City
Ashdod
ASH-dod · Modern Ashdod, Israel (ancient tell at Tel Ashdod/Isdud, south of the modern city) · Also called Azotus
Ashdod is a city of the biblical world.
What is known
- The Philistines brought the captured Ark of the Covenant to the temple of Dagon at Ashdod, where the idol was found fallen and broken before it the next two mornings (1 Samuel 5:1-7)
- Assyrian king Sargon II records conquering Ashdod in 711 BC after a rebellion, an event referenced in Isaiah 20:1
- Uzziah of Judah broke down the wall of Ashdod during a military campaign against the Philistines (2 Chronicles 26:6)
- Renamed Azotus in the Hellenistic/Roman period; the deacon Philip appeared there after baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:40)
History
- Founded
- Occupied from the Middle Bronze Age; became a leading Philistine city by the 12th century BC
- Population
- Modest Iron Age city, likely a few thousand; excavations show it as one of the largest Philistine sites by area
- Industry
- Center of Dagon worship; agriculture and Mediterranean trade
- Coordinates
- 31.7959° N, 34.6446° E
Rulers and powers
- Philistine city-lords — c. 1175-701 BC
- Assyrian Empire (conquered by Sargon II) — 711 BC
Scripture references
- Joshua 13:3
- Joshua 15:46-47
- 1 Samuel 5:1-7 — The Ark placed in Dagon's temple; the idol falls
- 1 Samuel 6:17
- 2 Chronicles 26:6
- Isaiah 20:1
- Jeremiah 25:20
- Amos 1:8
- Zephaniah 2:4
- Zechariah 9:6
On a modern map
Further reading
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