What is…
Makkedah

Meaning: herdsman's place

This is one of the royal cities of the Canaanites (Joshua 12:16), near which was a cave where the five kings who had confederated against Israel sought refuge (10:10-29)

They were put to death by Joshua, who afterwards suspended their bodies upon five trees.

It has been identified with the modern village called Sumeil, standing on a low hill about 7 miles to the northwest of Eleutheropolis (Beit Jibrin), where are ancient remains and a great cave. The Palestine Exploration surveyors have, however, identified it with el-Mughar, or “the caves,” 3 miles from Jabneh and 2½ southwest of Ekron, because, they say, “at this site only of all possible sites for Makkedah in the Palestine plain do caves still exist.”

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