Ithlah
Ithlah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Yalo. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Ithlah (also rendered Jethlah) appears in Joshua 19:42 as one of the cities assigned to the tribe of Dan during the territorial distribution of Canaan. It is listed among a cluster of Danite cities that included Shaalabbin, Aijalon, and Elon, all situated in the western foothills (Shephelah) between the central hill country and the coastal plain. The Danite allotment was a strategically important buffer zone facing Philistine territory, and the tribe struggled to maintain control of this region. Judges 1:34 records that the Amorites pressed the Danites back into the hill country and would not allow them to come down to the plain. This persistent pressure eventually led a significant portion of Dan to migrate northward and conquer Laish (Judges 18). Ithlah's placement in this contested territory reflects the broader biblical theme of Israel's incomplete conquest and the challenges of possessing the land God had promised. Though Ithlah itself is not the focus of any specific narrative event, its inclusion in the Danite inheritance connects it to one of the more dramatic tribal stories in the book of Judges.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Ithlah is tentatively identified with the site of Yalo (also known as Aijalon), located in the Aijalon Valley approximately 25 kilometers northwest of Jerusalem. However, some scholars distinguish Ithlah from Aijalon and propose alternative identifications in the Shephelah region. The broader area of the Aijalon Valley has been extensively surveyed and contains numerous archaeological sites from the Bronze and Iron Ages. Surface surveys in the region have documented settlement patterns consistent with the biblical account of Danite and later Judahite habitation. The precise identification of Ithlah remains uncertain, as no site has yielded epigraphic evidence confirming the ancient name. The Shephelah region where Ithlah was located is well documented as a zone of cultural interaction between highland Israelites and coastal Philistines.
Verse Appearances (1)
Josh
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →