Makkedah

Mak'kedah (Heb. Alakkedah', מִקֵּדָה, herdsman's place; Sept. Μακηδά, Josephus Μακχιδά, Ant. 5:1, 17), a royal city of the ancient Canaanites (Jos 12:16), in the neighborhood of which was the cave where the five kings who confederated against Israel took refuge after their defeat (Jos 10:10-29). It afterwards belonged to Judah (Jos 15:41). Makkedah is placed by Eusebius and Jerome eight Roman miles to the east of Eleutheropolis (Onomast. s.v. Maceda), which would bring it among the mountains, as Keil observes, who therefore locates it to the west (Comment. on Jos 10:10), since it was situated in the plain of Judah (Jos 15:41), north of Libnah (Jos 10:29,31) and west of Azekah (Jos 10:10). De Saulcy (Narrat. 1:438) is disposed to fix its site at a place which he names el-Merked; on the way from Hebron to the Dead Sea, a little east of Jenbeh; but this is at least twenty-five miles from Eleutheropolis, and the spot itself was not heard of by Dr. Robinson, who passed along the same route. Porter suggests a ruin bearing the slightly similar name el-Klediah, on the northern slope of wady el-Surnib, about eight miles north-east of Eleutheropolis, with large caves adjacent (Handbook, p. 224, 251); but Van de Velde's selection (Memoir, p. 332) of Sumeil, a village on a hillock in the plain, about two and a half hours north-west of Beit-Jibrin (Robinson, Researches, 2:368), seems more probable, as it has ancient remains, especially a cavern (Van de Velde, Nartrat. 2:173), although somewhat remote from Beth-horon, where Joshua's battle was fought. SEE JOSHUA. The suggestion of captain Warren (Quarterly Statement of the "Palestine Exploration Fund," April, 1871, p. 91), that Makkedah is the present "village of El-Mughar (the cave)" (meaning, doubtless, the Moyharah of Van de Velde's Map, though Robinson writes it Mughar, in Researches, 3:22, note), is quite too far north for the narrative in Joshua, as well as for the associated names, his proposed identification of which would place some, at least, of them (e.g. Beth-dagon, at Beit-Dejan) clearly within the tribe of Dan.