Zif
1 A descendant of Caleb (1Chr 2:42) and thus the area settled by the Calebites (see 3 and 4 below). 2 A Judahite member of the Calebite clan (1Chr 4:16). 3 A city in the hill country of southern Judah (Josh 15:55), which gives its name to the portion of the Judean wilderness between the city and the Dead Sea (1Sam 23:14-15; 1Sam 23:24; 1Sam 26:2). While David was hiding in this area during his flight from Saul, the Ziphites betrayed his location to Saul (1Sam 23:19; 1Sam 26:1). The city was later fortified and provisioned by King Rehoboam as a defensive garrison (2Chr 11:8). The site is identified as modern Tell ez-Zif, about three miles southwest of Hebron. 4 A city in the far southern territory of the tribe of Judah (Josh 15:24). Some scholars identify it as modern Khir-bet ez-Zeifeh, which lies west of the south end of the Dead Sea.
