place
Ashkelon
אַשְׁקְלוֹן
Ashkelon, one of the five principal Philistine cities, was captured by Judah but later became a symbol of judgment.
- verses
- 12
- first named
- Joshua 13:3
- last named
- Zechariah 9:5
- feature
- settlement
- coordinates
- 31.66°N · 34.55°E
Tel Ashkelon (OpenBible)
The gazetteer records one identification, and no competing one.
Description
Ashkelon in the text
Ashkelon was one of the five major cities of the Philistines, located along the Mediterranean coast, approximately 35 miles (56 km) south of Tel Aviv. It is mentioned several times in the Bible, often in the context of conflict with Israel and as a target of prophetic judgment.
In Judges 1:18, Ashkelon is listed among the cities captured by the tribe of Judah during the conquest of Canaan. However, the city later reverted to Philistine control. Judges 14:19 records that Samson, empowered by the Spirit of the Lord, went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty men, and took their garments to pay a debt.
Ashkelon is mentioned as one of the Philistine cities that received a golden tumor as a guilt offering when the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Israel (1Sa.6.17). In 2Sa.1.20, David laments the death of Saul and Jonathan, urging that the news not be proclaimed in Ashkelon, lest the Philistines rejoice.
Several prophets, including Jeremiah, Amos, and Zephaniah, pronounce judgments against Ashkelon. Jeremiah includes Ashkelon among the nations that will drink the cup of God's wrath (Jeremiah 25:20) and describes the city as cut off and bereaved (Jeremiah 47:5, 7). Amos prophesies that God will send fire upon Ashkelon (Amo.1.8), while Zephaniah declares that Ashkelon will become a desolation (Zephaniah 2:4) but also foresees a future restoration (Zephaniah 2:7). Zechariah portrays Ashkelon as fearful and mourning in the face of God's judgment (Zechariah 9:5).
Throughout its biblical history, Ashkelon remains a significant Philistine stronghold and a symbol of opposition to Israel. The city's inclusion in prophetic oracles underscores its importance and the divine judgment it would face for its hostility toward God's people.
Relations
Direct connections
Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.
Read it
Where to read it
Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — 12, across 8 books. The name is written 13 times in them.
Onward
Where this page goes
Nothing in the graph stands one hop from this entity yet. These are the best-connected entities of the same type, so the page still ends somewhere. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.
Where they appear
What happened here
Atlas's reading of each chapter this place appears in, in canonical order. One line per chapter, and each leads to the whole of it.
- Judges 14Ashkelon was where Samson killed thirty men and took their apparel.
- Jeremiah 47Ashkelon was silenced and appointed as the sword’s next target.
- Zephaniah 2Ashkelon will be left in ruins, though its houses will later shelter Judah’s remnant at evening.
- Zechariah 9Ashkelon sees the trouble and fears, then is left uninhabited.
Sources