Shual, The land of

The land of Shual was the direction toward which one of the three raiding companies of Philistines turned during their occupation of the central hill country in the days of Saul (1 Samuel 13:17). When the Philistines garrisoned at Michmash sent out plundering raids, one party went toward the land of Shual, which lay to the north. The territory is likely in the vicinity of Ophrah in Benjamin, though the exact location is uncertain. The name shual means fox or jackal. Some scholars connect this region with Hazar-shual (fox village), a settlement on the southern edge of Judah, but the context suggests a northern Benjamin location.