Reference: Ashdod
Hastings
A city in the Philistine Pentapolis; not captured by Joshua (Jos 13:3), and a refuge for the unslaughtered Anakim (Jos 11:22); theoretically assigned to the tribe of Judah (Jos 15:47). Hither the Phliistines brought the ark, and sent it thence to Gath, on account of an outbreak probably of bubonic plague (1Sa 5:1-8). Uzziah attacked the city, destroyed its walls, and established settlements near it (2Ch 26:6). The Ashdodites joined with Sanballat in opposing Nehemiah s restoration of Jerusalem (Ne 4:7), yet some of the Jews of the period married wives from Ashdod, and their children spoke in its dialect (Ne 13:23-24). It was captured by Sargon's commander-in-chief (Isa 20:1). Jeremiah, Amos, Zephaniah, and Zechariah speak denunciations against it. It was again captured by Judas Maccab
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None of the Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod [of Philistia] did some remain.
From the Shihor [River] which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, all of it counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, and those of the Avvites;
Ashdod, with its towns and its villages; Gaza, with its towns and its villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt, and the Great [Mediterranean] Sea with its coastline.
The Philistines brought the ark of God from Ebenezer to Ashdod. They took the ark of God into the house of Dagon and set it beside Dagon [their idol]. read more. When they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again. But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had again fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and [his] head and both the palms of his hands were lying cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left him. This is the reason neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, and He caused [mice to spring up and there was] very deadly destruction and He smote the people with [very painful] tumors or boils, both Ashdod and its territory. When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god. So they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? They answered, Let [it] be carried around to Gath. So they carried the ark of the God of Israel there.
He went out against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, of Jabneh, and of Ashdod, and built cities near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines.
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were going up and that the breaches were being closed, they were very angry.
In those days also I saw Jews who had married wives from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak the Hebrew, but in the language of each people.
In the year that the Tartan [Assyrian commander in chief] came to Ashdod in Philistia, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, he fought against Ashdod and took it.
But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing on he preached the good news (Gospel) to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.