Ziph (Bible)
{{Short description|Ancient town in Judea mentioned in the Hebrew Bible}}
{{Other places|Ziph (disambiguation){{!}}Ziph}}
File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 095.png]]
Ziph ({{Langx|he|זיף|Zîp̄}}) was a town in the Judean Mountains (Joshua 15:55) south-east of Hebron. According to the biblical narrative in 1 Samuel 23, David hid himself from Saul here (1 Samuel 23:19; see also Psalm 54). Saul took his "chosen men of Israel" into the wilderness of Ziph in search of David.{{bibleverse|1 Samuel|26:2|NKJV}} The name of Zif is found about four miles south of Hebron, attached to a rounded hill of some 100 feet in height, which is called Tell Zif. Its name appears on a number of LMLK seals along with those of Hebron, Socoh and MMST.{{cite book |last1=Naʼaman |first1=Nadav |title=Ancient Israel and Its Neighbors: Interaction and Counteraction |date=2005 |publisher=Eisenbrauns |isbn=9781575061085 |pages=164–165 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1RgRPAkLqLUC&q=ziph+lmlk+seals+town&pg=PA170 |access-date=5 May 2019 |language=en}} It has been identified as the Palestinian village of Zif, Hebron.
Archaeology
Tell Ziph near Zif, Hebron has been identified as the site of ancient Ziph, with remains of a Byzantine era church.[https://dig.corps-cmhl.huji.ac.il/rep_church_full/14539 14539 - ZIPH - Church]. A Digital Corpus of Early Christian Churches and Monasteries in the Holy Land. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Retrieved 30 Jan 2025.
Scholars debate the interpretation of the word Z(Y)F on LMLK seals. It may be a reference to an economic center established at the site south-east of Hebron during the reign of King Hezekiah (circa 700 BC), or it may be a literal votive inscription meaning "battlement", "flowing", "mouthful", "pinnacle", or "supply".Grena (2004), pp. 51, 360–2.{{better source needed |Unreliable source, see talk-page. |date= January 2025}}
See also
- Zif, the modern-day Palestinian village near Hebron
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{cite book |author=Grena, G.M. |year= 2004 |title= LMLK--A Mystery Belonging to the King |volume= 1 |location= Redondo Beach, California |publisher= 4000 Years of Writing History |isbn=0-9748786-0-X}}
External links
- [http://www.lmlk.com/research/lmlk_zyf.htm ZYF LMLK seals]
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