And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.
David abode ... in the wilderness of Ziph. A mountainous and sequestered region was generally called a wilderness, and took its name from some large town in the district. Two miles southeast of Hebron, and in the midst of a level plain, is Tell Ziph, an isolated and conical hillock, about 100 feet high, probably the acropolis (Van de Velde), or the ruins (Robinson), of the ancient city of Ziph, from which the surrounding wilderness was called. It seems, anciently, to have been covered by an extensive wood. The country has for centuries lost its woods and forests, owing to the devastations caused by man.