Bible Dictionary
SHALISHAH, LAND OF
The land of Shalishah was a district through which Saul passed while searching for his father’s donkeys. Its location is uncertain but was probably in the hill country northeast of Lydda.
Definition
The land of Shalishah was a district through which Saul traveled while searching for his father’s lost donkeys. Its boundaries cannot be fixed with certainty, but it was probably situated on the western slope of the mountain range northeast of Lydda.
Biblical Usage
Saul passed through the land of Shalishah before reaching the land of Shaalim and the region rendered Benjamin in the account of his search.
Historical Background
The district may have taken its name from Baal-shalishah. A proposed identification places that town at Khirbet Kefr Thilth, northeast of Jaffa, though the evidence remains tentative. Eusebius knew the name but offered no decisive location.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>sha-li'-sha, shal'-i-sha ('erets shalishah; Codex Vaticanus he ge Selcha; Codex Alexandrinus he ge Salissa): If the general indication of the route followed by Saul, given under SHAALIM, is correct, the land of Shalishah (1Sa 9:4) will lie to the Northeast of Lydda on the western slope of the range. Baal-shalishah would most likely be in the district, and may indeed have given its name to it. If Conder is right in identifying this city with Khirbet Kefr Thilth, about 19 miles Northeast of Jaffa, it meets well enough the general indication given above. Eusebius, Onomasticon knows the name, but gives no guidance as to where the district is. Baal-shalishah it places in the Thamnite region, 15 miles North of Diospolis (Lydda). No boundaries can be laid down, but probability points to this neighborhood.</p><p>W. Ewing</p>