Editing Ziklag

{{Short description|Historic town in the Kingdom of Judah}}
{{about|the biblical town|the Christian dominionist organization|Ziklag (organization)}}
'''Ziklag''' ({{langx|he|צִקְלַג|Ṣiqlaḡ}}) is the [[Bible|biblical]] name of a town in the [[Negev]] region in the southwest of what was the [[Kingdom of Judah]]. It was a provincial town in the [[Philistine]] kingdom of [[Gath (city)|Gath]] when [[Achish]] was king.<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Samuel|27:5-6|NKJV}}</ref> Its exact location has not been identified with any certainty.

==Identification==
At least 14 sites have been proposed as the location of Ziklag.<ref name=Kelmer/> At the end of the 19th century, both [[Elusa (Haluza)|Haluza]] (by [[Wadi]] [[Asluj]], south of [[Beersheba]])<ref name="EnBib">Cheyne and Black, ''[[s:Encyclopaedia Biblica/Zereth Shahar-Zuzim#ZIKLAG|Encyclopedia Biblica]]''</ref> and Khirbet Zuheiliqah (northwest of Beersheba and south-southeast of [[Gaza City]]) had been suggested as possible locations.<ref name="JE">{{cite encyclopedia |title= Ziklag |url= http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=121&letter=Z&search=ziklag |encyclopedia= Jewish Encyclopedia}}</ref><ref name="Easton">{{cite web|title=Ziklag|publisher=Easton's Bible Dictionary|url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/easton/ebd2.html?term=Ziklag}}</ref> Conder and Kitchener identified Khirbet Zuheiliqah as the location on the basis of ''Ziklag'' being a corruption of ''Zahaliku'', whence also ''Zuheiliqah''.<ref name="EnBib"/>

The more recently proposed identifications for Ziklag are:
*[[Albrecht Alt]] (1883–1956) proposed [[Tel Halif]]/[[Tell el-Khuweilifeh]], just beside kibbutz [[Lahav]], some {{Convert|10|mi|km}} northeast of [[Beersheba]].<ref name=Woudstra>{{cite book |title= The Book of Joshua |series= The New International Commentary on the Old Testament |author= Marten Woudstra |year= 1981 |location= Grand Rapids, Michigan |publisher=[[William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company]] |pages= 245, 373 |isbn= 9780802825254 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BfG1svPVYyQC&pg=PA373 |access-date=1 May 2015 }}</ref><ref name=NegevGibson/> Due to this identification, for some time Lahav was officially named Tzekleg.<ref>[https://www.lhv.co.il/http_new/index.asp?sitename= ברוכים הבאים לאתר של קיבוץ להב], Kibbutz Lahav ofiicial website </ref>
*[[Tell esh-Sharia]] (Arabic) or [[:he:תל שרע|Tel Sera (Hebrew)]].<ref name=Woudstra/><ref name=NegevGibson>{{cite book|title=Sharia, Tell esh-|work=Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land|editor=Negev, A. |editor2=Gibson, S.|year=2001|pages=458–9|publisher=Continuum |isbn=9780826485717|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=27nq65cZUIgC&q=Sharia+%28tell+esh-%29&pg=PA458}}</ref> In June 2020, [[Moshe Garsiel]] and Bath-Sheva Garsiel suggested that since the name of the Tell as well as the Wadi both mean "law" in Arabic, it commemorates David's law of sharing the spoils of war between the warriors and those left behind, which occurred in the vicinity (1 Sam 30: 22–26).<ref>{{cite web |last=Winston |first=Alex |date=21 July 2020 |title=Biblical site of Ziklag finally identified? |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/biblical-site-of-ziklag-finally-identified-635127 |website=[[Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref>
*[[Tel Zayit]]<ref>[http://www.zeitah.net/overview.html The Zeita Excavations - project overview] {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071210032236/http://www.zeitah.net/overview.html |date=December 10, 2007 }}.</ref>
*[[Khirbet a-Ra'i|Khirbet a-Ra‘i]] in the [[Shephelah]], close to modern-day [[Kiryat Gat]], proposed in 2019<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-09 |title=Une ancienne cité philistine découverte en Israël |trans-title=Ancient Philistine City Discovered in Israel |url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/une-ancienne-cite-philistine-decouverte-en-israel-20190709 |access-date=2019-07-10 |website=Le Figaro |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=AFP |date=2019-07-09 |title=En Israël, des archéologues affirment avoir découvert la ville biblique de Ziklag |trans-title=In Israel, archaeologists claim to have discovered the biblical city of Ziklag |url=https://www.geo.fr/histoire/en-israel-des-archeologues-affirment-avoir-decouvert-la-ville-biblique-de-ziklag-196478 |access-date=2019-07-10 |website=Geo.fr |language=fr}}</ref> by excavating archaeologist [[Yosef Garfinkel]] and contested mainly on grounds of biblical geography and lacking name continuity by [[Aren Maeir]] and [[Israel Finkelstein]].<ref name="Rai2019">{{cite news |url= https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-archaeologists-say-theyve-found-king-davids-city-of-refuge-a-debate-begins/ |title= As archaeologists say they've found King David's city of refuge, a debate begins |author= Amanda Borschel-Dan |newspaper= The Times of Israel |date=8 July 2019}}</ref> Kyle Kelmer supported this identification in 2023.<ref name=Kelmer>{{cite journal | author = Kyle H. Keimer | year = 2023 | title = Biblical Ziklag: the Case for Khirbet er-Ra'i | journal = Palestine Exploration Quarterly | volume = 155 | issue = 2 | pages = 115–134 | doi = 10.1080/00310328.2022.2030182| s2cid = 246508717 }}</ref>

==In the Bible==
===Philistines' original base===
The [[Book of Genesis]] (in {{bibleverse||Genesis|10:14|HE}}) refers to ''[[Casluhim]]'' as the origin of the [[Philistines]]. Biblical scholars regard this as an [[eponym]] rather than a person, and it is thought possible that the name is a corruption of ''Halusah''; with the identification of Ziklag as Haluza, this suggests that Ziklag was the original base from which the Philistines captured the remainder of their territory.<ref name="EnBib"/> It has also been proposed that Ziklag subsequently became the capital of the [[Cherethites]].<ref name="EnBib"/>

===Tribal allotment===
In the [[Book of Joshua]]'s lists of cities of the Israelites by tribe, Ziklag appears both as a town belonging to the [[Tribe of Judah]] ({{bibleverse||Joshua|15:31|HE}}) and as a town belonging to the [[Tribe of Simeon]] ({{bibleverse||Joshua|19:5|HE}}). [[Textual criticism|Textual scholars]] believe these lists were originally independent administrative documents, not necessarily dating from the same time, and hence reflecting changing tribal boundaries.<ref name="JE"/>

===David receives Philistine Ziklag===
[[1 Samuel 30]] claims that by the time of [[David]], the town was under the control of [[Philistines]], but subsequently was given by their king – [[Achish]] – to David, who at that time was seemingly acting as a [[vassal]] of the Philistines. David requested "a place in one of the country towns" and was awarded Ziklag, which he used as a base for raids against the [[Geshurites]], the Girzites, and the [[Amalekites]],<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Samuel|27:8|NKJV}}</ref> which he conducted away from Achish's oversight.<ref>[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/1_samuel/27.htm Ellicott's Commentary for Modern Readers on 1 Samuel 27], accessed 29 May 2017</ref> David's reports to Achish say that he had been conducting raids on [[Saul]]'s lands in southern [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|Judah]] and on the [[Jerahmeelite]]s.

[[Biblical criticism|Biblical scholars]] argue that the town was probably on the eastern fringe of the Philistines' territory, and that it was natural for it to be annexed to Judah when David became king.<ref name="BlackPeake1962">{{cite book|author1=Matthew Black|author2=Arthur Samuel Peake|title=Peake's Commentary on the Bible|url=https://archive.org/details/peakescommentary00blac|url-access=registration|year=1962|publisher=T. Nelson}}</ref> Since textual scholars regard the compilation of the Book of Joshua as late, probably due to the [[deuteronomist]], it is possible that the tribal allocations in it date from after this annexation, rather than before.<ref name="BlackPeake1962"/>

===David and the Amalekites===
According to [[1 Samuel 30]], while David was encamped with the Philistine army for an attack on the [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|Kingdom of Israel]], [[Amalekite]]s raided Ziklag, burning the town and capturing its population without killing them (scholars{{Who|date=November 2022}} think this capture refers to [[slavery|enslavement]]). But none of the archaeological sites that have been proposed to be Ziklag show any evidence of destruction during the era of David.<ref>{{citation|publisher=Biblical Archaeology Review|title=Where is David's Ziklag?|date=May–June 1993|url=http://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=19&Issue=3&ArticleID=8|first=Volkmar|last=Fritz}}</ref>

In the narrative, when David's men discover that their families have been captured, they become angry with David. David seeks the face of his God to determine whether to pursue the Amalekites. The Lord answers and says to pursue them for he would recover all. Initially, 600 men go in pursuit, but a third of them are too exhausted to go further than the [[HaBesor Stream]]. They find an abandoned and starving slave, formerly belonging to one of the Amalekites who had raided Ziklag, and after giving him [[Fig-cake (fruit)|fig cake]], [[raisin]] cake, and water, persuade him to lead them to the Amalekite raiders. The slave leads them to the captors' camp and finds them feasting and celebrating, due to the size of their spoil; David's forces engage in battle with them for a night and a day, and are victorious.

Textual scholars ascribe this narrative to the ''[[monarchial source]]'' of the [[Books of Samuel]]; the ''rival'' source, known as the ''[[republican source]]'' (named this due to its negative presentation of David, Saul, and other kings), does not at first glance appear to contain a similar narrative. The same narrative position is occupied in the ''republican source'' by the story of [[Nabal]],<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=131&letter=S&search=samuel |encyclopedia= Jewish Encyclopedia |title= Books of Samuel }}</ref> who lived in the region south of [[Hebron]] (which includes the Negev).<ref name="BlackPeake1962"/> There are some similarities between the narratives, including David leading an army in revenge (for Nabal's unwillingness to give provisions to David), with 400 of the army going ahead and 200 staying behind,<ref name="BlackPeake1962"/> as well as David gaining [[Abigail]] as a wife (though in the Ziklag narrative he ''regains'' her), as well as several provisions, and a jovial feast in the enemy camp (i.e., Nabal's property). There are also several differences, such as the victory and provisions being obtained by Abigail's peaceful actions rather than a heroic victory by David, the 200 that stayed behind doing so to protect the ''baggage'' rather than due to exhaustion, the main [[secondary character]] being the wife of the enemy (Nabal) rather than their former slave, David's forces being joined by damsels rather than rejoining their wives, and Nabal rather than the Amalekites being the enemy.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

The Books of Samuel go on to mention that as a result, the people the Amalekites took were released, and the spoil that the Amalekites had taken, including livestock, and spoil from attacks elsewhere, were divided among David's men, including the third that had remained at the [[Besor]]. This ruling, that even those left behind would get a share, is a response by David to those who believed only the two-thirds of David's men who had battled with the Amalekites should get a reward. A similar ruling is given in the [[Priestly Code]] ({{bibleverse||Numbers|31:27|HE}}) and in {{bibleverse||Joshua|22:8|HE}}. Scholars{{Who|date=November 2010}} believe that these rulings derive from the decision in regard to the Amalekite spoil, rather than vice versa.<ref name="BlackPeake1962"/>

According to the text, once back at Ziklag, David sends portions of the spoil to the various community leaders ''within Judah''; the text gives a list of the locations of the recipients, but they are all just within the Negev.<ref name="BlackPeake1962"/>

==See also==
*''[[Days of Ziklag]]'', 1958 novel by Israeli author S. Yizhar

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Blakely, Jeffrey, "The Location of Medieval/Pre-Modern and Biblical Ziklag", ''Palestine Exploration Quarterly'', 139,1 (2007), 21–26.

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hebrew Bible cities]]
[[Category:Philistine cities]]
[[Category:Casluhim]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Judah]]
[[Category:Negev]]