Makkedah

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

The place where Joshua ( Joshua 10:10;  Joshua 10:16-28) executed the five confederate kings in the afternoon of the 24 hours' day on which he won the victory at Bethhoron. The cave where they hid was a well known one close to Makkedah (The Article, "The Cave," In The Hebrew Shows This) . Joshua first made his captains put their feet upon the five kings' necks ( Psalms 149:8-9;  Malachi 4:3) to assure them by this earnest of their future success under God, then executed them deliberately and judicially, and left them hanging to five trees until evening in sight of the defenders of Makkedah so as to strike terror into the enemy.

Next he took Makkedah and smote its king and all its inhabitants. Makkedah was in the Shephelah or "low hilly region" (Not "Valley" As Kjv) ;  Joshua 15:33-41. El Mughar (Arabic, "the caves") village probably now represents Makkedah, at about eight miles' distance from Ramleh.  Joshua 15:41 names Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naameh, and Makkedah together, corresponding respectively to Kutrah, Beit Dejan, Nyaneh, and Mug hat; Kutrah and Mughar near together, Nyaneh six miles N.E., Belt Dejan 12 miles to the N.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

MAKKEDAH. A Canaanite royal city in the Shephçlah, where the five kings of the Canaanites, defeated by Joshua at Gibeon, and chased by Israel down the valley by way of Beth-horon and Azekah, took refuge in a cave (  Joshua 10:10;   Joshua 10:16 ff.), whence, later, by Joshua’s orders, they were brought forth and slain. The city was taken and the inhabitants put to the sword. Azekah has not been identified, but in   Joshua 15:41 it is named with Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah, which may be identified with the modern Katrah, Dajûn , and Na’aneh . In this district the name Makkedah has not been found, but Warren and Conder agree in suggesting el-Mughâr , ‘the cave,’ as the most likely spot. The rock-quarrying and tombs mark an ancient site, and caves are found in no other place where Makkedah might be located. It lies on the N. of Wâdy Surâr , about 15 miles S. of Jaffa. The Onomasticon places it about 7 miles E. of Eleutheropolis ( Beit Jibrîn ), a position hardly to be reckoned within the Shephçlah.

W. Ewing.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Makke'dah. (Place Of Shepherds). A place memorable in the annals of the conquest of Canaan as the scene of the execution, by Joshua, of the five confederate kings,  Joshua 10:10-50, who had hidden themselves in a cave at this place.

(It was a royal city of the Canaanites, in the plains of Judah. Conder identifies it with the modern El-Moghar , 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem, where are two caves large enough to contain five men each. Schaff says that "one cave has, curiously enough, five loculi rudely scooped in its side, and an enthusiast might contend that this was the very place of sepulchre of the five kings." - Editor).

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Canaanitish city, connected with which was a cave in which the five Amorite kings took refuge on the day of Joshua's victory at Gibeon and Beth-horon. They were hanged on trees and then buried in the cave under a heap of stones. The city was taken and destroyed.  Joshua 10:10-29;  Joshua 12:16;  Joshua 15:41 . Identified by some with el Mughar, 31 51' N, 34 47' E .

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Makkedah ( Mak-Kç'Dah ), Place Of Shepherds. A royal city of the Canaanites in the plains of Judah, where Joshua, executed the are confederate kings.  Joshua 10:10;  Joshua 12:16;  Joshua 15:41. Warren would identify it with El-Mŭghâr.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A chief city of the Canaanites, near which five confederate kings were defeated, taken in the cave to which they had fled, and executed. It lay in the vicinity of Libnah, Azekah, and Lachish, southwest of Jerusalem, in the tribe of Judah,  Joshua 10:10-28;  12:16;  15:41 .

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Joshua 10:10 Joshua 10:16 Joshua 10:28 Joshua 15:4-1

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

A place rendered memorable by Joshua's victory over it. (See  Joshua 10:29) The word means adoration.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Joshua 12:16

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ma - kē´da ( מקּדה , maḳḳēdhāh  ; Μακηδά , Makēdá ): A C anaanite royal city which Joshua captured, utterly destroying the inhabitants, and doing to the king as he had done unto the king of Jericho ( Joshua 10:28;  Joshua 12:16 ). It lay in the Shephelah of Judah ( Joshua 15:41 ). It was brought into prominence by the flight thither of the 5 kings of the Amorites who, having united their forces for the destruction of Gibeon, were themselves defeated and pursued by Joshua (chapter 10). Seeing their danger, the men of Gibeon sent to the camp at Gilgal beseeching Joshua to save and help them. That energetic commander marched all night with his full strength, fell upon the allies at Gibeon, slew them with a great slaughter, chased the fugitives down the valley by way of Beth-horon, and smote them unto Azekah and unto Makkedah. It was during this memorable pursuit that in response to Joshua's appeal: "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon,"

the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down a whole day, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies.

The 5 kings sought refuge in the cave at Makkedah, where, by Joshua's orders, they were blocked in with great stones, until the slaughter of the fugitives should be completed. Then the royal prisoners were brought out, and, after the chiefs of Israel had set their feet upon their necks, Joshua slew them and hanged them on five trees until sunset. This is an illustration of the old practice of impaling enemies after death. The bodies were then cast into the cave where they had sought to hide, and great stones were rolled against the entrance.

The flight of the allies was past Beth-boron and Azekah to Makkedah. Azekah is not identified, but it is named with Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah ( Joshua 15:41 ). These are probably represented by Ḳaṭrah , Dajān and Nā‛aneh , so that in this district Makkedah may be sought. The officers of the Palestine Exploration Fund agree in suggesting el - Mughār , "the cave," on the northern bank of Wādy es - Surār , about 4 miles from the sand dunes on the shore. There are traces of old quarrying and many rock-cut tombs with loculi. "The village stands on a sort of promontory stretching into the valley ... divided into three plateaus; on the lower of these to the South is the modern village, el - Mughār , built in front of the caves which are cut out of the sandstone" (Warren). In no other place in the neighborhood are caves found. The narrative, however, speaks not of caves, but of " the cave," as of one which was notable. On the other hand the events narrated may have lent distinction to some particular cave among the many. "The cave" would therefore be that associated with the fate of the 5 kings. No certainty is possible.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Heb. Alakkedah', מִקֵּדָה , Herdsman'S Place; Sept. Μακηδά , Josephus Μακχιδά , Ant. 5:1, 17), a royal city of the ancient Canaanites ( Joshua 12:16), in the neighborhood of which was the cave where the five kings who confederated against Israel took refuge after their defeat ( Joshua 10:10-29). It afterwards belonged to Judah ( Joshua 15:41). Makkedah is placed by Eusebius and Jerome eight Roman miles to the east of Eleutheropolis ( Onomast. s.v. Maceda), which would bring it among the mountains, as Keil observes, who therefore locates it to the West ( Comment. on  Joshua 10:10), since it was situated in the plain of Judah ( Joshua 15:41), north of Libnah ( Joshua 10:29;  Joshua 10:31) and west of Azekah ( Joshua 10:10). De Saulcy ( Narrat. 1:438) is disposed to fix its site at a place which he names El-Merked; on the way from Hebron to the Dead Sea, a little east of Jenbeh; but this is at least twenty-five miles from Eleutheropolis, and the spot itself was not heard of by Dr. Robinson, who passed along the same route. Porter suggests a ruin bearing the slightly similar name El-Klediah, on the northern slope of wady el-Surnib, about eight miles north-east of Eleutheropolis, with large caves adjacent ( Handbook, p. 224, 251); but Van de Velde's selection ( Memoir, p. 332) of Sumeil, a village on a hillock in the plain, about two and a half hours north-west of Beit-Jibrin (Robinson, Researches, 2:368), seems more probable, as it has ancient remains, especially a cavern (Van de Velde, Nartrat. 2:173), although somewhat remote from Beth-horon, where Joshua's battle was fought. (See Joshua). The suggestion of captain Warren ( Quarterly Statement of the "Palestine Exploration Fund," April, 1871, p. 91), that Makkedah is the present "village of El-Mughar (the cave)" (meaning, doubtless, the Moyharah of Van de Velde's Map, though Robinson writes it Mughar, in Researches, 3:22, note), is quite too far north for the narrative in Joshua, as well as for the associated names, his proposed identification of which would place some, at least, of them (e.g. Beth-dagon, at Beit-Dejan) clearly within the tribe of Dan.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Makke´dah, a royal city of the ancient Canaanites , in the neighborhood of which was the cave in which the five kings who confederated against Israel took refuge after their defeat . It afterwards belonged to Judah . Makkedah is placed by Eusebius and Jerome 8 Roman miles to the east of Eleutheropolis.