Azekah

Biblical Text

Azekah appears in several books of the Old Testament, surfacing at important moments in Israel's history.

• Joshua 10:10-11: Joshua defeated the coalition of five Canaanite kings who had attacked Gibeon and pursued them along the slopes of Beth-horon, smiting them "to Azekah, and unto Makkedah." The text records that as the enemy fled, "the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah."
• Joshua 15:35: Azekah is listed with Jarmuth, Adullam, and Socoh among the lowland towns allotted to the tribe of Judah.
• 1 Samuel 17:1: The Philistine army gathered at Socoh in Judah and encamped at Ephes-dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the army of Israel encamped in the Valley of Elah. The story of David and Goliath follows.
• 2 Chronicles 11:5-10: When Rehoboam built cities for defense in the land of Judah, Azekah was among them (11:9).
• Jeremiah 34:7: During the reign of King Zedekiah, the Babylonian army attacked Jerusalem. The text records that at that time Lachish and Azekah alone remained of the fortified cities of Judah: "for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah."
• Nehemiah 11:30: Descendants of Judah who returned from exile settled in Azekah and its surrounding villages.

Background

Azekah lay in the low hill country between the Judean highlands and the coastal plain to the west. In Hebrew this region is called the Shephelah; the Korean Revised Version renders it "the plain." This zone served as a corridor through which coastal powers, especially the Philistines, could ascend into the Judean hill country. Azekah therefore appears to have functioned as a strategic stronghold guarding the Valley of Elah.

Scholars today commonly identify Azekah with the mound known as Tel Azekah (Arabic Tell Zakariya). Interpretations of the dating of the site's strata, however, vary among scholars.

Ostraca (letters written on potsherds) thought to date from around the time of the Babylonian invasion have been recovered at Lachish. One of them contains a line to the effect that "Azekah cannot be seen." A widely known interpretation reads this alongside the situation described in Jeremiah 34:7. Opinions differ, however, as to whether the phrase indicates that Azekah had fallen.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

Azekah appears across the major phases of Israel's history: the conquest, the early monarchy, the period after the division of the kingdom, the fall of Judah, and the return from exile. For this reason it is often cited as a place that illustrates the rise and decline of Judah's western line of defense. It does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

• The hailstorm: Some interpreters read the hail of Joshua 10 literally as a supernatural miracle. Others understand it as an actual meteorological phenomenon that God employed. The account that immediately follows, in which the sun and moon stood still (Joshua 10:12-14), is interpreted along similarly divided lines.
• The battlefield of David and Goliath: The text states only that the Philistines encamped between Socoh and Azekah; the battle itself took place in the Valley of Elah. The specific spots pointed out to pilgrims as the brook where David gathered his stones rest on later tradition, not on the biblical text.
• Identification of the site: The identification with Tel Azekah is the prevailing view, but judgments about the archaeological dating and the size of the city differ among scholars.