Even though A-him'e-lech explained that he had befriended Da'vid without knowing that he was an outlaw, and denied that he or any of the priests were disloyal to the king, and even though the soldiers refused to slay the priests, Saul was not to be baffled in his hatred toward anyone who showed the slightest kindness to Da'vid. Do'eg was ordered to slay the priests, and that day saw the murder of eighty-five religious leaders of Is'ra-el. Only A-bi'a-thar escaped, and he joint Da'vid at the first opportunity.
It must have pained the heart of Da'vid to learn of the terrible outcome of his visit with the priest at Nob, and perhaps he felt somewhat to blame. He received A-bi'a-thar with great kindness, and assured him that his life would be safeguarded. Not satisfied with the slaughter of the priests, Saul had sent his men to Nob and utterly destroyed the town.
Feeling that it was no longer safe for him to remain anywhere in the land of Is'ra-el, Da'vid then fled into Phi-lis'ti-a and sought refuge in the city of Gath. He probably thought that he would no longer be recognized there as the one who had slain the Phi-lis'tine giant, and that these people would be glad to welcome anyone who was fleeing from Saul. He was recognized, however, and saved his life only by pretending that he had lost his mind.
Da'vid then fled back across the border of Is'ra-el into the hill country and took refuge in the limestone cliffs and caverns in a place called A-dul'-lam, which was in the region southeast of Beth'le-hem. His brothers and kinsmen learnt where he was hiding and hastened to join him. Many people in the land who had suffered from Saul's failure to protect them, or who had been oppressed by him, rallied to the cause of Da'vid. Before long he had a company of four hundred men, many of whom were noted for their bravery and devotion to the right.
It was while Da'vid was hiding in the cliffs of A-dul'lam that he was joint by some of the men who were later known as his "mighty men" or heroes. Among them were his nephew Ab'i-shai, who became a famous general; Be-na'iah, whose great strength was shown in slaying a lion single-handed, and in killing two lion-like men of Mo'ab; E-le-a'zar, who once smote the Phi-lis'tines until his hand was so weary that it clave to his sword; and Je-hoi'a-da, who slew an E-gyp'tian with his own sword after tearing it from the hands of his enemy.
Among the brave followers who joint Da'vid at this time was a band of Ga'dites, who swam the Jor'dan when its banks were overflowed and scattered all enemies who tried to halt their march. When the time arrived for Da'vid to leave his hiding place in A-dul'lam, his band of loyal friends had grown to six hundred men, all noted for their courage and patriotism.
