Azekah

Azekah was a town in the Shephelah region of Judah, located about 17 miles southwest of Jerusalem. It is first mentioned in Joshua 10:10-11, where the Amorite kings were defeated by Joshua and the Israelites. Azekah was later listed as one of the cities in the allotment of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:35). The Philistines gathered their armies between Socoh and Azekah before the famous battle between David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1). During the reign of King Rehoboam, Azekah was one of the cities fortified for the defense of Judah (2 Chronicles 11:9). After the Babylonian exile, Azekah was reinhabited by the Jews (Nehemiah 11:30). The city was one of the last two strongholds, along with Lachish, to fall to the Babylonians during the siege of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 34:7). Archaeological excavations at the site of Tel Azekah have revealed evidence of the city's occupation from the Bronze Age through the Babylonian destruction.