Hareth

Hareth is the older English spelling of a forest in Judah where David took refuge during his flight from Saul. UPDV spells the place name Hereth; it is the same site, named once.

A Forest in Judah

The single mention follows a prophetic instruction that redirects David out of a fortified hideout and back into open territory: "And the prophet Gad said to David, Don't remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth" (1 Sa 22:5). Two movements appear in the verse — Gad's word telling David not to remain in the stronghold, and David's compliance, which lands him in the forest of Hereth. The place is preserved in scripture as the destination of that obedience: a wooded refuge inside Judah, chosen on prophetic counsel rather than military judgment.