1 Samuel 9:4

1Sa 9:4 And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found [them] not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and [there they were] not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found [them] not.

Ver. 4. Through the land of Shalim.] Near Jordan, where afterwards John baptized. {Joh 3:23} Called also the land of Shual, {1Sa 13:17} as Junius holdeth; haply because haunted by foxes.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

he passed through mount Ephraim--This being situated on the north of Benjamin, indicates the direction of Saul's journey. The district explored means the whole of the mountainous region, with its valleys and defiles, which belonged to Ephraim. Turning apparently southwards--probably through the verdant hills between Shiloh and the vales of Jordan (Shalisha and Shalim)--he approached again the borders of Benjamin, scoured the land of Zuph, and was proposing to return, when his servant recollected that they were in the immediate neighborhood of the man of God, who would give them counsel.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(4) And he passed through mount Ephraim. The chain of the mountains of Ephraim ran southward into the territory of Benjamin, where were situated the patrimonial possessions of Saul’s house.

And passed through the land of Shalisha.—Or land “of the Three;” so called because three valleys there united in one, or one divided into three. It is believed to be the region in which Baal-shalisha lay (2Ki_4:42), fifteen miles north of Diospolis, or Lydda.

The land of Shalim.—Probably a very deep valley, derived from a Hebrew word, signifying “the hollow of the hand.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4, 5. Saul’s route cannot be traced with any certainty. He started from his home at Gibeah apparently in a N.W. direction (1) through “Mount Ephraim” (see 1Sa_1:1, note); (2) through “the land of Shalisha,” perhaps the district round Baal-shalisha (2Ki_4:42), which lay about 12 miles N. of Lydda; (3) then turning S. he traversed “the land of Shalim” (= foxes), perhaps in the neighbourhood of Shaalabbin (Jos_19:42) in Dan; (4) then striking E. he searched the western part of the “land of Benjamin,” till he reached (5) “the land of Zuph,” in which lay Samuel’s city Ramah. The search occupied parts of three days (1Sa_9:20). It seems best to suppose that the unnamed city of 1Sa_9:6 ff. is Ramah, for (a) the servant speaks of it as the prophet’s regular residence (1Sa_9:6); (b) it is natural to connect “the land of Zuph,” in which it was situated, with the name Ramathaim-Zophim (1Sa_1:1, note); (c) the difficulty raised by the description of Saul’s return in ch. 1Sa_10:2 (see note) may be solved by supposing that he did not go straight home, but was sent by the prophet out of his way in order to meet the men who were looking for him.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And they passed through Mount Ephraim,.... The mountainous part of that tribe, which lay contiguous to the tribe of Benjamin, where it might be supposed the asses had strayed to:

and passed through the land of Shalisha; a tract in the tribe of Benjamin, so called from some illustrious person, prince, and duke of it; in it very probably was the place called Baalshalisha; Kg2 4:42 and which perhaps is the same Jerom calls (x) Bethshalisha; and says there was a village of this name in the borders of Diospolis, almost fifteen miles distance from it to the north, in the Tamnitic country; though Bunting (y) says it was situated in Mount Ephraim, eight miles from Jerusalem to the northwest:

but they found them not; the asses, neither in Mount Ephraim, nor in the land of Shalisha:

then they passed through the land of Shalim which some take to be the same with Salim, where John was baptizing, Joh 3:23 but Jerom says (z) it was a village on the borders of Eleutheropolis, to the west, seven miles distant from it:

and there they were not; the asses could not be found there:

and he passed through the land of the Benjamites; or rather of Jemini, which was in Benjamin, so called from a famous man of that name; for it cannot be thought they should pass through the whole tribe of Benjamin in one day. And, according to Bunting (a), from Gibeah, the native place of Saul, through the mountain of Ephraim, and the land of Shalisha, to the borders of Shalim, were sixteen miles; and from thence to Jemini, in the tribe of Benjamin, sixteen more:

but they found them not; the asses.

(x) De loc. Heb. fol. 89. K. (y) Travels of the Patriarchs, &c. p. 129. (z) De loc. Heb. fol. 94. L. (a) Travels of the Patriarchs, &c. p. 126.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The land of Shalisha was somewhere near Gilgal, i. e., Jiljulieh. It is thought to derive its name from “three” (Shalosh) wadys which unite in the wady of Karawa. The situation of Shalim is not known: its etymology connects it more probably with the land of Shual 1Sa 13:17, apparently round Taiyibeh, which was about nine miles from Gibeah.

Zuph - 1Sa 9:5, see 1Sa 1:1 note.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Salisa, the ancient Segor, (Menochius) or rather a place 15 miles from Diospolis. (Eusebius) --- Salim, or Sual, not far from Galgal, chap. xiii. 17.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Mount Ephraim; a part of the tribe of Ephraim, which bordered upon Benjamin; and therefore they could soon pass out of the one into the other, and back again, as they saw cause.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. Mount Ephraim — See note on Jdg_17:1. There is great uncertainty in respect to this route of Saul after his father’s asses. He undoubtedly started from Gibeah, where was his home, (1Sa_10:26,) and, passing through or over (עבר) mount Ephraim, he must have gone in a northwesterly direction. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, we naturally understand the land of Shalisha to be the country around Baal-shalisha, mentioned 2Ki_4:42, and which, according to Eusebius and Jerome, was situated fifteen Roman miles north of Lydda, or Diospolis — the modern Ludd. Near this spot three water-courses unite in one large stream known as the Wady Kurawa, and hence, perhaps, the name Shalisha — land of three. From this point we can trace their course only by conjecture, for the land of Shalim is unknown, and the land of the Benjamites is literally the land of Yemini, and may, perhaps, have lain outside of the territory of Benjamin. If, however, the land of Yemini here means the territory of Benjamin, then the most probable conjecture is, that from the neighbourhood of Ludd they fetched a circuitous course, first easterly and then south, passing through the land of Benjamin somewhere east of Gibeah.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mount Ephraim. Though Gibeah, Saul"s home, was in Benjamin, it was situated on this long mountain range. (1Sa_1:1) The land of Shalisha. Ie. Three-land, and probably, therefore, the region round Baal-shalisha. It takes its name from the three valleys which there converge in the great Wady Kurawa, The land of Shalim. Ie. of jackals; probably the same as the land of Shual, also = jackal-land. (1Sa_13:17) The very name shows that it was a wild, uninhabited region. The derivation hollow-land is untenable.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.