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Ekron - location profile

Location and Setting

• Ekron was located within sight of the low rolling hills of the Shephelah, five miles north of Gath and seven miles southwest of Gezer.
• Ekron was the northernmost of the five Philistine city-states, an economic and political alliance referred to as the Philistine pentapolis. The other pentapolis city-states: Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, and Gath.
• The city was situated on the fertile, alluvial soil of the coastal plain. At one time, the city was the major provider of olive oil to the civilized world.
• Ekron was located on the inland route of the International Coastal Highway that connected Egypt with Mesopotamia. It also served as the terminus of an important route that followed the Sorek Valley, past Beth-shemesh to Jerusalem.
• The economic advantages associated with Ekron’s location at this crossroads, as well as its precarious position near the border between Israelite and Philistine territory, made Ekron the site of much conflict and bloodshed as it sought to maintain control of the area.
• The majority of Ekron’s population were Philistines, commonly referred to as "the Sea People." Migrating from the Aegean area, they had settled the coastal plain about 1190 B.C. Their highly technical culture had developed their skill in processing iron. This skill gave them an important military advantage (1 Sam 13:19-22). Their use of iron also revolutionized their agricultural operation.

Historical and Biblical Significance

• Ekron was originally allotted to Judah but Joshua did not live to see the Israelites conquer and reside there (Josh 13:3; 15:11,45,46). Judah eventually took the city (Judg 1:18) but ownership then transferred to the tribe of Dan (Josh 19:43). Israelite occupation was short-lived, however, as the Philistines gained and maintained control through much of the period of the judges and the monarchy.
• After the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, they circulated it to three Philistine cities. The residents of each city were plagued with tumors, which caused panic that resulted in the transfer of the Ark to the next city. Ekron was the last Philistine city to receive the Ark (and the plague). The residents of Ekron placed the Ark on an ox cart drawn by cows that pulled the cart up the Sorek Valley from Ekron to the Israelite territory of Beth Shemesh (1 Samuel 5 & 6).
• When David killed Goliath, Saul’s army pursued the Philistines down the road from the Valley of Elah to the gates of Ekron (1 Sam 17:52).
• Ekron was noted as a center for worship of the pagan god, Baalzebub (2 Kgs 1:2,3,16). The prophet Elijah denounced Israel’s King Ahaziah for inquiring of this god about his illness (2 Kgs 1:6). It is likely that this kind of rampant idol worship was a primary cause for prophecies that predicted God’s future retribution (Jer 25:20; Amos 1:8; Zeph 2:4; Zech 9:5-7).
• In 701 B.C., Judah’s King Hezekiah imprisoned Padi, the king of Ekron. Soon after, Assyria’s King Sennacherib invaded Palestine and captured Ekron from Judah. Not only did Sennacherib force Padi’s release, but he also demanded additional territory from Hezekiah.

Bibliography

1. Aharoni, Y. and M. Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993.
2. DeVries, LaMoine F. Cities of the Biblical World. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.
3. Lewis, J.P. "Ekron, Ekronite" The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. Ed. Merrill C. Tenney. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976.