Ash´dod
A town in northern Judah two and a half miles inland from the Mediterranean coast. The city is supposed to have been allotted to Judah (Josh 15:47); however, it may never have come fully under Judah’s control. The Ark of the Covenant was brought to the temple of Dagon in Ashdod when it was taken by the Philistines. The city was broken down by King Uzziah (ca. 783–742 BCE) of Judah (2Chr 26:6), and it later fell to Sargon, king of Assyria (Isa 20:1). The evangelist Philip is reported to have passed through the city (then called Azotus) on his missionary travels (Acts 8:40).
