Albert Barnes Commentary Joshua 9:17

"And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim." — Joshua 9:17 (ASV)

Chephirah (Kefir) is situated eight or nine miles west of Gibeon, and was an inhabited city in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 2:25; Nehemiah 7:29).

Beeroth (Birch) is located about eight miles north of Jerusalem. Kirjath-jearim, that is, "city of woods," is identified by Robinson with the modern Kuriet el Enab, nine miles from Jerusalem on the road to Jaffa (and by Conder with Soba). The town was numbered among those belonging to Judah and was in the northern boundary of that tribe. Beyond this city, the six hundred Danites encamped on their famous expedition to Laish (Judges 18:12).

Kirjath-jearim was also, and probably exclusively before the Israelite conquests, called Baalah and Kirjath-baal (Joshua 15:9, 60), names that seem to point to its early sanctity as a special seat of Baal-worship. The ark was also brought to this place from Beth-shemesh after it was sent back by the Philistines, and here it remained for twenty years (1 Samuel 6:20–21; 1 Samuel 7:2). It was fetched from there by David and deposited in the house of Obed-edom (2 Samuel 6:2).

Hence the allusion in Psalms 132:6, where David is said to have found the ark in the fields of the wood.