{
  "id": "dict_001609",
  "term": "Ekron",
  "slug": "ekron",
  "letter": "E",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Ekron was one of the five principal Philistine cities in the Old Testament. It appears in narratives about the ark among the Philistines and in prophecies of judgment against Philistia.",
  "simple_one_line": "Ekron was a major Philistine city mentioned in Israel’s history and in prophetic oracles against the Philistines.",
  "tooltip_text": "One of the five chief Philistine cities, remembered especially in the ark narratives and in judgments on Philistia.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Philistines",
    "Philistia",
    "Gaza",
    "Ashdod",
    "Ashkelon",
    "Gath",
    "Ark of the Covenant"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Tel Miqne",
    "Samuel, Books of",
    "Prophets, Minor"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Ekron was a major Philistine city in the Old Testament and one of the five chief cities of Philistia. It appears in the history of Israel’s conflicts with the Philistines, especially in the account of the ark of the covenant, and in later prophetic announcements of judgment.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A Philistine city in the coastal plain of Canaan, often listed with Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Gath.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "One of the five chief Philistine cities",
    "Appears in the ark narratives (1 Samuel 5–6)",
    "Named in prophecies of judgment on Philistia",
    "Important as a biblical place name, not a doctrinal term"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Ekron was a major Philistine city in the Old Testament, often named with Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Gath. It is especially noted in the narrative of the ark’s movement among the Philistines and in prophetic judgments against Philistia. The term is primarily a place name rather than a theological concept.",
  "description_academic_full": "Ekron was one of the five chief cities of the Philistines and is mentioned several times in the Old Testament as part of Philistine territory and as a setting in Israel’s conflict with that people. It is best known from the account in which the Philistines moved the ark of God to Ekron, prompting fear and distress among its inhabitants, and from later prophetic oracles declaring judgment on Philistine cities. While Ekron has theological significance insofar as it appears within the biblical history of God’s dealings with Israel and the nations, it is not itself primarily a theological term but a geographic and historical place name.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Ekron is first mentioned in the territorial lists and conquest traditions and later appears in the Samuel narratives and prophetic books. In the ark account, the city’s people recognized the danger of retaining the ark and cried out in distress. Prophetic passages later place Ekron among the cities under divine judgment.",
  "background_historical_context": "Ekron was one of the principal Philistine urban centers on the coastal plain of ancient Israel. Archaeological work has identified the site with Tel Miqne in modern scholarship, confirming its importance as a major Iron Age settlement.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In the ancient Near Eastern setting, Ekron belonged to the Philistine pentapolis, the group of five principal Philistine cities. Its mention in Scripture reflects both the historical reality of Philistine power and the biblical theme of God’s sovereignty over the nations.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Joshua 13:3",
    "1 Samuel 5:10–12",
    "1 Samuel 6:1–17",
    "2 Kings 1:2–3"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Jeremiah 25:20",
    "Amos 1:8",
    "Zephaniah 2:4"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew: עֶקְרוֹן (ʿEqrôn), a place name associated with one of the chief Philistine cities.",
  "theological_significance": "Ekron matters theologically as part of the biblical witness to God’s rule over Israel and the nations. The city appears in scenes showing the holiness of the ark, the futility of pagan power, and the certainty of divine judgment.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a place name, Ekron is not a concept to be defined abstractly. Its significance is historical and theological in a narrative sense: a real city becomes part of the biblical record of covenant conflict, divine judgment, and providential rule.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not treat Ekron as a theological doctrine or symbol detached from its historical setting. Its value in Scripture is tied to the concrete history of Israel and the Philistines.",
  "major_views_note": "There is little interpretive dispute about Ekron itself. The main questions concern its historical location and the archaeological correlation with Tel Miqne, not its biblical identity as a Philistine city.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Ekron should not be used to build speculative typology or to claim more than the text supports. Its role is descriptive and historical, with theological significance derived from the biblical narratives and prophecies in which it appears.",
  "practical_significance": "Ekron reminds readers that God rules over nations and cities as well as individuals. The ark narratives especially underline the holiness of God and the danger of treating sacred things lightly.",
  "meta_description": "Ekron was one of the five chief Philistine cities in the Old Testament, noted in the ark narratives and in prophetic judgments on Philistia.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/ekron/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/ekron.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}