Sela-hammahlekoth

Biblical Text

Sela-hammahlekoth is a place name that appears only in 1 Samuel 23. After the Ziphites reported David's hiding place to Saul (1 Samuel 23:19), Saul led his men in pursuit of David. David fled to the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon (1 Samuel 23:24–25). Saul went along one side of the mountain, while David and his men went along the other. As Saul's forces were closing in to seize David, a messenger arrived with news that the Philistines had invaded the land (1 Samuel 23:26–27). Saul broke off the pursuit and went to fight the Philistines, and the text records that for this reason the place was called Sela-hammahlekoth (1 Samuel 23:28). David then went up to the strongholds of En-gedi (1 Samuel 23:29).

Name and Background

The Hebrew word sela means "rock." The meaning of hammahlekoth is explained in two ways. If it is derived from a root meaning "to divide" or "to separate," the name means "Rock of Division," that is, the rock where Saul and David parted. If it is derived from a root meaning "to be slippery," the name means "Rock of Escape," the rock where David slipped away. Both interpretations are reflected in English translations.

The wilderness of Maon is an arid hill region south of Hebron. Sela-hammahlekoth is thought to have been a rock or ridge within that region, but its exact location has not been identified. Scholars have proposed several valleys and rocky areas as candidates, but there is no consensus.

Biblical Significance

This episode is one scene in the larger narrative of David repeatedly escaping danger while pursued by Saul. The text does not state directly that God caused the Philistine invasion. However, 1 Samuel 23:14 records, "but God delivered him not into his hand." For this reason, many interpreters read the event as an example of David being protected by God's providence. The name Sela-hammahlekoth does not appear in the New Testament.

The superscription of Psalm 54 states that the psalm was composed when the Ziphites told Saul where David was hiding, and so the psalm is sometimes read in light of the circumstances of this period. A report by the Ziphites, however, also appears in 1 Samuel 26.

Interpretation and Issues

• The first element of the name, sela, resembles the Selah that appears frequently in the Psalms (the two are spelled identically in Korean), but they are different Hebrew words. The Selah of the Psalms is thought to be a marker related to music or recitation, whereas the sela here is a common noun meaning "rock."
• Translators and commentators differ on whether the name should be understood as "division" or "escape." It is difficult to determine from the text alone which is correct.
• In preaching, the place is often interpreted as "the place where a way of escape opened in a moment of crisis." This is an application drawn from the circumstances of the text; the place name itself does not definitively carry that meaning.