Michmash

Michmash (also Michmas) was a town in the tribe of Benjamin, approximately seven miles north of Jerusalem in the hill country, sitting at the top of a pass that commanded the approach from the Jordan valley to the central highlands. Its name may mean hidden or treasure. The town is best known as the site of one of the most dramatic military episodes in the early monarchy: Saul and Jonathan's campaign against the Philistines in 1 Samuel 13–14.

The Philistines had stationed a large garrison at Michmash, and the pass was so narrow that the Philistine sentinels could see across to the Hebrew side. Jonathan and his armor-bearer crossed the pass secretly and attacked the Philistine outpost alone, trusting God to give them victory — and a divinely-sent panic swept through the Philistine camp, triggering a rout. Isaiah 10:28–29 lists Michmash among the towns on Sennacherib's line of march toward Jerusalem. Ezra 2:27 records that men of Michmas returned from the Babylonian exile.