What was the Cave of Adullam?

Answer

Adullam is a place name mentioned in the Old Testament. “At that time, Judah departed from his brothers and stayed with a man from Adullam named Hirah” “And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.”, (Genesis 38:1). Later, in verse 12, Hirah is identified as “the Adullamite,” indicating he resided in Adullam. During the conquest of Canaan, Joshua conquered Adullam “Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,”, (Joshua 15:35) along with its king “the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;”, (Joshua 12:15).

In the account of David’s life, the Cave of Adullam is first mentioned. Since Adullam was a well-known place, the Cave of Adullam was a specific cave located nearby. It is referred to as “the cave” of Adullam, suggesting it was a recognized cave at that time. It is also possible that “the cave,” among many in the area, gained fame due to David’s use of it. In any case, “the” cave, not “a” cave of Adullam, denotes a particular cave that, by the time of the writing of 1 and 2 Samuel, was somewhat renowned.

The Cave of Adullam is initially introduced in 1 Samuel 22. While fleeing from Saul, who sought to kill him (1 Samuel 19 recounts one of several instances), David sought refuge among the Philistines in Gath (1 Samuel 21:10-14). Recognizing that Gath was not a secure place for him, “David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about this, they went down to him there.

All those who were in distress, in debt, or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him” (1 Samuel 22:1-2). This cave in Adullam became a base of operations for David, and it was here that he went from being a lone fugitive on the run to a leader of a band of “outlaws” with formidable military might. If modern sources are correct, Adullam was near the border of the Philistine lands, so the location itself would have provided some protection from Saul, as he could not mount a military operation without risking an attack from the Philistines.

Second Samuel 23 gives a summary of the exploits of some of the mighty men who followed David. Verse 13 says that David was at the cave, and verse 14 says that he was in the stronghold there. Perhaps David had fortified the cave, building upon its natural potential for safety. Three of his mighty men met him there at the rock of the Cave of Adullam. (Perhaps this rock was also a well-known landmark by this time. It may have served as something of a conference table, but this is speculation.) The Philistines were encamped around David, threatening him. In this time of stress, he expressed a desire for some of the water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem, his hometown. Three of his mighty men took it to heart and at great risk broke through the Philistine lines, got water from the well, and brought it back to David. David realized the foolish risk they had taken and refused to drink the water. He poured it out in an effort to discourage any other risky exploits that were meant to benefit him personally (verses 13-17;see also 1 Chronicles 11:13-19).

The town of Adullam is mentioned again in Nehemiah 11:30, but the Cave of Adullam is not mentioned again in Scripture.

According to the title of Psalm 57, David wrote a s

One “when he had fled from Saul into the cave.” This could be a reference to the Cave of Adullam (David also hid in a cave in En-gedi, 1 Samuel 24:1-3). The first verse of Psalm 57 says,

“Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,

for in you I take refuge.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings

until the disaster has passed.”

Whether or not Psalm 57 was written in the Cave of Adullam, David saw the cave’s protection as secondary to that of his true Refuge, the Lord Himself.

Today, Adulam Caves (Adulam is an alternate spelling) is a 10,000-acre national park in the lower Judean plains in Israel. Adulam Caves Park is identified as the site where David hid from Saul, although no particular cave is identified as the Cave of Adullam.