Ziph was a city in the Judean Mountains (Joshua 15:55), south-east of Hebron. Here David hid himself from Saul (1 Samuel 23:19; Psalm 54). The name of Zif is found about four miles south of Hebron, attached to a rounded hill of some 100 feet in height, which is called Tell Zif.
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Scholars debate the interpretation of the word Z(Y)F on LMLK seals. It may be a reference to an economic center established at the site south-east of Hebron during the reign of King Hezekiah (circa 700 BC), or it may be a literal votive inscription meaning "battlement", "flowing", "mouthful", "pinnacle", or "supply" (Grena, 2004, pp. 51, 360-2).