Ephes-dammim

Ephes-dammim, meaning boundary of blood or border of blood (possibly referring to past battles or a notable reddish soil), was a place between Socoh and Azekah in the Shephelah of Judah where the Philistines camped before the battle of Elah. It was in the valley between the two armies there that Goliath issued his challenge to Israel, and where David killed him with a sling-stone.

In 1 Chronicles 11:13 the site is called Pas-dammim (also Pasdammim), where David's mighty men made a heroic stand among the lentil fields and struck down the Philistines—one of the great exploits of his warriors. The two names likely refer to the same location, with variant spellings reflecting different manuscript traditions or dialect variations. The site sat at a militarily sensitive junction controlling access between the Philistine coastal plain and the hill country of Judah, making it a recurring arena for the conflicts of the period.