Addon
Addon is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Mesopotamia in modern-day Iraq. Known today as Babylon. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Addon appears in Ezra 2:59 and Nehemiah 7:61 as one of a group of locations in Babylon from which returning exiles journeyed back to Judah following Cyrus the Great's decree in 538 BCE. The relevant passages list "Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer" as places of origin for Israelites who "could not show their fathers' houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel." This detail is significant: the exiles from Addon, like those from the other named settlements, had lost documented proof of their Israelite ancestry during the decades of Babylonian captivity. Their uncertain genealogical status raised questions about their legitimacy to serve in the priesthood or be counted fully among the covenant community. The passage reflects the social and theological disruption caused by the Babylonian exile, in which the destruction of records and the disorientation of displacement threatened the coherence of Israel's communal identity. Addon's location is unclear, but it was almost certainly one of the Jewish settlement communities established in the Babylonian river districts during the captivity.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The precise location of Addon remains unknown and is not securely identified with any excavated site. It is generally understood to have been a Jewish settlement community in the Babylonian river valley region, likely near the Chebar canal where many exiles settled (Ezekiel 1:1). Babylon itself, identified with the ruins near modern Hillah in Iraq, has been extensively excavated since the nineteenth century, with major work by Robert Koldewey revealing the ancient city's monumental architecture. The Jewish exile communities in Mesopotamia have left limited direct archaeological evidence, though cuneiform tablets from the Murashu archive (fifth century BCE) document Jewish names and commercial activity in the region, confirming the presence of identifiable Israelite communities in Babylonia.
Verse Appearances (2)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →