Aphek
Aphek is an ancient city mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, located in the region of Samaria in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tell Ras el Ain. It appears across 4 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Aphek appears at several pivotal moments in Israel's history, and some scholars believe the name designates more than one distinct site. The most significant Aphek in the coastal plain, identified with Tell Ras el-Ain near the headwaters of the Yarkon River, served as a strategic staging ground for Philistine military campaigns against Israel. It was here, according to 1 Samuel 4, that the Philistines assembled before the catastrophic battle in which they captured the Ark of the Covenant, slaying Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli. The shock of that defeat and the loss of the Ark precipitated Eli's death and a period of profound national crisis. The city appears again in 1 Samuel 29 when the Philistines again mustered at Aphek before the battle of Jezreel in which Saul would fall. Earlier still, Joshua listed Aphek among the Canaanite kingdoms whose kings he defeated (Joshua 12:18), signaling its longstanding importance as a regional power center. In 1 Kings 20, an Aphek, likely in the Golan region, was the site where the Arameans were routed by Ahab, with the wall of the city collapsing on the surviving soldiers, fulfilling a prophetic word of divine judgment.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Tel Afek (also known as Tell Ras el-Ain or Antipatris) has been extensively excavated and reveals occupation from the Chalcolithic period through the Ottoman era. Excavations led by Moshe Kochavi and later teams uncovered a well-preserved Canaanite palace complex, Egyptian governor's residency, and evidence of Bronze Age administrative activity. The site's control of the Yarkon River headwaters explains its persistent military and commercial importance. The Herodian-era city of Antipatris, mentioned in Acts 23:31, was built here, and a well-preserved Ottoman fortress crowns the tell today within the Yarkon National Park, making it accessible to visitors.
Verse Appearances (4)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]