Makkedah
Makkedah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet el Qom. It appears across 8 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Makkedah features prominently in Joshua's southern campaign during the conquest of Canaan. After the miraculous victory at Gibeon, where the sun stood still (Joshua 10:12-13), five Amorite kings fled and hid in a cave at Makkedah. Joshua ordered large stones rolled against the cave mouth to seal them in while Israel pursued the fleeing armies (Joshua 10:16-18). After the battle, Joshua opened the cave, brought out the five kings, and executed them, hanging their bodies on five trees before burying them in the same cave (Joshua 10:22-27). Joshua then captured Makkedah itself, devoting its king and inhabitants to destruction (Joshua 10:28). The city appears again in Joshua 12:16 among the list of conquered kings and in Joshua 15:41 as part of the inheritance of Judah in the Shephelah lowlands. Makkedah's cave became a monument to God's decisive victory over the Canaanite coalition, demonstrating that no refuge could shelter those who opposed the Lord's purposes for his people.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The identification of Makkedah has been debated, with several sites proposed. Khirbet el-Qom, located in the Shephelah foothills of Judah approximately fifteen kilometers west of Hebron, is one candidate. This site is notable for its Iron Age tomb inscriptions discovered in the 1960s, which include early Hebrew references to Yahweh and Asherah. However, other scholars favor Tell Bornat or Khirbet Beit Maqdum as the biblical Makkedah. The presence of caves in the limestone geology of the Shephelah region is consistent with the narrative of the five kings hiding in a cave. The broader region preserves abundant evidence of Late Bronze and Iron Age settlement. No excavation has definitively confirmed any proposed identification, though the Khirbet el-Qom inscriptions remain among the most important epigraphic discoveries from ancient Judah.
Verse Appearances (8)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →