Bede : And Saul arose and went down to the desert of Ziph, etc. Understand Gabaa of Achila, not the city of Saul, but the hill of Achila, which is called Gabaa in Hebrew. Therefore, incited by perverse teachers, the kingdom of the Jews was stirred up to persecute the Lord, having in the army of impiety those who were prepared to fight against faith, hope, and charity, advancing to war as if in a triple line: of infidelity, despair, and hatred. With this armed force, the camps of iniquity hastened to encamp in the midst of the crowd that had received Christ in their hearts, in the hope that they might either find and kill him bodily, or spiritually repel him from the love of his faithful. Therefore, with David dwelling in the desert, Saul came after him into the desert; because once Christ as a dweller was received in the hearts of those who strove to desert the world, persecution immediately followed, which tested the believers, and provided with the struggle an occasion for earning the palm of victory. This same thing happens now and continues to happen at all times in the history of the Church. But let us see what David did when Saul followed him. — Commentary on Samuel