Lexical Definition

‎אֲפֵק‎ ʼĂphêq (af-ake') Aphek ^N:N--L
or אֲפִיק ʼĂphîyq (af-eek'); from ‎אָפַק‎ (in the sense of strength); fortress

Aphek, Aphik.

• § Aphek or Aphik = "enclosure"
• Aphek (or Aphik), the name of three places in Palestine

1) a Canaanite city near Jezreel
2) a city in territory of Asher
3) a city northeast of Beirut in Transjordan

See Greek: ἄφεσις · κῦμα · πηγή · πλευρά · πλήρωμα · φάραγξ · χείμαῤῥος

Extended Information

• a city in territory of Asher

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎אֲפֵק‎ ‎אֲפִיק‎ (Judg 1:31) proper name, of a location Aphek (perhaps enclosure, or fortress). **now probable that 1 should include Josh 12:18; 1Sam 4:1; 1Sam 29:1 and 2Kgs 13:22: ‎ᵐ5‎L; town not near Jezreel, but at north end of philistine plain; compare ‎ᵐ5‎L^i. with We^{compare 254} Dr^{1Sam 29:11} RS^{OTJC 2.435} GASm^{Geogr. 400 f.} Buhl^{Geogr. 212} (and N.) Bu^{RS 235 f.}; more doubtful are 1Kgs 20:26; 1Kgs 20:30; 2Kgs 13:17 (Kit 1Kgs 20:26); these, with Josh 19:30; Judg 1:31, might denote an Aphek near Jezreel.

1. city near Jezreel (Assyrian Ap‡u, compare Dl^{Pa 287}) Josh 12:18; 1Sam 29:1 (‎אֲפֵ֑קָה‎, so) 1Kgs 20:26; 1Kgs 20:30 compare 2Kgs 13:7

2. city in tribe of Asher Josh 19:30; Judg 1:31 (‎אֲפִיק‎).

3. city northeast of Beirût, modern Afqa Josh 13:4 ‎אֲפֵ֑קָת‎ see Di.

4. place near Mizpah 1Sam 4:1 (compare 1Sam 7:12).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Aphek_3 • A city in the north, site of Aramean battles.

Aphek, a city in the north, where the Arameans fought against Israel.

• A location first mentioned at 1Ki.20.26;
• only referred to as Aphek אֲפֵק.
  

Aphek, mentioned in 1 Kings 20 and 2 Kings 13, was a city located in the northern part of Israel, likely in the region of the Jezreel Valley. It was the site of significant battles between the Arameans (Syrians) and the Israelites during the reigns of King Ahab and King Jehoash of Israel.

In 1 Kings 20, the Arameans, led by Ben-hadad, assembled their forces at Aphek to fight against Israel. Despite the vast Aramean army, the Israelites, guided by a prophet, achieved a decisive victory. The Arameans fled to Aphek, where a wall collapsed and killed many of them (1 Kings 20:26-30).

Later, during the reign of Jehoash, Aphek is mentioned again in the context of the Aramean oppression of Israel. The prophet Elisha, on his deathbed, instructed King Jehoash to shoot an arrow from the window, symbolizing the Lord's arrow of victory over the Arameans at Aphek (2 Kings 13:17).

The precise location of this Aphek is uncertain, but it is generally identified with Fiq, a site in the eastern part of the Jezreel Valley, near the modern-day town of Kibbutz Afik. Its location in the north made it a strategic point for military campaigns between Israel and Aram.

All entries for Aphek: אֲפֵק