Bible Dictionaries
Aijalon

Holman Bible Dictionary

(ai' juh luhn) Also spelled Ajalon. Place name meaning, “place of the deer.” 1. Town and nearby valley where moon stood still at Joshua's command (Joshua 10:12 ). Near the Philistine border, south of Beth-horon, Aijalon belonged to Dan, according to tribal allotments (Joshua 19:42 ); but Dan did not conquer the territory and moved to the north (Judges 18:1 ). It was one city in Dan given the Levites (Joshua 21:24 ). Amorites gained temporary control, but the Joseph tribes subjected them to pay tribute (Judges 1:34-35 ). Saul and Jonathan won a battle between Michmash and Aijalon (1 Samuel 14:31 ). In post-exilic times, the Chronicler knew Aijalon as a city of the tribe of Benjamin which defeated Gath (1 Chronicles 8:13 ). Rehoboam, Solomon's son, had fortified Aijalon (2 Chronicles 11:10 ). King Ahaz (735-715 B.C.) asked for Assyrian help because the Philistines had taken Aijalon and other cities. Thus it was an important military location on Judah's western border. Aijalon is located at modern Yalo about fourteen miles from Jerusalem. 2. Elon, a judge of the tribe of Zebulon was buried in a northern Aijalon (Judges 12:12 ), whose location may be at Tell et-Butmeh.