Bible Location
Meaning: barrenness; torn away · 20 cross references · Modern-day map available
Ekron was the northernmost of the five major Philistine cities, located in the coastal plain west of Judah. It is important because it appears in the ark narrative, in Philistine power struggles with Israel, and in prophetic warnings against the Philistine cities. First appears in Josh 13:3.1
Place meaning
barrenness; torn away
Coordinates
31.78, 34.85
First appears
Josh 13:3
AI summary: Ekron's significance comes from its place within the Philistine pentapolis and its close involvement in Israel's conflicts with Philistia. It appears most memorably in the ark narrative, where the ark's arrival brings crisis and fear, but it also remains part of the larger political and military landscape of Philistine resistance. Later prophetic texts continue to treat Ekron as one of the major coastal centers under judgment. Across the cross references, Ekron is presented as an important Philistine city tied to rivalry, fear, and the coastal balance of power.1
Place meaning
barrenness; torn away
Latitude
31.78
Longitude
34.85
Bible references
20
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 (Josh. 13:3), and afterwards to Dan (19:43), but came again into the full possession of the Philistines (1 Sam. 5:10). It was the last place to which the Philistines carried the ark before they sent it back to Israel (1 Sam. 5:10; 6:1-8). There was here a noted sanctuary of Baal-zebub (2 Kings 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. 3
Source note: this 1893 dictionary language reflects its period and may be culturally insensitive or outdated. It is presented as historical source material, not as ai-BIBLE’s language, interpretation, or endorsement.
| Book | Cross-References |
|---|---|
| Josh | |
| Judg | |
| 1Sam | |
| 2Kgs | |
| Jer | |
| Amos | |
| Zeph | |
| Zech |
Figure1: A table of cross references between the selected passage and other passages (Data from Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.)
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, place metadata, and linked Bible cross references.
Alistair de Blacquiere-Clarkson, “ai-BIBLE Bible Names JSON Factsheet Aggregating Material from Smith’s Bible Dictionary & Hitcocks’s New and Complete Analysis of the Bible.” ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
M.G.Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.