Ephes-dammim (or Pas-dammim), the place where the Philistines and Israelites faced each other in battle, and where Goliath challenged the Israelites.
Also known as Ephes Dammim · Pas-dammim · Pas Dammim
Ephes-dammim, also known as Pas-dammim, was a place located between Socoh and Azekah in Judah where the Philistines and the Israelites faced each other in battle (1Sa.17.1; 1Ch.11.13). It was the site of the famous confrontation between David and the Philistine giant Goliath.
The Philistines had gathered their forces at Ephes-dammim, while Saul and the men of Israel were encamped in the Valley of Elah. Goliath, a champion from Gath, emerged from the Philistine camp and challenged the Israelites to send out a warrior to face him in single combat (1Sa.17.4-10).
David, who had come to the Israelite camp to bring supplies to his brothers, accepted Goliath's challenge. With a sling and a stone, David defeated Goliath, leading to a great victory for the Israelites over the Philistines (1Sa.17.48-53).
The alternate name Pas-dammim, used in 1Ch.11.13, may be a variant spelling or a scribal error. The exact location of Ephes-dammim is uncertain, but it was likely situated in the Shephelah, the foothills between the coastal plain and the Judean mountains, where many battles between the Israelites and Philistines took place.
Approximate location: 31.691, 34.944 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Boundary of blood, a place in the tribe of Judah where the Philistines encamped when David fought with Goliath (1 Sam. 17:1). It was probably so called as having been the scene of frequent sanguinary conflicts between Israel and the Philistines. It is called Pas-dammim (1 Chr. 11:13). It has been identified with the modern Beit Fased, i.e., “house of bleeding”, near Shochoh (q.v.).
effusion of blood
E'PHES-DAM'MIM (boundary of bloodshed), called also PAS-DAM'-MIM. 1 Sam 17:1; 1 Chr 11:13. Van de Velde locates it at a ruin in Wady Sunt called Damim, but Conder thinks we have a trace of the ancient Ephes-dammim in the modern Beit Fased, or "House of Bleeding," near Shochoh. (Tent-Life, ii. p.160.)
E'PHES-DAM'MIM (boundary of bloodshed), called also PAS-DAM'-MIM. 1 Sam 17:1; 1 Chr 11:13. Van de Velde locates it at a ruin in Wady Sunt called Damim, but Conder thinks we have a trace of the ancient Ephes-dammim in the modern Beit Fased, or "House of Bleeding," near Shochoh. (Tent-Life, ii. p.160.)
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
2 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0658
Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At the place with a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.