Adullam

Biblical Text

Adullam appears in several books of the Old Testament.

• Genesis 38:1, 12, 20: Judah leaves his brothers and turns in to "a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah." Hirah appears as Judah's friend.
• Joshua 12:15; 15:35: "The king of Adullam" is listed among the Canaanite kings conquered by Joshua. Adullam also appears in the list of towns in the lowland allotted to the tribe of Judah.
• 1 Samuel 22:1–2: David escapes from Gath and takes refuge in "the cave Adullam." His brothers and all his father's house go down to him there. About four hundred men, "every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented," gather to him, and he becomes their captain.
• 2 Samuel 23:13–17; 1 Chronicles 11:15–19: While the Philistines are encamped in the Valley of Rephaim, David is in the cave of Adullam. Three mighty men draw water from the well by the gate of Bethlehem and bring it to him, but David refuses to drink it and pours it out to the LORD.
• 2 Chronicles 11:7: Adullam is listed among the towns Rehoboam built as fortified cities.
• Nehemiah 11:30: Adullam is named as one of the places where the people of Judah lived after the return from exile.
• Micah 1:15: Adullam appears in a prophecy of judgment: "he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel."

Location and Background

Adullam lay in the low hill country between the hill country of Judah and the Philistine coastal plain. The New Korean Revised Version renders this region (Hebrew Shephelah) as "the plain"; in English it is commonly called the lowland or the Shephelah. Scholars often identify Adullam with a site southwest of Bethlehem near the Valley of Elah, but the identification is not certain. The area has many limestone caves well suited to serve as places of refuge. Because the town also lay along a route where Philistine and Judahite territory met, Rehoboam's fortification of it is thought to reflect this geography. The etymology of the name is uncertain.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The cave of Adullam is the place most closely associated with the period when David was a fugitive pursued by Saul. There people pushed to the margins of society gathered around David and formed a band that later became the foundation of his kingdom. The New Testament does not mention Adullam directly. However, Hebrews 11:33–38 speaks of people of faith who "wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth," and this passage is sometimes read alongside David's life in the cave.

Interpretation and Issues

• Connection with the Psalms: The superscriptions of Psalms 57 and 142 state that David composed them when he was "in the cave." Because the superscriptions do not specify whether this was the cave of Adullam or the cave at En-gedi (1 Samuel 24), interpretations differ.
• Relationship to "the hold": Scholars disagree on whether "the hold" (stronghold) in 1 Samuel 22:4–5 and 2 Samuel 23:14 should be identified with the cave of Adullam.
• The four hundred and the mighty men: Sermons often describe the four hundred men of Adullam as having been transformed into David's mighty men. The text, however, does not directly state that these four hundred were the same men as the mighty men of 2 Samuel 23. Linking the two passages is a matter of interpretation.
• Meaning of the name: Glosses such as "refuge" are sometimes used in preaching, but they lack an established etymological basis.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, the cave of Adullam is frequently presented as a picture of wounded and marginalized people gathering to form a community. The name "Adullam" is also used for small groups, recovery ministries, relief organizations, and similar bodies.