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Ajalon

also known as: Aijalon, Aij'alon, Ayyalon, and Ayalon

Hebrew: אַיָּלוֹן —transliteration: Ayyalon —meaning: deer or place of deer

This is the name of 2 biblical places.

  1. Ajalon, an ancient Danite town and valley

    This lowland town and valley assigned to the tribe of Dan, from which, however, they did not drive the idolatrous Amorites (Judges 1:35).

    “…the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land” —Joshua 10:1 LSB

    The modern name of this place is Ayalon Valley, Israel. It can be seen from Gezer.

    Ajalon Valley—satellite view

    It was one of the Levitical cities given to the Kohathites Levites (1 Chronicles 6:69). It was not far from ancient Beth-Shemesh (2 Chronicles 28:18).

    It was the boundary between the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and is frequently mentioned in Jewish history (2 Chronicles 11:10; 1 Samuel 14:31; 1 Chronicles 8:13).

    At the valley named after this town, Joshua uttered the famous command…

    “Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
    And moon, at the Valley of Aijalon!”
    So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
    Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. —Joshua 10:11–13 NASB

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    Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord turned the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

    And as they fled from Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord hurled large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

    Ajalon was identified by Edward Robinson (Bible scholar and archaeologist) as the modern Yalo (Yalu), Israel, at the foot of the Bethoron pass (near modern Beit Horon, Israel). It is currently a Palestinian Arab village.

    Modern Beit Horon—satellite view

    In the Tell Amarna letters Adoni-zedek speaks of the destruction of the “city of Ajalon” by the invaders, and describes himself as “afflicted, greatly afflicted” by the calamities that had come on the land, urging the king of Egypt to hasten to his help.

  2. Ajalon, city of Zebulun

    This is a city in the tribe of Zebulun (Judges 12:12) where Elon was buried.

    It is identified with the modern Jalun, 3 miles north of Cabul, Israel (aka Kabul, Kabbul, al-Kabul).

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Article Version: August 13, 2024