And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
The Philistines ... pitched in Shunem. Having collected their forces for a last grand effort, they marched up from the sea coast, and encamped in the "valley of Jezreel." The spot on which their encampment was fixed was Shunem (Joshua 19:18), now Solam, a village which is situated on the slope of a range called 'little Hermon.' On the opposite side, on the rise of mount Gilboa, hard by "the spring of Jezreel," was Saul's army. The Philistines clung, as usual, to the plain, which was most suitable for those war-chariots of which their military armament principally consisted, and they took up an advantageous position for the free and effective use of that force in action. That of the Hebrews was badly selected. 'The ground slopes down gradually from Shunem to the very base of Gilboa at the fountain, while the hillside rises steeply from the plain. The Philistines had all the advantage of the gentle descent in their attack; both front and flanks of the Israelites were exposed to their onset, and the prospect of flight almost completely cut off by the steep hill behind' (Porter's 'Handbook,' p. 355).