Aijalon
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- For the USA commercial firm called aijalon, see Aijalon,_LLP.
Aijalon is a place in ancient Israel first mentioned in the Book of Joshua as Joshua defeats five Amorite kings. "Thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon" is commanded to stay still as the battle continues, allowing the Israelite army time to complete their victory. The location is also the site of a great victory of the Philistines by Saul and Jonathan. Its name is Hebrew for "place of gazelles".
The location is described as a city, but was probably a fortified village. It was at one time occupied by the tribe of Benjamin, Rehoboam, and King Ahaz of the Philistines. Aijalon is northwest of Jerusalem in the Valley of Aijalon, where Yalu is now.
[edit] Historical and Biblical Significance
Aijalon is best known as the place where the sun stood still during Joshua’s central campaign. Following his midnight march to rescue the city of Gibeon from the coalition led by the King of Jebus (Jerusalem), Joshua pursued the Canaanite coalition eastward, down through the descent of Beth-horon, and then southward across the Valley of Aijalon. To allow the Israelites to complete the rout before nightfall, Joshua asked the Lord to stop the progress of the sun and the moon, essentially lengthening the day (Josh 10:12-14). Following the Conquest, the city of Aijalon was apportioned to the tribe of Dan (Josh 19:42) and was designated as a Levitical city (Josh 21:24). In spite of Joshua’s initial victory in the nearby Valley of Aijalon, the Amorites (Philistines) continued to live in the city of Aijalon (Judg 1:34-35). Constant Philistine pressure to control the valleys of the Shephelah forced the tribe of Dan to retreat westward, reducing the extent of their territory. Eventually, the Danites abandoned their initial inheritance in the Aijalon area and moved to the extreme northern part of Israel, settling in the city of Laish, which they renamed Dan (Judges 18). After Jonathan’s daring attack on the Philistine garrison at Michmash in the Hill Country, Saul and Jonathan pursued the Philistines to Aijalon, a distance of fifteen miles (1 Sam 14:31). In later years, Aijalon was inhabited by Ephraimites and Benjamites (1 Chr 6:69; 8:13). Rehoboam, the first king of Judah after the kingdom divided, fortified the city of Aijalon, supplying officers, weapons and food provisions (2 Chr 11:5-12).
