The important town of Lachish was located in the mountain pass that led from Hebron down to the Mediterranean coast. It was conquered by Israel in the time of Joshua (Joshua 10:3-5; Joshua 10:32) and later became an important military outpost for the defence of Jerusalem and other highland towns (2 Kings 18:13-17; 2 Chronicles 11:5; 2 Chronicles 11:9; Jeremiah 34:7; Micah 1:13; see PALESTINE). It was resettled after the Jews’ return from captivity, but never regained its previous importance (Nehemiah 11:25; Nehemiah 11:30).