EKRON - Most northerly of the five important cities of the Philistine plain. It was not conquered by Joshua (Jos.13.3), but was theoretically a border city of Judah (15.11) and Dan (19.43); said, in a passage which is probably an interpolation, to have been smitten by Judah (Jg.1.18). Hither the captured Ark was brought from Ashdod (1 S.5.10), and on its restoration, the Philistine lords who had followed it to Beth-shemesh returned to Ekron (1 S.6.16). Ekron was the border town of a territory that passed in the days of Samuel from the Philistines to Israel (1 S.7.14), and it was the limit of the pursuit of the Philistines after the slaying of Goliath by David (17.52). Its local numen was Baal-zebub, whose oracle Ahaziah consulted after his accident (2 K.1.2). Like the other Philistine cities, it is made the subject of denunciation by Jeremiah, Amos, Zephaniah, and the anonymous prophet whose writing occupies Zec.9-11, but it does not appear in the OT as a place of great importance. This city is commonly identified with the modern 'Aqir, a village on the Philistine plain between Gezer and the sea. Scripture references point to a_site in this general area, but the identification with 'Aqir is uncertain, depending largely on the coincidence of name, and Albright identifies with Qatra. No remains of antiquity have been found at 'Aqir. [Article: Dictionary of the Bible, J.Hastings, 2nd Ed., T&T.Clark, 1963 - R.A.S.M. - A.G.McL.] top See Wikipedia article: EKRON.