Ziklag () is the biblical name of a town that was located in the Negev region in the south-west of what was the Kingdom of Judah. It was a provincial town within the Philistine kingdom of Gath when Achish was king. Its exact location has not been identified with any certainty.
Identification
At least 14 sites have been proposed as the location of Ziklag. At the end of the 19th century, both Haluza (by Wadi Asluj, south of Beersheba) and Khirbet Zuheiliqah (located north-west of Beersheba and south-southeast of Gaza city) had been suggested as possible locations. Khirbet Zuheiliqah was identified by Conder and Kitchener as the location on the basis of Ziklag being a corruption of Zahaliku, whence also Zuheiliqah.
The more recently proposed identifications for Ziklag are: Albrecht Alt (1883–1956) proposed Tel Halif/Tell el-Khuweilifeh, just beside kibbutz Lahav, some northeast of Beersheba. Due to this identification, for some time Lahav was officially named Tzekleg. Tell esh-Sharia (Arabic) or Tel Sera (Hebrew). In June 2020, Moshe Garsiel and Bath-Sheva Garsiel suggested that since the name of the Tell as well as the Wadi, both mean "law" in Arabic, it commemorates David's law of sharing the spoils of war between the warriors and the ones who are left behind, which occurred in the vicinity (1 Sam 30: 22–26). Tel Zayit Khirbet a-Ra‘i in the Shephelah, close to modern-day Kiryat Gat, proposed in 2019 by excavating archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel and contested mainly on grounds of biblical geography and lacking name continuity by Aren Maeir and Israel Finkelstein. This identification was supported in 2023 by Kyle Kelmer.
In the Bible
Philistine's original base
The Book of Genesis (in ) refers to Casluhim as the origin of the Philistines. Biblical scholars regard this as an eponym rather than an individual, and it is thought possible that the name is a corruption of Halusah; with the identification of Ziklag as Haluza, this suggests that Ziklag was the original base from which the Philistines captured the remainder of their territory. It has also been proposed that Ziklag subsequently became the capital of the Cherethites.
Tribal allotment
In the lists of cities of the Israelites by tribe given in the Book of Joshua, Ziklag appears both as a town belonging to the Tribe of Judah () and as a town belonging to the Tribe of Simeon (). Textual scholars believe that these lists were originally independent administrative documents, not necessarily dating from the same time, and hence reflecting the changing tribal boundaries.
David receives Philistine Ziklag
1 Samuel 30 claims that by the time of David, the town was under the control of Philistines, but subsequently was given by their king – Achish – to David, who at that time was seemingly acting as a vassal of the Philistines. David requested "a place in one of the country towns" and was awarded Ziklag, which he used as a base for raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, which he conducted away from the oversight of Achish. David's reports to Achish state that he had been conducting raids on Saul's lands in southern Judah and on the Jerahmeelites.
Biblical scholars argue that the town was probably on the eastern fringe of the Philistines' territory, and that it was natural for it to be annexed to Judah when David became king. Since the compilation of the Book of Joshua is regarded by textual scholars as late, probably being due to the deuteronomist, it is possible that the tribal allocations given within it date from after this annexation rather than before.
David and the Amalekites
According to 1 Samuel 30, while David was encamped with the Philistine army for an attack on the Kingdom of Israel, Ziklag was raided by Amalekites; the Amalekites burning the town, and capturing its population without killing them (scholars think this capture refers to enslavement). However, none of the archaeological sites which have been proposed to be Ziklag show any evidence of destruction during the era of David.