Allammelech
Allammelech is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel Alil. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Allammelech appears in Joshua 19:26 as one of the towns assigned to the tribe of Asher in the distribution of Canaan among the tribes of Israel. The name in Hebrew may mean 'oak of the king' — combining the elements allon (oak) and melech (king) — though some scholars offer alternative etymologies. The city's location in the western Galilee, near the Carmel range and the Kishon River valley, placed it within a region of considerable agricultural and strategic importance. The tribe of Asher occupied a coastal and sub-coastal territory renowned for its fertility, as Jacob's blessing in Genesis 49:20 celebrates: 'Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.' Like many Asherite towns, Allammelech appears only once in the biblical text and left no record of specific historical events, but its inclusion in the Asherite inheritance list affirms the comprehensive divine ordering of the tribal settlement across the whole land.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Allammelech is tentatively identified with Tel Alil, located in the Jezreel-Carmel interface region of the lower Galilee. The tel sits near the ancient Kishon drainage system and occupies a position that would have commanded agricultural land. Surface surveys in the area have identified pottery from the Bronze and Iron Ages, indicating sustained ancient habitation. The broader region has been well studied through survey work associated with research into the Jezreel Valley and western Galilee settlement patterns. Tel Alil itself has not been the subject of major published excavation campaigns, so detailed stratigraphic data is lacking. The proposed identification rests primarily on geographical proximity to other known Asherite towns and the preservation of a similar ancient toponym in Arabic place names of the region.
Verse Appearances (1)
Josh
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →