Gadites and men of Judah and Benjamin joined him here, and not long afterwards (1 S 23") D.'s followers are reckoned at GOO. His parents he l)laced under the protection of the king of Moab, a step which may perhaps be explained by reference to the Book of Ruth, where D.'s descent is traced from Kuth the Moabitess. According to 22'', a verse of which the connexion is somewhat obscure, D., at the advice of the prophet Gad, removed from his stronghold to the forest of Hareth ; but he is certainly again in the Shephelah when we next hear of him. News came to I), that the Phili.stines were raiding Keilah, doubtless a frontier town west of Hebron, and perhaps south of Adidlam. An opportunity now offered itself to him of at once a-ssisting his countrymen and making a fresh name as a warrior. Having inquired of the priestly ephod, which Abiathar had brought from Nob, and received a favourable answer, D. marched down with his band, and drove away the Philistines from Keilah. To Saul it seemed that the time for cap- turing his enemy had now come. He summoned his army in order to besiege Keilah ; but D., learn- ing from the oracle that the inhabitants would save themselves by delivering over him and his men to Saul, escaped betimes, and Saul abandoned his expedition.
D. is next found in the wild and partially desert country to the south of Judah, or in tlie neighbour- hood of the Dead Sea. The wilderness of Ziph and of Maon are especially connected with his wander- ings. Here doubtless D. was welcome, and prob- ably he was able to protect the inhabitants from the inroads of wild nomad tribes living farther to the south and east.
At this point the double narrative reappears, as is specially noticeable in the case of the two accounts of D. sparing Saul's life. That ch. "26 refers to a second occasion, althou^'h no refer- ence is there made to a former proof of D.'s generosity, seems antecedently improbable; and this impression is confirmed on cnniparin;; the two narratives. Each is introduced by an ufl'er of the Zipliites to betray D.'s liidinp-jilace to Saul (2:5" 2r.») ; each ends with a confession of D.'s nol)le conduct placed in the mouth of Saul ; and a careful comparison of the lan(;iia^e (see Kuenen, Budde) shows either literary dependence of one upon the other, or the dependence of both on some cinnmon tradition. Owing to the occurrence in ch. '20 of certain antiijue conceptions U'sp. v.'"). it has commonly been supposed that this is the earlier chapter iso Kuenen, Wellli., Stade, Driver) ; Biulde, on the other hand (so Cheyne), shows good reason for connecting ch. 24 with the.V narratives, in which case it belongs to tlie earlier document, while the archaic colouring of ch. 2t', may be due to the fact that it has undergone less editorial revision tlian the earlier chapter (see esp. 242'*'-)- liudde further argues Irom tlic scene of ch. 25 (.\laon V.2 L.\X'. cf. 2o2*ff-) that this chapter came originally between chs. '2:i and 24. probably having been transposed in order to sejjarate the doublets, eiis. 24 and 26. There are other traces of editorial revision in ch. 2:i. especially in the somewhat e.\iig- gerated language of v.'*'-. and the reduHdant description of D.'s haunts {ih.) is probably the result of contlation. Many regard the covenant of the two friends (vv.^o-'S) as a mere doublet of 2on-23 ; |j);e that passage, the ver.ses suggest the objection that .lonathan couhl hardly have thus definitely regarded D. as his father's successin-. However this may be, the narrative proceeds smoothly alter the account of .Jonathan's visit, when the trans- position above mentioned has been made.
■While D. was hiding in the hill of Hachilah and the neighbouring desert, the Ziphites sent word of his haunts to Saul, ami at the king's rei|uest began to watch his movement.s, while an army was being collected. D. meanwhile withdrew southwards to the wilderness of JIaon, on the edge of the Arabah, whither he was jiursued by Saul. At one time, we are told, a single rocky ridge separated the two forces ; but while D. was endeavouring to make good his escape before his band was com- pletely surrounded, Saul was unexpectedly recalled to repel a sudden raiii of the Philistines. Popular tr.adition pointed out the cliff known as Sela- hammahUkiith {i.e. prob. * Kock of Divisions') as the scene of this narrow escape (23'''"''-').
One of the most detailed and most reliable ac- counts wliieli we possess of the whole period of D.'s wanderings relates to the time when he was
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still ill the region of JIaou. Here dwelt a wealthy liiiiduwiier uamed Nabal, belonging to the Caleb- ites, a tribe closely connected with that of Judah, though originally distinct from it. llis large liocks were pastured on Carniel, S. K. of Hebron; and not only were they unniok-sted by D.'.s men, but the latter had served to protect them from the attacks of nomad tribes. Hearing that Nabal Wiis shearing his sheep, I), sent ten men with a court- eous request for a present for liis band, but was met with a churlish refusal. In wrath D. at once com- manded llis men to arm ; and while a third of the company was left in charge of the baggage, he marched with the rest to avenge the insult re- ceived from Xabal. Fortunately, Abigail, Nabal's beautiful and prudent wife, had been warned by a .servant of her husband's unseemly conduct. (She immediately caused a large supply of provisions to be prepared, and without informing her husband rode to meet 1). with her jire.sent. She met the armed band coming down the mountain side, and throwing herself at D.'s feet begged him to accept the gift, and to pay no heed to her husband's in- sults, while she expressed a hope that in time to come no remembrance of blood needlessly shed might rise up to trouble his mind. Her discretion and her [ileadings were not lost on D.; he accepted the present from her hand, and abandoned his pur- pose of vengeance and bloodshed. When Abigail returned home, she found her husband drunk at a shearing feast, but next morning slie told him of the danger which he had just escaped, l-'ear and vexation caused a shock, of which he died ten days later; and I)., who now felt that J" had indeed defended his cause, took .Abigail to wife. He thus established a powerful family connexion with the south of Judah, and he further increased his influ- ence by marriage with Ahinoam of the southern .Jezreel (cf. .Jos 15'''). At the same time his first wife, .Michal, was given by Saul to Paltiel, the son of r.ai.sh, of (iallim (1 S25).