2. (Sept. Aid, but in 2 Sam. iii, 7 v. r. 'Iw\, Auth. Vers. "Aiah.") The father of Rizpah, King Saul's concubine (2 Sam. iii, 7; xxi, 8-11), B.C. ante 1093.
Aj'alon (Heb. Ayalon', "|"1^X, place of deer, or of oaks), the name of two towns.
1. (Sept. AiXibv, but 'E\wj/ in Josh, xix, 42, iv (p at dptcoi in Judg. i, 35, omits in 1 Sam. xiv, 31, 'KXwv v. r. AlXwv in 1 Chron. vi, 69, Ai\d/.i v. r. 'AXcip and 'Addfi in 1 Chron. viii, 13, 'A'iaXtbv v. r. A/Aoj/t in 2 Chron. xi, 10, 'A'iXiov in 2 Chron. xxviii, 18 ; Josephus 'HXwfi, Ant. viii, 10, 1; Auth. Vers. "Aijalon" in all the passages except Josh. x. 12 ; xix, 41 ; 2 Chron. xxviii, 18.) A town and valley in the tribe of Dan (Josh, xix, 42), which was given to the Levites (Josh, xxi, 24; 1 Chron. vi, 69). The native Amorites for a long time retained possession of it, although reduced to the condition of tributaries by the neighboring Ephr.iimites (Judg. i, 35). Being on the very frontier of the two kingdoms, we can understand how Ajalon should be spoken of sometimes (1 Chron. vi, 69, comp. with 66) as in Ephraim, and sometimes (2 Chron. xi, 10 ; 1 Sam. xiv, 31) as in Judah and Benjamin. It was not far from Bethshemesh (2 Chron. xxviii, 18), and was one of the places which Rehoboam fortified (2 Chron. xi, 10) during his conflicts with the new king- dom of Ephraim (1 Kings xiv, 30), and among the Strongholds which the Philistines took from Ahaz (2 Chron. xxviii, 18). Saul pursued hither the routed Philistines from Miehmash (1 Sam. xiv. 31), and some of its chiefs appear to have subsequently defeated an incursion of the same enemies from Gath (1 Chron. viii, 13). But the town, or rather the valley to which the town gave name, derives its chief renown from the circumstance that when Joshua, in pursuit of the five kings, arrived at some point near Upper Beth-horon, looking back upon Gibeon and down upon the noble valley before him, he uttered the celebrated command, " Sun, stand thou still on Gibeon, and thou moon, in the valley of Ajalon" (Josh, x, 12). From the indica- tions of Jerome (Onomast. and Epitaph. Paul.), who places Ajalon two Roman miles from Nicopolis, on the way to Jerusalem (comp. 'InrXw in Epiphan. Opp. i, 702), joined to the preservation of the ancient name, Dr. Robinson {Bibl. Researches, iii, 63) appears to have
identified the valley and the site of the town. From a housetop in Beit Ur (Beth-horon) he looked down upon a broad and beautiful valley, which lay at his feet, toward Ramleh. This valley runs out west by north through a tract of hills, and then bends off south- west through the great western plain. It is called Merjlbn 'Omeir. Upon the side of the long hill which skirts the valley on the south a small village was per- ceived, called Yah, which cannot well be any other than the ancient Ajalon ; and there can be little ques- tion that the broad wady to the north of it is the val- ley of the same name (see Thomson's Land and Book, ii, 304, 546). Keil, however {Comment, in Josh, x, 12), controverts the above view (from Lengerke, after Lapide and Ee Clerc, in loc.) respecting the position of Joshua on this occasion, maintaining that if Joshua really saw both the sun and moon when he delivered this memorable address, it must have been in the early part of the day, and during the engagement before Gibeon itself; for then the sun might have been visi- ble on the east or south-east of Gibeon, and the moon in the south-west, above the valley of Ajalon, as it would then be about to set. See Jasiiek. According to Schwarz {Palest, p. 141), a person on the summit of Upper Beth-horon can see at once Gibeon on the east and Ajalon on the west. The village of Yalo is situated on the northern declivity overlooking the plain, between two ravines, the western one of which contains a fountain that supplies the village. It has an old appearance, and contains several caverns in the clifTs (new ed. of Robinson's Researches, iii, 144).
2. (Sept. AlXwv, Auth. Vers. "Aijalon.") A city in the tribe of Zebulon, where Elon the judge was buried j (Judg. xii, 12). It is probably the modern Jalun, j about four hours east of Akka, and a short distance I south-west of Mejdel Kerum (Van de Velde, Memoir, ! p. 283) ; for this place, although really within the bounds of Naphtali, is sufficiently near, perhaps, to the I border of Zebulon to be included in that region, ac- cording to the indefinite mention of the text.
Aj'ephim (Heb. Ayephvm', tl^SW, weary ones ; Sept. UXi\v pivot, Vulg. lassus, Auth. Vers, "weary") occurs in the original, 2 Sam. xvi, 14, where, although rendered as an appellative in the versions, it has been regarded by many interpreters (e. g. Michaelis, Dathe, Thenius, in loc.) as the name of a place to which the fugitive David and his company retired from Jerusa- lem on the approach of the rebellious Absalom, and where they made their halt for the night, but from which they were induced to remove by the news sent them by Hushai. This view is favored by the phrase- ology, X2*\ " and he came," dtij, " there," evident- ly referring to some locality, which must be sought east of Jerusalem, beyond the Mount of Olives, toward the ford of the Jordan ; perhaps between Bethany and Khan Hudrur, on the S.W. bank of Wady Sidr.