Ekron
“Eradication, firmly rooted (or uprooting)”
Summary
The northernmost of the five principal cities of the Philistines, notable as the last city to which the ark was taken before its return to Israel and as a center of Baal-zebub worship.
☩History and Location
Ekron was one of the five cities belonging to the Philistine lords and the most northerly of them. Unlike the others, it lay farther from the sea, in the low country (shephelah) to the right of the great road from Egypt to Syria. In the distribution of territory, Ekron was assigned to Judah on its northern boundary and later given to Dan, though it was conquered by Judah. Before the monarchy, however, it was again in full Philistine possession. After David's victory over Goliath, the Israelites pursued the fleeing Philistines to the gates of Ekron, the nearest walled refuge for the defeated army. The modern site, Akir, consists of about fifty mud houses—all that remains of the once-leading Philistine city, fulfilling Zephaniah's prophecy that 'the firmly rooted one shall be rooted up.'
☩The Ark at Ekron
Ekron is chiefly memorable as the last place to which the Philistines carried the captured ark before returning it to Israel. After the ark brought disaster on Ashdod and Gath, it was sent to Ekron, where the mortality appears to have been even greater. The terrified Ekronites proposed sending the ark back to Israel, which was done on a new cart drawn by two milk cows that traveled straight to Beth-shemesh. The golden trespass offerings sent with the ark included one for Ekron among the five Philistine cities.
☩Baal-zebub and Prophetic Judgment
Ekron was the seat of worship for the god Baal-zebub ('lord of flies'). When King Ahaziah of Israel fell through a lattice and was injured, he sent messengers to consult this deity about whether he would recover—an act for which Elijah pronounced his death sentence. The prophets include Ekron in their denunciations of Philistia. Amos declares that God will cut off its inhabitants; Zephaniah plays on the city's name, prophesying that 'the firmly rooted one shall be rooted up'; Zechariah describes its consternation at the fall of Tyre.
Related Verses20 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Ekron," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Ekron," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.James Orr (ed.), "Ekron," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 4.George Morrish, "Ekron," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).