A term for thorny thickets or possibly caves and holes used as hiding places, appearing in the account of Saul's early reign. When the Philistines threatened, Israelites hid themselves 'in the thickets' along with caves and rocks. Some scholars suggest reading 'holes' instead, based on later context in chapter 14. Either way, the word denotes places of refuge in wild terrain—whether dense thorn-bushes or rocky crevices. Fear drove Israel into the wilderness margins rather than standing to fight.