5. From Nob, David made his way down the mountains to Gath, at that time the head of the Philistine league. Here he was suspected by the Philistines, and compelled to escape by a stratagem. (1 Sam. 21:10-15.)
6. He found a hiding place in the Cave of Adullam. This was in the Shefelah, or low country, perhaps at Beit-jibrin, where immense caverns are found. Here a force of men gathered around him, and his aged parents and brothers joined him, probably from a well-grounded fear, that Saul, who about this time slaughtered the priests for an act of kindness to David, would not scruple to kill the members of his family. (1 Sam. 22:1, 2.)
7. To find a safe refuge for his parents, David left Judah, and went into the land of Moab. Here he placed his parents in the care of the king of Moab, while David and his men took up their abode at Mizpeh of Moab, in a place called "the hold." This may have been at Kerak. (1 Sam. 22:3-5.)
8. By the advice of the prophet Gad, who probably had been one of his companions at Samuel's "school of the prophets," in Ramah, David led his little army back to the land of Judah, and made his headquarters in the Forest of Hareth (perhaps Kharas, in the mountains near Hebron). Here he received news of the massacre of the priests, and was joined by Abiathar, bearing the ephod of the high-priest. (1 Sam. 22:5, 20-23.)
9. Next, he led his men to Keilah (Kilah, in the mountains northwest of Hebron), to repel an attack of the Philistines. But, learning that the ungrateful people were about to betray him to Saul, he removed in haste to the wilderness between Hebron and the Dead Sea, called Jeshimon, "waste." (1 Sam. 23:1-13.)
10. In this wilderness David remained for a time, at Ziph (Tell Zif, south of Hebron). Here he met his friend Jonathan for the last time. His followers scattered, and David was alone, except for the presence of a few faithful companions. The Ziphites were willing to betray him to Saul, and he was again compelled to flee. (1 Sam. 23:14-24.)
11. His next hiding place was a mountain in the wilderness of Maon, 7 miles south of Hebron. Here he was again in great danger from Saul, but was saved by an opportune foray of the Philistines, which called the king and his troops away. (1 Sam. 25:24-28.)
12. From Ziph he took refuge in the almost inaccessible mountains of En-gedi (Ain-jedy), overlooking the Dead Sea. Here David showed his generosity in sparing Saul, when it was in his power to slay him. (1 Sam. 24.)
13. About the time of Samuel's death, David returned into the south of Judah, to the neighborhood of Maon, 7 miles south of Hebron. (See above, Nos. 10, 11. The likeness of the account in the two visits, has suggested that but one event may be related in both.) Here the narrow-minded Nabal was saved from David's wrath by the wisdom and generosity of his wife, Abigail, who, after Nabal's death, became David's wife. (1 Sam. 25.) About this time, and while David was in or near this locality, occurred David's act of mercy in sparing Saul's life a second time, when by moonlight he penetrated to the very centre of Saul's camp. (1 Sam. 26.)
14. Despairing of safety in Saul's realm during his reign, David finally took refuge in Gath (Tell es Safieh), on the Shefelah, the capital of the Philistines. Here he was more kindly received than before (see No. 5), as his relations with Saul were better understood, and he was able to obtain from Achish, the king of Gath, the grant of a city as his home. (1 Sam. 27:1-4.)