SELA-HAMMAHLEKOTH*

Cliff in the wilderness of Maon, meaning “the Rock of Escape.” Saul, in his desire to kill David, attempted to catch him in the steep-ravined mountains of Judah, where David had fled. Saul’s attentions were diverted by a Philistine raid, thus enabling David to escape (1 Sm 23:28, nlt mg). The wadi el-Malaqi, about eight miles (12.9 kilometers) northeast of Maon, is a suggested location for this cliff.