Soak Bible

Aijalon

Joshua once called out to the sky: “Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.” The valley was named in the heat of battle against the Amorites, and the town of Aijalon, spelled both ways in the King James text, appears in quieter lists too. It is one of four cities given with its suburbs in Joshua 21. Later it is the far end of a Philistine rout in 1 Samuel 14, and in 2 Chronicles 28 it is one of the towns the Philistines took from Judah. A small place with a long memory.

4 verses

Joshua

Joshua 10:12

Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

Joshua 21:24

Aijalon with her suburbs, Gathrimmon with her suburbs; four cities.

1 Samuel

1 Samuel 14:31

And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint.

2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 28:18

The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there.

From Smith's Bible Dictionary

William Smith, 1884

(place of gazelles).

(1.) A city of the Kohathites. (Joshua 21:24; 1 Chronicles 6:69) It was a Levitical city and a city of refuge. It was originally allotted to the tribe of Dan, (Joshua 19:42) Authorized Version, AJALON, which tribe, however, was unable to dispossess the Amorites of the place. (Judges 1:35) Aijalon was one of the towns fortified by Reheboam, (2 Chronicles 11:10) and the last we hear of it is being in the hands of the Philistines. (2 Chronicles 28:18) Being on the very frontier of the two kingdoms, we can understand how Aijalon should be spoken of sometimes, (1 Chronicles 6:69) comp. with 1Chr 6:66 As in Ephraim and sometimes, (2 Chronicles 11:10; 1 Samuel 14:31) as in Judah and Benjamin. It is represented by the modern Yalo , a little to the north of the Jaffa road, about 14 miles out of Jerusalem.

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(2.) A broad and beautiful valley near the city of Aijalon over which Joshua commanded the moon to stand still during the pursuit after the battle of Gibeon. (Joshua 10:12)

(3.) A place in Zebulon, mentioned as the burial-place of Elon, one of the Judges. (Judges 12:12)

Based on Nave's Topical Bible by Orville J. Nave (1896). Dictionary entries from Smith's Bible Dictionary. Public domain. KJV scripture text, public domain.