Makkedah
“Herdsman's place or place of shepherds”
Summary
Makkedah was a royal Canaanite city famous for the cave where five Amorite kings hid after their defeat by Joshua, and where he subsequently executed them.
☩The Flight of the Five Kings
When Joshua defeated the coalition of five Amorite kings at Gibeon—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—the survivors fled down the valley by way of Beth-horon. The pursuit continued to Azekah and Makkedah, with the Lord raining great hailstones upon the fugitives. The five kings themselves sought refuge in a well-known cave at Makkedah. Joshua ordered great stones rolled against the cave mouth to trap them while the army completed the slaughter of the enemy forces.
☩Execution of the Kings
After the pursuit was complete, Joshua had the five kings brought from the cave. He commanded his captains to put their feet on the kings' necks—an ancient symbol of complete victory—and declared: 'Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.' Joshua then executed the kings and hung their bodies on five trees until evening, after which they were cast into the cave where they had hidden, with great stones piled against its mouth. This dramatic scene was both judgment upon the enemies of God and encouragement to Israel for future conquests.
☩Later History
Following the execution, Joshua captured the city of Makkedah itself, utterly destroying its inhabitants and its king. The city was later assigned to the tribe of Judah as part of the inheritance in the Shephelah or low hill country. Modern scholars have suggested various identifications, including el-Mughar ('the caves'), a village with ancient rock-cut tombs about four miles from the coast, though certainty remains elusive.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Makkedah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Makkedah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Makkedah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).