CEILA (Hebrew Qè̀ llāh; Kiilti in the el-Amarna letters). — A fortified city in the lowland of Judah (Josh. 15:44; 1 Chr. 4:19), stoutly defended by David against the Philistines (1 Sam. 23:1–8). After the Babylonian captivity, the citizens of C. were divided into two groups and contributed to the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Neh. 3:17).
Eusebius’ topographical note (Onomasticon, 11.15) reads: «Κηλᾶ stands at Eleutheropolis, half a mile from Hebron,» which corresponds precisely to Hirbet Qilah, 12 km east of Beit Jibrin, where there are remains of a city wall, house ruins, and many rock-cut tombs.
Bibl.: F.-M. Abel, *Géographie de la Palestine*, II, Paris 1938, p. 416.