{
  "id": "dict_000135",
  "term": "Aijalon",
  "slug": "aijalon",
  "letter": "A",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Aijalon is a biblical town and valley in the hill country west of Jerusalem. It is especially remembered in Joshua 10, where the Valley of Aijalon is named in the account of Israel’s victory.",
  "simple_one_line": "Aijalon is a Bible place name for a town and valley west of Jerusalem, best known from Joshua 10.",
  "tooltip_text": "Aijalon was a town and valley in ancient Israel, associated with tribal allotments, border and military movements, and Joshua’s battle account.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Joshua 10",
    "Dan (tribe)",
    "Levitical cities",
    "historical geography",
    "Amorites"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Achor Valley",
    "Gibeon",
    "Beth-horon",
    "Dan",
    "Levitical cities"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Aijalon is a place name in the Old Testament for both a town and the surrounding valley. It appears in passages about tribal territory, Levitical cities, military events, and Judah’s later history.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Aijalon was a real geographic location in biblical Israel, not a theological concept.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Town and valley in central Israel",
    "linked with Dan and later Judah",
    "named in Joshua 10",
    "appears in tribal, Levitical, and military contexts",
    "remembered for the “sun stood still” account."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Aijalon is a biblical town and valley in the territory associated with Dan and later Judah. It appears in several Old Testament contexts, including tribal allotment, Levitical settlement, military movement, and royal-era conflict. The term is best treated as a geographic name rather than a doctrinal concept.",
  "description_academic_full": "Aijalon is a geographic place name in the Old Testament, referring to both a town and the adjacent valley in the western hill-country region of ancient Israel. The location appears in passages related to tribal inheritance, Levitical cities, and later military events. It is most widely known from Joshua 10, where the Valley of Aijalon is mentioned in the narrative of Israel’s victory over the Amorite coalition. Because Aijalon is a place name, dictionary treatment should focus on its biblical setting, location, and narrative significance rather than on doctrinal meaning.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Aijalon is associated with the tribal allotments of Dan and with Levitical assignments. It also appears in narratives about conflict and territorial control, showing that it was a significant point in the borderlands of Israel’s history.",
  "background_historical_context": "The town and valley of Aijalon lay in a strategic corridor in the central highlands and western approaches. Its location made it important for travel, defense, and regional control in the period of the judges, the monarchy, and later conflicts.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In ancient Israelite memory, Aijalon functioned as a recognizable landmark and settlement in the land. Its mention in battle and boundary texts reflects the practical importance of place names in preserving covenant history and territorial identity.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Joshua 10:12",
    "Joshua 19:42",
    "Joshua 21:24",
    "Judges 1:35"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "1 Samuel 14:31",
    "1 Chronicles 6:69",
    "2 Chronicles 11:10",
    "2 Chronicles 28:18"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The Hebrew form is commonly rendered Aijalon or Ajalon in older English versions. The name refers to a place rather than a person or abstract concept.",
  "theological_significance": "Aijalon has no independent doctrinal meaning, but it matters as part of the Bible’s historical geography and as the setting of a notable act of divine intervention in Joshua 10.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a place name, Aijalon shows how biblical revelation is rooted in real geography and historical events. The Bible’s theology is not detached from history; it is worked out in actual places and times.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not treat Aijalon as a symbolic or allegorical term unless a passage explicitly does so. The main issue in Joshua 10 is the Lord’s intervention in history, not the place name itself.",
  "major_views_note": "There is no major interpretive dispute over whether Aijalon is a place; discussion usually concerns exact location, identification, and historical geography.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Aijalon should not be used to build doctrine on its own. Its value is historical and literary, supporting the Bible’s account of God’s dealings in real space and time.",
  "practical_significance": "Aijalon reminds readers that Scripture is anchored in real places. Familiarity with biblical geography can make the historical narratives clearer and more vivid.",
  "meta_description": "Aijalon is a biblical town and valley west of Jerusalem, best known from Joshua 10 and related Old Testament references.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/aijalon/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/aijalon.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}