Easton's Bible Dictionary A town in the Negeb, or south country of Judah (Joshua 15:31), in the possession of the Philistines when David fled to Gath from Ziph with all his followers. Achish, the king, assigned him Ziklag as his place of residence. There he dwelt for over a year and four months. From this time it pertained to the kings of Judah (1 Samuel 27:6). During his absence with his army to join the Philistine expedition against the Israelites (29:11), it was destroyed by the Amalekites (30:1, 2), whom David, however, pursued and utterly routed, returning all the captives (1 Samuel 30:26-31). Two days after his return from this expedition, David received tidings of the disastrous battle of Gilboa and of the death of Saul (2 Samuel 1:1-16). He now left Ziklag and returned to Hebron, along with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, and his band of 600 men. It has been identified with `Asluj, a heap of ruins south of Beersheba. Conder, however, identifies it with Khirbet Zuheilikah, ruins found on three hills half a mile apart, some seventeen miles north-west of Beersheba, on the confines of Philistia, Judah, and Amalek. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia ZIKLAG zik'-lag (tsiqelagh, tsiqelagh (2 Samuel 1:1), tsiqelagh (1 Chronicles 12:1, 20); usually in the Septuagint Sekelak, or Sikelag): A town assigned (Joshua 19:5 1 Chronicles 4:30) to Simeon, but in Joshua 15:31 named, between Hornah and Madmannah, as one of the cities of the Negeb of Judah, "toward the border of Edom." It is said (1 Samuel 27:6) to have remained a royal city. In Nehemiah 11:28 it is in the list of towns reinhabited by the returning children of Judah. Its chief associations are with David. Achish the Philistine king of Gath gave it to David as a residence (1 Samuel 27:6 1 Chronicles 12:1, 20); it was raided by the Amalekites, on whom David took vengeance and so recovered his property (1 Samuel 30:14, 26); here the messenger who came to announce Saul's death was slain (2 Samuel 1:1; 2 Samuel 4:10). The site of this important place is not yet fixed with certainty; Conder proposed Zucheilika, a ruin 11 miles South-Southeast of Gaza, and 4 miles North of Wady es-Sheri'a, which may be the "Brook Besor" (1 Samuel 30:9, 10, 21); Rowland (1842) proposed `Asluj, a heap of ruins South of Beersheba and 7 miles to the East of Bered. Neither site is entirely satisfactory. See Williams, Holy City, I, 463-68; BR, II, 201, PEF, 288, Sh XX. E. W. G. Masterman

Multi-Version Concordance Ziklag (13 Occurrences) Joshua 15:31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV) Joshua 19:5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) 1 Samuel 27:6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: why Ziklag pertains to the kings of Judah to this day. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) 1 Samuel 30:1 It happened, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the South, and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire, (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) 1 Samuel 30:3 When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captive. (See NIV) 1 Samuel 30:14 We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire." (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) 1 Samuel 30:26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, "Behold, a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of Yahweh." (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) 2 Samuel 1:1 It happened after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) 2 Samuel 4:10 when someone told me,'Behold, Saul is dead,' thinking to have brought good news, I took hold of him, and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) 1 Chronicles 4:30 and at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag, (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) 1 Chronicles 12:1 Now these are those who came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, his helpers in war. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) 1 Chronicles 12:20 As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands who were of Manasseh. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV) Nehemiah 11:28 and in Ziklag, and in Meconah and in its towns, (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)