Nob was the priestly town where Doeg saw David receive bread and Goliath’s sword from Ahimelek. Biblical references place it near Jerusalem, probably to the north or northeast, but no proposed modern site has been confirmed.
A location still being discussed
Isaiah 10:32 and Nehemiah 11:31–32 help place Nob near Jerusalem in the territory associated with Benjamin. Mount Scopus, Ras Umm et-Tal, and an area near the upper Kidron Valley have all been discussed. Archaeological evidence has not settled the identification.
Reading the story and the map
First Samuel 21 says David went to Nob and met Ahimelek there. The story gives no street, route, or measured distance. The map therefore shows the wider northern Jerusalem area rather than drawing a precise journey or attaching the event to a modern neighborhood.
Jerusalem’s present roads, municipal boundaries, and place names are orientation aids. They were not features of Doeg’s world. The uncertainty is part of reading the ancient evidence honestly.
Read Doeg the Edomite’s profile.
Sources: 1 Samuel 21–22, NIV; Encyclopedia of the Bible: Nob; Boaz Zissu’s archaeological research summary. Checked September 18, 2026.