1 Samuel 13:17

the spoilers came out Lit. the destroyer, the part of the army sent out to harry the country. (a) One band of marauders turned northwards to Ophrah, a city of Benjamin (Joshua 18:23), conjecturally placed by Robinson at et Taiyibeh, 4 miles N. E. of Bethel, in the land of Shual(jackal) possibly the same as Shalim(1 Samuel 9:4). (b) Another band took a westerly direction to Beth-horon(house of caverns) on the main pass from the hill country of Judaea into the plain of Philistia. (c) A third band went eastwards to "the way of the border," probably that between Judah and Benjamin, by "the valley of Zeboim" (Nehemiah 11:34) = "the ravine of hyenas," "towards the wilderness" or uncultivated district between the central district of Benjamin and the Jordan valley. Mr Grove went from Jericho to Michmash up a wild gorge bearing the name Shuk-ed-Dubba, or "ravine of the hyena," the exact Arabic equivalent of "the valley of Zeboim," and possibly the same. Dict. of Bible, iii. 1819.

Southwards, Saul's camp in Geba protected the country. The tense of the verbs "turned" expresses repeated action, indicating that these ravages were continued for some time. The Philistines hoped to draw Saul out from his strong position, and force him to an engagement.