The people of Israel were celebrating the Israelite victory over the Philistines.1 Women would often come out of their homes to sing, dance, and play on musical instruments (Exodus 15:20; Judges 11:34).2 In this case, it appears as if people came from all over Israel to dance and sing either in Gibeah (Saul’s hometown) or the villages and towns that lay between the battle site and Gibeah.
6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.