Place · City
Makkedah
Named in 8 verses, first in Joshua 10:10.
In the Bible
All 8 verses, in Bible order. Text from the Berean Standard Bible; verse numbers follow the KJV.
Joshua
- Joshua 10:10
And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
- Joshua 10:16
Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah.
- Joshua 10:17
And Joshua was informed: “The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”
- Joshua 10:21
The whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one dared to utter a word against the Israelites.
- Joshua 10:28
On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and put it to the sword, along with its king. He devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. So he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
- Joshua 10:29
Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah.
- Joshua 12:16
the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one;
- Joshua 15:41
Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah—sixteen cities, along with their villages.
Dictionary
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), as attached to this record by Theographic. Its geography and “modern” descriptions date from the 1890s. Easton wrote in 1897, and some of his views are now debated.
Read Easton’s entry
Herdsman’s place, one of the royal cities of the Canaanites (Josh. 12:16), near which was a cave where the five kings who had confederated against Israel sought refuge (10:10-29). They were put to death by Joshua, who afterwards suspended their bodies upon five trees. It has been identified with the modern village called Sumeil, standing on a low hill about 7 miles to the north-west of Eleutheropolis (Beit Jibrin), where are ancient remains and a great cave. The Palestine Exploration surveyors have, however, identified it with el-Mughar, or “the caves,” 3 miles from Jabneh and 2 1/2 southwest of Ekron, because, they say, “at this site only of all possible sites for Makkedah in the Palestine plain do caves still exist.”