The evening air over Jerusalem was thick with the scent of jasmine and dust. From the rooftop of the royal palace, the city sprawled below like a patchwork quilt of shadow and fading gold. It was spring, the time when kings go to war. But King David was not with his army. He had sent Joab and the mighty men to besiege the Ammonite city of Rabbah, while he remained in the comfort of his house.
The site of Bezek (modern Khirbet Ibziq) is about 15 miles west of Jabesh-gilead. Saul’s forced march overnight is a feat of logistics that would impress any general. samuel 11