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Megiddo, Megiddon
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me-gid'-o (his precious fruit; declaring a message, place of crowns, place of troops)
RELATED: Barak, Canaanite, Deborah, Jael, Josiah, Manasseh, Necho, Sisera, Taanach |
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Easton's Bible Dictionary
place of troops, Originally one of the royal cities of
the Canaanites ( Joshua 12:21 ), belonged to the tribe of Manasseh ( Judges 1:27
), but does not seem to have been fully occupied by the Israelites till the time
of Solomon ( 1 Kings 4:12 ; 9:15 ).
The valley or plain of Megiddo was part of the plain of Esdraelon, the great battle-field
of Palestine. It was here Barak gained a notable victory over Jabin, the king
of Hazor, whose general, Sisera, led on the hostile army. Barak rallied the warriors
of the northern tribes, and under the encouragement of Deborah (q.v.), the prophetess,
attacked the Canaanites in the great plain. The army of Sisera was thrown into
complete confusion, and was engulfed in the waters of the Kishon, which had risen
and overflowed its banks ( Judges 4:5 ).
Many years after this (B.C. 610), Pharaohnecho II., on his march against the king
of Assyria, passed through the plains of Philistia and Sharon; and King Josiah,
attempting to bar his progress in the plain of Megiddo, was defeated by the Egyptians.
He was wounded in battle, and died as they bore him away in his chariot towards
Jerusalem ( 2 Kings 23:29 ; 2 Chronicles 35:22 - 24 ), and all Israel mourned
for him. So general and bitter was this mourning that it became a proverb, to
which ( Zechariah 12:11 , 12:12 ) alludes. Megiddo has been identified with the
modern el-Lejjun, at the head of the Kishon, under the north-eastern brow of Carmel,
on the south-western edge of the plain of Esdraelon, and 9 miles west of Jezreel.
Others identify it with Mujedd'a, 4 miles south-west of Bethshean, but the question
of its site is still undetermined.
Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names
his precious fruit; declaring a message
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(place of crowns) was in a very marked position on the
southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon, on the frontier line of the territories
of the tribes of Issachar and Manasseh, 6 miles from Mount Carmel and 11 from
Nazareth. It commanded one of those passes from the north into the hill country
which were of such critical importance on various occasions in the history of
Judea. Judith 4:7.
The first mention occurs in ( Joshua 12:21 ) where Megiddo appears as the city
of one of the kings whom Joshua defeated on the west of the Jordan. The song of
Deborah brings the place vividly before us, as the scene of the great conflict
between Sisera and Barak. When Pharaoh-necho came from Egypt against the king
of Assyria, Josiah joined the latter, and was slain at Megiddo. ( 2 Kings 23:29
; 2 Chronicles 35:22 - 24 ) Megiddo is the modern el-Lejjun , which is undoubtedly
the Legio of Eusebius and Jerome. There is a copious stream flowing down the gorge,
and turning some mills before joining the Kishon. Here are probably the "waters
of Megiddo" of ( Judges 5:19 )
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
me-gid'-o, me-gid'-on (meghiddo, meghiddon; Magiddo,
Mageddon, Magdo):
A royal city of the Canaanites, the king of which was slain by Joshua (Joshua
12:21). It lay within the territory of Issachar, but was one of the cities assigned
to Manasseh (Joshua 17:11 ; 1 Chronicles 7:29). Manasseh, however, was not able
to expel the Canaanites, who therefore continued to dwell in that land. Later,
when the children of Israel were waxen strong, the Canaanites were put to taskwork
(Joshua 17:12 ; Judges 1:27). The host of Sisera was drawn to the river Kishon,
and here, "by the waters of Megiddo," the famous battle was fought (Judges 5:19).
By the time of Solomon, Israel's supremacy was unquestioned. Megiddo was included
in one of his administrative districts (1 Kings 4:12), and it was one of the cities
which he fortified (1 Kings 9:15). Ahaziah, mortally wounded at the ascent of
Gur, fled to Megiddo to die (2 Kings 9:27). At Megiddo, Josiah, king of Judah,
attempted to arrest Pharaoh-necoh and his army on their march to the Euphrates
against the king of Assyria. Here the Egyptian monarch "slew him .... when he
had seen him," and from Megiddo went the sorrowful procession to Jerusalem with
Josiah's corpse (2 Kings 23:29 ; 2 Chronicles 35:20). The sad tale is told again
in 1 Esdras 1:25. "The mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon" became
a poetical expression for the deepest and most despairing grief (Zechariah 12:11).
See also ARMAGEDDON.
The constant association of Megiddo with Taanach (Tell Ta'anek) points to a position
on the south edge of the plain of Esdraelon. In confirmation of this, we read
(RP, 1st series, II, 35-47) that Thothmes III captured Megiddo, after having defeated
the Palestinian allies who opposed him. He left his camp at Aruna (possibly `Ar`arah),
and, following a defile (possibly Wady `Arah), he approached Megiddo from the
South We should thus look for the city where the pass opens on the plain; and
here, at Khan el-Lejjan, we find extensive ruins on both sides of a stream which
turns several mills before falling into the Kishon. We may identify the site with
Megiddo, and the stream with "the waters of Megiddo." Pharaoh-necoh would naturally
take the same line of march, and his advance could be nowhere more hopefully opposed
than at el-Lejjun. Tell el-Mutasellim, a graceful mound hard by, on the edge of
the plain, may have formed the acropolis of Megiddo.
The name Mujadda` attaches to a site 3 miles South of Beisan in the Jordan valley.
Here Conder would place Megiddo. But while there is a resemblance in the name,
the site really suits none of the Biblical data. The phrase "Taanach by the waters
of Megiddo" alone confines us to a very limited area. No position has yet been
suggested which meets all the conditions as well as el-Lejjun.
The Khan here shows that the road through the pass from Esdraelon to the plain
of Sharon and the coast was still much frequented in the Middle Ages.
W. Ewing
Tags:
bible commentary, bible history, bible reference, bible study, define, el-lejjun, josiah mortally wounded in battle, megiddo, megiddon, royal cities of the canaanites, song of deborah
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