Azekah

From ArchaeoWiki

Azekah has been variously identified with two alternative sites in the Valley of Ela, south-west of Jerusalem, Tell Zakariya and—more recently—Khirbet Qeiyafa.

Azekah appears several times within Biblical traditions:

• Azekah was the location of the Amorite kings defeat by Joshua, their army being destroyed by a hailstorm [Joshua 10:10-11]
• The city was subsequently included amongst the allotment given to the tribe of Judah [Joshua 15:20,35]
• During the reign of Saul, the Philistines assembled their forces between Sochoh and Azekah, where they offered Goliath as their champion [1 Samuel 17]
• Rehoboam fortified the town during his reign, together with Lachish and other strategic sites [2 Chronicles 11:5-10]
• Lachish and Azekah were reportedly the last two cities to fall for the Babylonians before the conquest of Jerusalem itself [Jeremiah 34:6-7]
• Azekah was one of the places re-occupied by the exiles on their return from the Captivity [Nehemiah 11:30]