Jehud
Jehud is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Coastal Plain in modern-day Israel. Known today as Yehud. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Jehud is mentioned once in the Old Testament, appearing in the list of cities allotted to the tribe of Dan during the distribution of the Promised Land under Joshua (Joshua 19:45). It is grouped with Bene-berak and Gath-rimmon among the towns of the coastal plain region. The tribe of Dan received territory along the Mediterranean coast, but the Danites famously struggled to maintain control of their allotment due to pressure from the Amorites who forced them back into the hill country (Judges 1:34). This difficulty eventually led a portion of the Danites to migrate northward and capture Laish, renaming it Dan (Judges 18). Though Jehud itself does not figure in any specific narrative beyond this territorial list, its location in the contested coastal plain reflects the broader theme of Israel's incomplete conquest and the ongoing challenge of possessing the land God had promised. The city's mention preserves the memory of Dan's original intended inheritance along the fertile lowlands.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Jehud is identified with modern Yehud (also written Yehud-Monosson), a city in the central coastal plain of Israel, approximately 15 kilometers east-southeast of Tel Aviv. The identification rests on the strong preservation of the ancient name in the modern Arabic and Hebrew forms. The ancient site lies beneath the modern city, making systematic excavation difficult, though construction and development projects have occasionally uncovered archaeological remains. Salvage excavations have revealed pottery and architectural fragments from the Iron Age, Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman periods, confirming long-term habitation. The site's location on the inner coastal plain, near the junction of important ancient routes, aligns with its listing among the Danite towns in the Shephelah and coastal zone.
Verse Appearances (1)
Josh
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →