Aksaph is wrongly connected with Chasalous and its real biblical location is in debate: et Tell , Tell Far , Tell Harbaj , Tell Keisan , Kh el musheirefeh are all preferred by some scholars to the homonymy KhIksa . However Kh Iksa may be Eusebius' Chasalous. It has Byzantine remains. (But see K.28:23).
Thabōr is a city on the mountain which is used by Eusebius as a referent. Located at jebel at-Tor (cf. K. 98:23).
In Interpretation of Hebrew Names "limping or made, i.e. poiēsis (creation)" (89).
60. Akkarōn (Accaron). Joshua 13:3; K. 22:6; L. 239:57.
Akkarōn is the Greek form of the name given to one of the five cities of the Philistines, Ekron (see next entry cf. K. 32:11, K. 62:22, K. 68.4).
The Madaba Map puts Akkarōn near Iamnia (K. 106:20) on the road to Azōtus (K. 22:11). The map has the name repeated possibly for ancient and modern site with identical names in Greek.
The Old Testament site seems to be at Kh Muqenna' a very large site with proper sherds. The name is reflected in 'Aqir which is a Byzantine to modern site and perhaps was the one which Eusebius had in mind. Jerome reports an obviously erroneous tradition which would locate it at Caesarea.
This is one of eleven towns reported to be inhabited by Jews in Eusebius' day (K. 26:9, K. 26:12, K. 86:18, K. 88:17, K. 98:26, K. 108:8, K. 78:6, K. 86:21, K. 92:21, K. 136:24 plus perhaps Nineveh (K. 136:2) cf. Appendix II.
Interpretation of Hebrew Names "teaching of gloom or barrenness" (89) "flocks grazing or is pasture as the Greek has en poimniotrophiois (sheep feeders)" (123).
61. Azōtos (Azotus). Joshua 13:3; K. 22:11; L. 239:63.
Textual variant: Askadōd (Greek). Note Latin transliteration Allefylous (cp. K. 68:24 and Azotes is the Greek of I Maccabees 4:15 etc. for this Philistine city, cf. the more general entry in K. 20:18 (Joshua 15:47, Judges 1:18).
The continued use of the name probably accounts for the lack of any location being given here. After all it is one of the famous cities of his time as also is Askalōn (K. 22:15) and Gaza (K. 62:26). In K. 20:19 Eusebius uses polichnē but in K. 22:11 polis. He uses polichnē for only four other cities of his time: Iamneia (K. 106:20), Sebastē (K. 154:22), Gaza (K. 130:8) and Gabe (K. 70:8).
The Madaba Map has the two cities, one coastal and one inland. Reflecting the Greek of Eusebius it may be suggesting that in the 4th to 6th centuries the inland Ashdod was less important.
The Tabula Peutinger locates Asdōd ten miles from Iamnia (K. 106:20) and twelve miles from Askalōn. Procopius 1024B retains the double names Asdōd and Azōtos. Josephus also reported on the double Azōtos. Jerome in Commentary on Isaiah 20:1 writes "Azotus," which is called Esdod by the Hebrews, is the most powerful of the five cities of Palestine." It was made a municipality by Vespasian. The other Philistine cities are in K. 22:6, K. 22:15, K. 62:22 and K. 68:4.
The ancient Philistine site at 'eshdud is being excavated. The Roman-Byzantine settlement is strong and prosperous on the old site. The ancient sea port was at Tell Mor , but the Roman-Byzantine port is at Minet el caāa and it was of increasing importance in Eusebius' time.
In Interpretation of Hebrew Names "Azotii, i.e. Asdodi, fire of my uncle or burning"(89) "Azotus is called by the Hebrews Esdod and they have the same etymology, fire of the uncle" (143) "Ashdod destruction or violent movement or burning"(88).
62. Askalōn (Ascalon). Joshua 13:3; K. 22:15; L. 239:67.
Askalōn is one of the "famous cities" in the Onomasticon and another of the five Philistine cities (see previous entry). According to Josephus Wars I,21, 11 Herod the Great rebuilt it. Jews were there from the first century on and a synagogue has been excavated from late Roman times. For a brief period a city Diocletianopolis was in the vicinity named after the Emperor. It may be the same town, but the Onomasticon makes no mention of it. A bishop from Askalōn was at the Council of Nicea. There is a large walled city on the Madaba Hap south of Azōtus (cf. Joshua 15:25, Judges 1:18)
As a city it is used as a referent by the Onomasticon . The Tabula Peutinger locates it 12 miles from Azōtus (K. 22:11) and 15 miles from Gaza (K. 62:22). Tell 'Ashalon is the site for all periods with the Roman and Byzantine city expanding off and around the mound.
In Interpretation of Hebrew Names "weight or disreputable fire" (89) "disreputable fire or ignoble fire" (143).
63. Apheka (Afeca). Joshua 13:4; K. 22:19; L. 239:71.
A number of Apheks are in the Onomasticon (cf. K. 22:1). This Apheka is one of three contemporary villages called "great" in the text (cf. Thamna 96:25 and Magdiel 130:21) but others are episēmos "famous" or "notable," megistai (splendid) rather than megalē (large).
The location "near" or "in the vicinity of" is very inexact in the terms of our text. Sometimes it is made more exact by a second location which gives mileage.
Hippos is a city of the Decapolis and is near present day Susita (Aramaic for the Greek?). The remains are primarily Qalat el Husn . A great Hellenistic-Roman and Byzantine site is there. Its region included dependent villages such as Apheka.
On the plateau east, the Sea of Galilee (K. 72:21) is the present day Fiq which suits the Onomasticon and is on the road between Damascus and Beisan. The change in its fortunes over a century may be indicated by the change to "large castle" in Jerome. Or it may merely be Jerome's Hebrew knowledge coming through since Hebrew aphek can be translated "fortress" (Appendix IX).