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1. Hachilah. See on ch. 23:19. Many try to equate the narrative of this chapter with that recorded in chs. 23 and 24 and give as their reasons the following similarities: (1) the Ziphites as Saul’s informants, (2) David’s location in Hachilah, (3) Saul’s company of 3,000 men, (4) the urgings of David’s men that he kill Saul, (5) David’s refusal to touch the Lord’s anointed, (6) Saul’s penitence, and (7) David’s comparison of himself to a flea. On the other hand there are marked differences, such as: (1) David’s place of hiding; (2) the discovery of Saul, in the one instance, after he entered the cave, whereas in the other the movements of the king were observed by scouts; (3) David’s material evidence, in the first instance a piece of Saul’s garment, in the second, Saul’s spear and water cruse. There is no valid reason for accepting the two accounts as variant renderings of the same incident. Between the two incidents David had been hiding in the Wilderness of Paran and had had his unfortunate experience with Nabal. Now, as he came north again, the Ziphites reported his presence to Saul. Exasperated that David would dare return to the district around Hebron, Saul forgot his recent promise to his son-in-law, and in a fit of madness started once more on the warpath to capture his rival.