62. Abel Beth-maakah

Lexical Summary

Abel Beth-maakah: Abel Beth-maakah

Original Word: אָבֵל בֵּית־מֲעַכָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Abel Beyth-Ma`akah
Pronunciation: ah-VEL bayt mah-ah-KAH
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-bale' bayth ma-a-kaw')
KJV: Abel-beth-maachah, Abel of Beth-maachah,
NASB: Abel-beth-maacah, Abel
Word Origin: [from H58 (אָבֵל - Mourning) and H1004 (בַּיִת - house) and H4601 (מַעֲכָה מַעֲכָת - Maacah)]

1. meadow of Beth-Maakah
2. Abel of Beth-maakah, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Abel-beth-maachah, Abel of Beth-maachah,

From 'abel and bayith and Ma'akah; meadow of Beth-Maakah; Abel of Beth-maakah, a place in Palestine -- Abel-beth-maachah, Abel of Beth-maachah,

see HEBREW 'abel

see HEBREW bayith

see HEBREW Ma'akah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from abel, bayith and Maakah
Definition
a city in N. Isr.
NASB Translation
Abel (1), Abel-beth-maacah (2).

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Abel Beth Maacah was a strategically placed border town in the territory later allotted to Naphtali. Its location at the northern approaches to the Huleh Valley, near modern Metulla and the headwaters of the Jordan, made it a prize for any power wishing to penetrate or protect the Galilean interior. The city’s history in Scripture illustrates how border communities often bore the first shock of international conflict and thereby became barometers of Israel’s covenant health.

Geographical Setting

• Sits on a prominent tell (Tel Abel Beth Maacah, Arabic ‛Abil el-Qamh) commanding crossroads that linked Phoenicia to Damascus and the Beqaʿa to Galilee.
• Flanked by Dan (Tell Dan) to the south, Ijon (Tell Ayun) to the northwest, and the Leontes (Litani) watershed to the north.
• Fertile surroundings provided grain, olives, and viticulture, while the city’s elevation furnished defensive advantage and a lookout over trade routes.

Biblical Occurrences

• 1 Kings 15:20 records Ben-hadad’s Aramean assault at King Asa’s request: “he conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all Chinnereth, along with all the land of Naphtali”.
• 2 Kings 15:29 recounts Tiglath-pileser III’s later conquest: “he captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee — all the land of Naphtali — and he deported the people to Assyria”.

These two verses form literary bookends that bracket roughly two centuries of northern Israelite history, highlighting the town’s continuing vulnerability and importance.

Historical Significance

1. Northern Vanguard: Because it guarded a major route from Syria into Israel, whoever held Abel Beth Maacah controlled access to Galilee and the Jezreel corridor.
2. Asa’s Diplomacy: The first citation shows Judah paying a foreign monarch to punish Israel, a reminder of the spiritual and political fissures following the schism after Solomon.
3. Prelude to Exile: The second citation marks the advance of Assyria that would culminate in the 722 BC fall of Samaria. Abel Beth Maacah’s capture and deportation stand as early signals of divine judgment announced by the prophets for covenant violation.
4. Cultural Exchange: Its border position fostered interaction among Israelites, Arameans, and Phoenicians, explaining the mixed material culture found in the ruins and the city’s ability to host craftsmen and sages.

Archaeological Corroboration

• Excavations begun in 2012 by Hebrew University and Azusa Pacific University have exposed massive fortification walls dating to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages and reused in Iron I–II.
• A small faience head or “king” figurine (Iron IIA) suggests elite presence and possible local administration that matches the biblical picture of a significant urban center.
• Storage jars, olive presses, and metallurgical remains attest to the agrarian and economic life implicit in the biblical designation of the site as valuable spoils of war.
• Layers of destruction from the eighth century BC correlate with Tiglath-pileser III’s campaign described in 2 Kings 15:29.

Theological and Ministry Insights

1. Covenant Accountability: The forfeiture of border towns to foreign powers underscores prophetic warnings that disobedience would lead to loss of inheritance (Leviticus 26:31-33).
2. God’s Sovereignty over Nations: Both Ben-hadad and Tiglath-pileser unwittingly serve divine purposes—first to halt Israel’s aggression toward Judah, then to chasten persistent idolatry.
3. Shepherding the Margins: The plight of Abel Beth Maacah reminds modern readers that distant peripheries are not peripheral to God; they reveal the health of the whole community.
4. Prayerful Vigilance: A town’s downfall began long before armies arrived; spiritual erosion preceded military defeat. Believers today are called to watch the “outer walls” of doctrine and practice lest neglect invite attack.

Lessons for Ministry Today

• Interdependence: Judah’s appeal to Aram for help against Israel backfired generations later when Aram’s successor, Assyria, devoured both kingdoms. Alliances forged in unbelief compromise long-term security.
• Preparedness: Like Abel Beth Maacah, churches often occupy cultural “borderlands.” Maintaining spiritual fortifications—sound teaching, mutual accountability, and prayer—guards against subtle incursions.
• Hope beyond Ruin: Though deported populations seemed lost, prophetic promises (e.g., Jeremiah 31:7-8) anticipate restoration from “the land of the north.” Even in judgment, God preserves a remnant and a future.

Thus, Abel Beth Maacah stands as a northern sentinel in the biblical narrative—a witness to covenant blessings forfeited, to the reach of imperial ambition, and ultimately to the unbroken purposes of God in redemptive history.

Forms and Transliterations

מַעֲכָ֑ה מַעֲכָ֡ה מעכה ma‘ăḵāh ma·‘ă·ḵāh maaChah

Englishman's Concordance

1 Kings 15:20
HEB: אָבֵ֣ל בֵּֽית־ מַעֲכָ֑ה וְאֵת֙ כָּל־
NAS: Dan, Abel-beth-maacah and all
KJV: and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all Cinneroth,
INT: Ijon Dan Abel-beth-maacah and all Chinneroth

2 Kings 15:29
HEB: אָבֵ֣ל בֵּֽית־ מַעֲכָ֡ה וְאֶת־ יָ֠נוֹחַ
NAS: Ijon and Abel-beth-maacah and Janoah
KJV: Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah,
INT: and captured Ijon and Abel-beth-maacah and Janoah and Kedesh

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 62
2 Occurrences

ma·‘ă·ḵāh — 2 Occ.