Ziphah (זִיפָה, H2129) is a personal name, possibly feminine, appearing in the genealogy of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:16) as a son of Jehallelel. The name may relate to zuph (to flow, overflow) or ziph (flowing pitch/resin), suggesting the meaning of 'flowing' or 'pouring forth.' The Ziphites were a Judahite clan from the wilderness region of Ziph, known from David's flight from Saul.
The Ziphites — inhabitants of the wilderness area near Ziph — appear in David's story as those who betrayed his location to Saul (1 Samuel 23:19; 26:1; Psalm 54 title). This betrayal by those of his own tribe prompted the most raw expression of lament in the Psalms. Yet Psalm 54, written in that moment of betrayal, declares: 'Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.' The geography and genealogy of places like Ziph remind us that even within the covenant community, betrayal is possible — and that the pattern of the righteous being betrayed by the near is one that climaxes with Judas Iscariot. The flowing imagery of the name also evokes the Spirit of God — 'streams of living water' (John 7:38) — contrasting with the bitter outpour of betrayal with the sweet outpouring of divine sustenance.