Reference: Ekron
American
The most northern city of the Philistines, allotted to Judah by Jos 15:45, but afterwards given to Da 12:13, though it does not appear that the Jews ever peaceably possessed it. It is memorable for its connection with the captivity of the ark and its restoration to the Jews, 1Sa 5:10; 6:1-18. The fly-god was worshipped here, 2Ki 1:2. Its ruin was foretold, Am 1:8; Zep 2:4; Zec 9:5,7. Robinson found its site at the Moslem village Akir, some ten miles northeast of Ashdod. There are no ruins.
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Therefore, they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have removed the ark of the God of Israel unto us to kill me and my people.
And the ark of the LORD was in the land of the Philistines seven months. Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we shall return it to his place. read more. And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but ye shall pay unto him the expiation of guilt; then ye shall be healed, and ye shall know why his hand was not removed from you. Then said they, What shall be the expiation of guilt which we shall pay unto him? They answered, Five golden hemorrhoids and five golden rats, according to the number of the cardinals of the Philistines, for the same plague that is on you is also on your cardinals. Therefore, ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids and images of your rats that destroy the land, and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel; peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you and from off your gods and from off your land. Why then do ye harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had dealt thus among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? Now, therefore, make a new cart and take two milk cows, on which no yoke has been placed and tie the cows to the cart and bring their calves home from them. Then ye shall take the ark of the LORD and lay it upon the cart and put the jewels of gold, which ye pay him for expiation of guilt, in a coffer by the side thereof, and let it go. And see if it goes up by the way of his own border to Bethshemesh, then he has done us this great evil, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was an accident that happened to us. And the men did so and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. Then they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart and the coffer with the rats of gold and the images of their hemorrhoids. And the cows went straight down the way of Bethshemesh and went along the highway, lowing as they went and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, and the cardinals of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh. And those of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark and rejoiced to see it. And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stopped there, for there was a great stone there; and they clave the wood of the cart and offered the cows in a burnt offering unto the LORD. And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the coffer that was with it, in which were the jewels of gold, and put them on the great stone, and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. And when the five cardinals of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. These, therefore are the golden hemorrhoids which the Philistines returned in expiation for their guilt unto the LORD, for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one, and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five cardinals; a ransom for those of the fenced cities and for the country dwellers even unto the great stone of Abel, upon which they placed the ark of the LORD in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite, and this is remembered unto this day.
And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria and was sick, and he sent messengers and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this disease.
And thou shall go to the end and shalt rest, and thou shalt raise up in thy lot at the end of the days.
And I will cut off the inhabitants of Ashdod and him that holds the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Palestinians shall perish, said the Lord GOD.
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall spoil Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
Ashkelon shall see it and fear; Gaza also shall see it and be very sorrowful, and Ekron for her hope shall be confounded; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth, but some of them shall remain for our God, and they shall be as captains in Judah, and Ekron as the Jebusite.
Easton
firm-rooted, the most northerly of the five towns belonging to the lords of the Philistines, about 11 miles north of Gath. It was assigned to Judah (Jos 13:3), and afterwards to Dan (Jos 19:43), but came again into the full possession of the Philistines (1Sa 5:10). It was the last place to which the Philistines carried the ark before they sent it back to Israel (1Sa 5:10; 6:1-8). There was here a noted sanctuary of Baal-zebub (2Ki 1:2-3,6,16). Now the small village Akir. It is mentioned on monuments in B.C. 702, when Sennacherib set free its king, imprisoned by Hezekiah in Jerusalem, according to the Assyrian record.
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from the Nile, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted among the Canaanites; five cardinals of the Philistines; the Gazathites and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites, also the Avites;
Therefore, they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have removed the ark of the God of Israel unto us to kill me and my people.
Therefore, they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have removed the ark of the God of Israel unto us to kill me and my people.
And the ark of the LORD was in the land of the Philistines seven months. Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we shall return it to his place. read more. And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but ye shall pay unto him the expiation of guilt; then ye shall be healed, and ye shall know why his hand was not removed from you. Then said they, What shall be the expiation of guilt which we shall pay unto him? They answered, Five golden hemorrhoids and five golden rats, according to the number of the cardinals of the Philistines, for the same plague that is on you is also on your cardinals. Therefore, ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids and images of your rats that destroy the land, and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel; peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you and from off your gods and from off your land. Why then do ye harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had dealt thus among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? Now, therefore, make a new cart and take two milk cows, on which no yoke has been placed and tie the cows to the cart and bring their calves home from them. Then ye shall take the ark of the LORD and lay it upon the cart and put the jewels of gold, which ye pay him for expiation of guilt, in a coffer by the side thereof, and let it go.
And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria and was sick, and he sent messengers and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this disease. But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and thou shalt say unto them, Is there no God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?
And they said unto him, We met a man who said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you and say unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Is there no God in Israel, that thou dost send to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
And he said unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, peradventure is there no God in Israel to enquire of his word? Therefore, thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
Fausets
("the firm rooted".) Most northerly of the five Philistine lordship cities, farthest from the sea, to the right of the great road from Egypt northwards to Syria, in the shephelah (low country). A landmark of Judah on the northern boundary which ran thence to the sea at Jabneel (Jos 15:45-46; Jg 1:18). Afterward in Dan (Jos 19:43); but the Philistines permanently appropriated it (1Sa 5:10; 17:52; Jer 25:20). There the ark of the covenant was taken last before its return to Israel.
A shrine and oracle of Baalzebub was there, to which king Ahaziah applied for consultation in his sickness (2Ki 1:2,16). Zec 9:5, "Ekron for her expectation shall be ashamed": she had expected Tyre would withstand Alexander in his progress southward toward Egypt; but her expectation shall bear the shame of disappointment. Zep 2:4 plays on her name, 'Ekron tee'akeer," the firm-rooted one shall be rooted up." Now Akir, 3 miles E. of Yebna, N. of the wady Surar; a village consisting of 50 mud houses, with two well-built wells, is all that remains of the once leading Philistine city, fulfilling the prophecy that she should be rooted up.
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Ekron, with her towns and her villages. From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages:
Also Judah took Gaza with its border and Askelon with its border and Ekron with its border.
Therefore, they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have removed the ark of the God of Israel unto us to kill me and my people.
And the men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines unto the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath and unto Ekron.
And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria and was sick, and he sent messengers and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this disease.
And he said unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, peradventure is there no God in Israel to enquire of his word? Therefore, thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
and to all the mingled people and to all the kings of the land of Uz and to all the kings of the land of the Philistines and to Ashkelon and to Gaza and to Ekron and to the remnant of Ashdod,
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall spoil Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
Ashkelon shall see it and fear; Gaza also shall see it and be very sorrowful, and Ekron for her hope shall be confounded; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
Hastings
A city in the Philistine Pentapolis, not conquered by Joshua (Jos 13:3), but theoretically a border city of Judah (Jos 15:11) and Dan (Jos 19:43); said, in a passage which is probably an interpolation, to have been smitten by Judah (Jg 1:18). Hither the captured ark was brought from Ashdod (1Sa 5:10), and on its restoration the Philistine lords who had followed it to Beth-shemesh returned to Ekron (1Sa 6:16). Ekron was the border town of a territory that passed in the days of Samuel from the Philistines to Israel (1Sa 7:14), and it was the limit of the pursuit of the Philistines after the slaying of Goliath by David (1Sa 17:52). Its local numen was Baal-zebub, whose oracle Ahaziah consulted after his accident (2Ki 1:2). Like the other Philistine cities, it is made the subject of denunciation by Jeremiah, Amos, Zephaniah, and the anonymous prophet whose writing occupies Zec 9; 10; 11. This city is commonly identified with 'Akir, a village on the Philistine plain between Gezer and the sea, where there is now a Jewish colony. For the identification there is no basis, except the coincidence of name; there are no remains of antiquity whatever at 'Akir.
R. A. S. Macalister.
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from the Nile, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted among the Canaanites; five cardinals of the Philistines; the Gazathites and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites, also the Avites;
Then this border goes out to the side of Ekron northward; and the same border comes around to Shicron and passes by Mount Baalah and goes out to Jabneel; and this border comes out to the sea.
Also Judah took Gaza with its border and Askelon with its border and Ekron with its border.
Therefore, they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have removed the ark of the God of Israel unto us to kill me and my people.
And when the five cardinals of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel from Ekron even unto Gath with their borders, and Israel delivered them out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorite.
And the men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines unto the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath and unto Ekron.
And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria and was sick, and he sent messengers and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this disease.
Morish
Ek'ron
The most northerly of the five cities of the Philistines. It fell to the lot of Judah, and then passed to Dan. It was taken by Judah, but the Philistines kept or gained possession. The ark of God was carried there from Ashdod, and from thence was returned to Israel. It was to Ekron that king Ahaziah sent to inquire of the god Baal-zebub if he should recover from his accident. 2Ki 1:2-3,16. The city is denounced in the prophets. Jos 15:11,45-46; 19:43; Jg 1:18; 1Sa 5:10; 6:16-17; 7:14; 17:52; Jer 25:20; Am 1:8; Zep 2:4; Zec 9:5,7. Identified with Akir, 31 52' N, 34 49' E.
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Then this border goes out to the side of Ekron northward; and the same border comes around to Shicron and passes by Mount Baalah and goes out to Jabneel; and this border comes out to the sea.
Ekron, with her towns and her villages. From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages:
Also Judah took Gaza with its border and Askelon with its border and Ekron with its border.
And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria and was sick, and he sent messengers and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this disease. But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and thou shalt say unto them, Is there no God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?
And he said unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, peradventure is there no God in Israel to enquire of his word? Therefore, thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
and to all the mingled people and to all the kings of the land of Uz and to all the kings of the land of the Philistines and to Ashkelon and to Gaza and to Ekron and to the remnant of Ashdod,
And I will cut off the inhabitants of Ashdod and him that holds the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Palestinians shall perish, said the Lord GOD.
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall spoil Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
Ashkelon shall see it and fear; Gaza also shall see it and be very sorrowful, and Ekron for her hope shall be confounded; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth, but some of them shall remain for our God, and they shall be as captains in Judah, and Ekron as the Jebusite.
Smith
Ek'ron
(torn up by the roots; emigration), one of the five towns belonging to the lords of the Philistines, and the most northerly of the five.
Like the other Philistine cities its situation was in the lowlands. It fell to the lot of Judah.
Afterwards we find it mentioned among the cities of Dan.
Before the monarchy it was again in full possession of the Philistines.
Akir, the modern representative of Ekron, lies about five miles southwest of Ramleh. In the Apocrypha it appears as ACCARON. 1Macc 10:89 only.
See Accaron
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from the Nile, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted among the Canaanites; five cardinals of the Philistines; the Gazathites and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites, also the Avites;
Ekron, with her towns and her villages. From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages:
Also Judah took Gaza with its border and Askelon with its border and Ekron with its border.
Therefore, they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have removed the ark of the God of Israel unto us to kill me and my people.