royal city whose king Joshua defeated in the conquest. In the era of the judges, Adullam's cave became the refuge of David when he fled from Saul (1 Samuel 22:1–2), and it was here that his "mighty men" first gathered — a ragged band of four hundred who would become Israel's most celebrated warriors. The cave of Adullam is also the setting for the moving episode in 2 Samuel 23:13–17 where David, longing for water from the well at Bethlehem, received it at the cost of three warriors who broke through Philistine lines, then refused to drink it, pouring it out as an offering to the LORD. The city was later fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11:7), resettled after the Babylonian exile (Nehemiah 11:30), and invoked by Micah (1:15) in his lament over Judah's coming judgment.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Adullam is identified with Khirbet esh-Sheikh Madhkur (also called Khirbet Aid el-Ma), a substantial ruin mound in the Judean Shephelah approximately midway between Beit Guvrin and Bethlehem. The site was surveyed by the Palestine Exploration Fund in the nineteenth century and subsequently re-examined in more recent surveys. Iron Age pottery attesting to occupation during the period of the monarchy has been found at the surface. The cave tradition associated with David is generally connected to the extensive limestone cave systems in the surrounding hills, particularly near Deir Dubban. While a definitive excavation identifying the city remains unpublished, the geographic and archaeological evidence supports the traditional identification with reasonable confidence.
Verse Appearances (9)
Gen
1Sam
2Sam
1Chr
2Chr
Neh
Mic
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →