Meaning of ADULLAM

"closed place."
One of the royal cities of Canaan, later integrated into the tribe of Judah (Josh. 12:15; 15:35). It was rebuilt or fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chron. 11:7); and some of the returnees from exile lived there (Neh. 11:30; Mi. 1:15).

Identified with "Aid-el-ma", which maintains similarity with that of Adulam, 31º 39' N, 35º E. The ADULAM CAVE is more interesting than the city, for having been a headquarters of David. In that place there are some siltstone formations in which there are extensive excavations, one of which could have been the cave in which David found refuge.

David's entire family came down from the mountains of Bethlehem to him (1 Sam. 22:1). The traditional place is a cave in "Wadi Khureitun", in the eastern part of Judah, reached by a narrow path that could be defended with great ease; the cave is very big. Different authors who have visited these places advocate for this or other caves as the true one.

In addition to their relatives, they joined with David "all who were afflicted, and all who were in debt, and all who were in bitterness of spirit" (1 Sam. 22:1, 2; 2 Sam. 23:13; 1 Chron. 11:5).

David was God's anointed king, and Gad the prophet came to him, and also Abiathar the priest; so that in the company of outcasts were the prophet, the priest, and the king of God, although all the official forms of worship were found elsewhere: this constitutes a type of the Lord Jesus in the rejection of him.

When he was on earth, the external forms did not admit him; and now that he is in glory he continues to be rejected even by a good part of modern Christendom.