At En Gedi

En or ein means spring, as in water. We went to En Gedi, the spring of the goat kid. It's near the Dead Sea and is an oasis, because water flows down from the mountain.

Thanks to Brian for this picture.

Remember? King Saul, who had loved David, changed his mind when he knew that David--and not his own son Jonathan--had been anointed to be king. From then on, Saul tried to kill David.

At En Gedi, David hid in a cave. Here is 1 Samuel 23:29 "And David went up from thence and dwelt in strong holds at En Gedi." And from chapter 24:2 "Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David on the rocks of the wild goats."

Yes, this is the place. Again, thanks to Brian. It's a great picture.

Saul took his "three thousand men" and came to En Gedi to kill David, but that is not what happened.

What I learned:
1. What en means: spring or fountain. Water is there.
2. What gedi means: goat kid.
3. What sheepcote means (see 1 Samuel 24:3). It's a shelter for the sheep. In this case, a cave with stone walls near the entrance.
4. What this means: "and Saul went in to cover his feet." It means that Saul went into the cave to go to the toilet, except no toilet, of course.

"And David and his men remained in the sides of the cave."

Then in verse 4 we read that David's men said to him that this was the time; the Lord had delivered Saul into his (David's) hands. This is when David could have taken Saul's life. But he didn't. He went to where Saul had left his robe and cut off the "skirt." Which is to say, the hem or border of that garment, the part indicating Saul's authority.

You should read 1 Samuel 24 for the rest of the story. It's a good story.