Ek'ron (Heb. Ehron' , "i^pS?, eradication ; comp. Zeph. ii, 4, which apparently contains a plaj- upon the word; Sept. [usualh-] and Josephus j) 'A/c/capwv,Vulg. Accaron), one of the live towns belonging to the lords of the Philistines, and the most northerly' of the five (Josh, xiii, 3). Like the other Philistine cities, its situation was in the maritime plain. In the gen- eral distribution of territory (unconquered as well as conc|uered) Ekron was assigned to Judah, as being upon its border (Josh, xiii, 3), between Bethsheraesh and Jabneel (Josh, xv, 11, 45), but apparently was af- terwards given to Dan, although conquered bj' Judah (Josh. XV, 11, 45 ; xix, 43 ; Judg. i, 18 ; comp. Jose- phus, Ant. V, 1, 22; V, 2, 4). But it mattered little to which tribe it nominally belonged, for before the monarchy it was again in full possession of the Philis- tines (1 Sam. V, 10). In Scripture Ekron is chiefly re- markable from the ark having been sent home from thence, upon a new cart drawn by two milch kine (1 Sam. V, 10 ; vi, 1-8). Ekron was tlie last place to which the ark was carried before its return to Israel, and the mortality there in consequence seems to have been greater than at either Ashdod or Gath. (The Sept. in both MSS., and Josephus [Ant. vi, 1, 1], substitute Ascalon for Ekron throughout this passage [1 Sam. V, 10-12]. In support of this it should be re- marked that, according to the Hebrew text, the golden trespass-offerings were given for Ashkclon, though it is omitted from the detailed narrative of the journeyings of the ark. Thereare other important differences be- tween the Sept. and Hebrew texts of this transaction. See especially v, 6.) From Ekron to Bethshemesh (q. V.) was a straight highway (Thomson, Land and Book, ii, 309). After David's victory over Goliath, the Philistines were pursued as far as this place (1 Sam. xvii, 52). Henceforward Ekron appears to have re- mained uninterruptedlv in the hands of the Philistines (1 Sam. xvii, 52 ; 2 Kings i, 2, 16 ; Jer. xxs-, 20). Ex- cept the casual mention of a noted sanctuarj' of Baal- zebub (q. v.) existing there (2 Kings i, 2, 3, 6, 16), there is nothing to distinguish Ekrcn from any ether town of this district. In later days it is merely named with the other cities of the Pliilistines in the denunci- ations of the prophets against that people (Jer. xxv, 20; Amos i, 8; Zeph. ii, 4; Zech. ix, 5). The name occurs in the cuneiform inscriptions (q. v.) of the As- syrian monuments. In the Apocrypha it appears as Accaron {'AKKapioi; 1 Mace, x, 89, only), bestowed with its borders (-« opta avriir) by Alexander Balas on Jonathan Maccabaaus as a reward for his services. Eusebius and Jerome describe it (Onomast. s. v. 'Ak- Ka{Hov, Accaron) as a large village of the Jews, be- tween Azotus and Jamnia towards the east, or east- ward of a line drawn between these two places. The same name .\ccaron occurs incidcntall}' in the his- tories of the Crusades (^Gesta Dei per Francos, p. 404). The site of Ekron has lately been recognised by Dr. Robinson (Bib. Researches, iii, 24) in that of Wkir, in a situation corresponding to all that Me know of Ekron. The radical letters of the Arabic name are the same as those .of the Hebrew, and both the Chris- tians and Moslems of the neighliorhood regard tlie site as that of the ancient Ekron. It is a considerable Moslem village, about five miles south-west of Ram-
EKRONITE
111
ELAIS
leh, and three due east of Yebna, on the northern side of the important valley Wady Surar. It is built of unburnt bricks, and, as there are no apparent ruins, the ancient town was probably of the same materials. It is alleged, however, that cisterns and the stones of hand-mills are often found at Akir and in the adjacent fields. The plain south is rich, but immediately round the village it has a drearj^, forsaken appearance (hence perhaps the name = "wasteness"), onlj' relieved by a few scattered stunted trees (Porter, Ilandb. p. 275 ; and see Van de Velde, ii, 169). — Kitto, s. v. ; Smith, s. v.
Ek'ronite (Heb. Ekroni\ "^iilpS, Josh, xiii, 3, Sept. ' XKKapwviT)]Q,Yvlg. Accarmitai ; plur. C^illp", 1 Sam. V, 10, ' AnKaXoH'tTcu, Accaronitm), a native of the Philistine town Ekron (q. v.).
El- (^X, mighty, hence Gofl, either Jehovah or a false deity; sometimes ahero or magistrate [see God]) occurs as a prefix (and also as a suffix) to several Heb. names, e. g. El-Beth-El; El-El-omi-Iska-el, all of •which see in their place. Compare Eli-.
E'la ('HX«, Vulg. Jolaman), one of the heads of clans (or places) whose "sons" had taken foreign wives after the Babylonian exile (1 Esdr. ix, 27) ; ev- idently the Elam (q. v.) of the Heb. text (Ezra x, 26). See also Elah.
El'adah (Heb. Elmlali , ITl^'^X, whom God has put on, i. e. fills with himself; Sept. 'EXadci v. r. '£\- £«(!«, Vulg. Elada), one of the sons (rather than grand- son or later descendant, as the text seems to state) of Ephraim (1 Chron. vii, 20), perhaps the same as Ele- AD (q. V.) of ver. 21, since several of the names [see Tahath] in the list appear to be repeated (compare Xum. xxvi, 36, where the only corresponding name is Erax). See Beriah.