Ashdod
The Philistine city where, in 1 Samuel, the captured Ark of the Covenant knocked over the idol of Dagon and brought plague.
- Location
- Mediterranean coastal plain, Israel
- Ancient site
- Tel Ashdod, with port at Tel Mor
- Type
- One of the five Philistine royal cities
- Biblical event
- The Ark in the temple of Dagon (1 Samuel 5)
- Excavations
- 1950s–1960s; remains back to the 17th century BCE
- Modern city
- Founded 1956; major Israeli port
What is Ashdod known for?
Ashdod was one of the five major Philistine cities on the southern coastal plain. Excavations at Tel Ashdod and its port Tel Mor found remains going back to the 17th century BCE. The city later fell to Uzziah of Judah, then to Assyria, and to Egypt under Psamtik I. A modern Israeli city of the same name, founded in 1956, is now a major port.
In 1 Samuel 5, the Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant and place it in the temple of their god Dagon at Ashdod. The next morning the statue lies face down before the Ark; the following morning its head and hands are broken off, and the people are struck with tumors. The Ark is sent on to Gath and Ekron, then back to Israel.
Joshua 11 also lists Ashdod among the three cities where the Anakim survived. The Ark narrative is a religious text; there is no archaeological record of the event.
Where the captured Ark toppled Dagon, and one of three refuges of the Anakim in Joshua 11.
Mentioned on these pages
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Ashdod'Reference
- 1 Samuel 5 (KJV), Bible GatewayPrimary text
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