Ajalon

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Ajalon ( Ă J-A-Lon ), or Aijalon ( Âi'Ja-Lŏn ), Place Of Gazelles. 1. A town in the tribe of Dan, assigned to the Levites, sons of Kohath,  Joshua 19:42;  Joshua 21:24;  Judges 1:35, and a city of refuge. It was not far from Timnath, and was taken by the Philistines from Ahaz.  2 Chronicles 28:18. It lay on the south side of a fine valley, not far from the valley of Gibeon, and is recognized in the modern village of Yalo, near the road to Jaffa, some 14 miles from Jerusalem. The valley is the place where Joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still, and they obeyed him.  Joshua 10:12; see also  1 Samuel 14:31. 2. A town in Benjamin, some three miles east of Bethel. It was fortified by Rehoboam.  2 Chronicles 11:10. Some regard this as the same place as the above, in possession of different tribes at different times.  1 Chronicles 6:66;  1 Chronicles 6:69. 3. In the tribe of Zebulun, the place of Elon's burial.  Judges 12:12.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

• A town and valley originally assigned to the tribe of Dan, from which, however, they could not drive the Amorites ( Judges 1:35 ). It was one of the Levitical cities given to the Kohathites (1Chronicles 6:69). It was not far from Beth-shemesh (2Chronicles 28:18). It was the boundary between the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and is frequently mentioned in Jewish history (2Chronicles 11:10; 1Samuel 14:31; 1Chronicles 8:13). With reference to the valley named after the town, Joshua uttered the celebrated command, "Sun, stand thou still on Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon" ( Joshua 10:12 ). It has been identified as the modern Yalo, at the foot of the Beth-horon pass (q.v.). In the Tell Amarna letters Adoni-zedek (q.v.) 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.
• A city in the tribe of Zebulun ( Judges 12:12 ), the modern Jalun, three miles north of Cabul.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Aj 'alon. See Aijalon .

Holman Bible Dictionary

Aijalon

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Hebrew Ayalon', אִיָּלוֹן , place of Deer, or of Oaks), the name of two towns.

1. (Sept. Αἰλών , But Ε᾿Λών in  Joshua 19:42, Ἐν Ó Αἱ Ἄρκοι in  Judges 1:35, omits in  1 Samuel 14:31, ᾿Ηλών v. r. Αἰλών in  1 Chronicles 6:69, Αἰλάμ v. r. Ἀλάμ and Ἀδάμ in  1 Chronicles 8:13,

Ἀϊαλών v. r. Αἰλώμ in  2 Chronicles 11:10, Ἀϊλών in  2 Chronicles 28:18; Josephus ᾿Ηλώμ , Ant. 8, 10, 1; Auth. Vers. "Aijalon" in all the passages except  Joshua 10:12;  Joshua 19:41;  2 Chronicles 28:18.) A town and valley in the tribe of Dan ( Joshua 19:42), which was given to the Levites ( Joshua 21:24;  1 Chronicles 6:69). The native Amorites for a long time retained possession of it, although reduced to the condition of tributaries by the neighboring Ephraimites ( Judges 1:35), Being on the very frontier of the two kingdoms, we can understand how Ajalon should be spoken of sometimes ( 1 Chronicles 6:69, comp. with 66) as in Ephraim, and sometimes ( 2 Chronicles 11:10;  1 Samuel 14:31) as in Judah and Benjamin. It was not far from Bethshemesh ( 2 Chronicles 28:18), and was one of the places which Rehoboam fortified ( 2 Chronicles 11:10) during his conflicts with the new kingdom of Ephraim ( 1 Kings 14:30), and among the strongholds which the Philistines took from Ahaz ( 2 Chronicles 28:18). Saul pursued hither the routed Philistines from Michmash ( 1 Samuel 14:31), and some of its chiefs appear to have subsequently defeated an incursion of the same enemies from Gath ( 1 Chronicles 8:13). But the town, or rather the valley to which the town gave name, derives its chief renown from the circumstance that when Joshua, in pursuit of the five kings, arrived at some point near Upper Beth-horon, looking back upon Gibeon and down upon the noble valley before him, he uttered the celebrated command, "Sun, stand thou still on Gibeon, and thou moon, in the valley of Ajalon" ( Joshua 10:12). From the indications of Jerome (Onomast. and Epitaph. Paul.), who places Ajalon two Roman miles from Nicopolis, on the way to Jerusalem (comp. Ι᾿Αλώ in Epiphan. Opp. 1, 702), joined to the preservation of the ancient name, Dr. Robinson (Bibl. Researches, 3, 63) appears to have identified the valley and the site of the town. From a housetop in Belt Ur (Beth- horon) he looked down upon a broad and beautiful valley, which lay at his feet, toward Ramleh. This valley runs out west by north through a tract of hills, and then bends off southwest through the great western plain. It is called Merj lbn 'Omeir. Upon the side of the long hill which skirts the valley on the south a small village was perceived, called Yalo, which cannot well be any other than the ancient Ajalon; and there can be little question that the broad wady to the north of it is the valley of the same name (see Thomson's Land and Book 2, 304, 546). Keil, however (Comment. in  Joshua 10:12), controverts the above view (from Lengerke, after Lapide and Le Clerc, in loc.) respecting the position of Joshua on this occasion, maintaining that if Joshua really saw both the sun and moon when he delivered this memorable address, it must have been in the early part of the day, and during the engagement before Gibeon itself; for then the sun might have been visible on the east or south-east of Gibeon, and the moon in the south-west, above the valley of Ajalon, as it would then be about to set. (See Jasher). According to Schwarz (Palest. p. 141), a person on the summit of Upper Beth-horon can see at once Gibeon on the east and Ajalon on the west. The village of Yalo is situated on the northern declivity overlooking the plain, between two ravines, the western one of which contains a fountain that supplies the village. It has an old appearance, and contains several caverns in the cliffs (new ed. of Robinson's Researches, 3, 144).

2. (Sept. Αἰλών , Auth. Vers. "Aijalon.") A city in the tribe of Zebulon, where Elon the judge was buried ( Judges 12:12). It is probably the modern Jalun, about four hours east of Akka, and a short distance south- west of Mejdel Kerum (Van de Velde, Memoir, p. 283); for this place, although really within the bounds of Naphtali, is sufficiently near, perhaps, to the border of Zebulon to be included in that region, according to the indefinite mention of the text.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Aj´alon, a town and valley in the tribe of Dan ( Joshua 19:42), which was given to the Levites ( Joshua 21:24;  1 Chronicles 6:69). It was not far from Bethshemesh ( 2 Chronicles 28:18); it was one of the places which Rehoboam fortified ( 2 Chronicles 11:10), and among the strongholds which the Philistines took from Ahaz ( 2 Chronicles 28:18). But the town, or rather the valley to which the town gave name, derives its chief renown from the circumstance that when Joshua, in pursuit of the five kings, arrived at some point near Upper Beth-horon, looking back upon Gibeon and down upon the noble valley before him, he uttered the celebrated command: 'Sun, stand thou still on Gibeon, and thou moon, in the valley of Ajalon' ( Joshua 10:12). The site of the town has been identified with the small village of Yâlo near Beit Ur (Beth-horon), and a broad wady to the north of it appears to be the valley of the same name.