HAZOR:

  • 1. Fortified city between Ramah and Kadesh, on the high ground overlooking Lake Merom. It was the seat of Jabin, a powerful Canaanitish king, as appears from the summons sent by him to all the kings round about to assist him against Israel. But Joshua defeated the allied forces, and burned the city, which was "the head of all those kingdoms," to the ground (Josh. xi. 1-5, 10-13). Hazor must have been rebuilt, for in the time of Deborah and Barak there was another King Jabin reigning there (Judges iv. 2), to whom Israel was temporarily made subject in punishment for its sins. After this Hazor was again in Israel's possession, and belonged to the tribe of Naphtali (Josh. xix. 36). In the later history of Israel, Hazor is mentioned again when its inhabitants were carried off to Assyria by Tiglath-pileser (II Kings xv. 29).
  • 2. Village in the extreme south of Judah, named between Kedesh and Ithnan (Josh. xv. 23, where the Vatican manuscript of the Septuagint reads "Hazor" and "Ithnan" as one word, Ἀσοριωναὶν, whereas the Alexandrian manuscript omits "Ithnan").
  • 3. One of the southern towns of Judah, near Kerioth (Josh. xv. 25 [R. V. "Hazor-hadattah"]).
  • 4. Place inhabited by the Benjamites after their return from captivity, situated between Ananiah and Ramah (Neh. xi. 33).
  • 5. Place in the vicinity of Kedar, with which it was devastated by Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. xlix. 28-33). The mention of the "kingdoms of Hazor" leaves room for the supposition that "Hazor" may have been the name of a district in Arabia.
E. G. H. B. P.
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