Map of Old Testament Israel - Acco
Acco
D-4 on the Map
Acco. Also Acre or Ptolemais. Tel el-Fukhkhar. A Phoenician city on the coast just a few miles north of Carmel. Accho was mentioned in the Bible in Judges 1:31.
Judges 1:31 - Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:
Acco. ak'-o (`akko; [`Akcho]; Ake Ptolemais; Modern Arabic `Akka,
English Acre; the King James Version Accho): A town on the Syrian coast a few
miles north of Carmel, on a small promontory on the north side of a broad bay
that lies between it and the modern town of Haifa. This bay furnishes the best
anchorage for ships of any on this coast except that of George, at Beirut, and
Alexandretta at the extreme north. As the situation commanded the approach from
the sea to the rich plateau of Esdraelon and also the coast route from the
north, the city was regarded in ancient times of great importance and at various
periods of history was the scene of severe struggles for its possession. It fell
within the bounds assigned to the Israelites, particularly to the tribe of
Asher, but they were never able to take it (Josh 19:24-31; Jdg 1:31). It was,
like Tyre and Sidon, too strong for them to attack and it became indeed a
fortress of unusual strength, so that it many a siege, often baffling its
assailants. In the period of the Crusades it was the most famous stronghold on
the coast, and in very early times it was a place of importance and appears in
the Tell el-Amarna Letters as a possession of the Egyptian kings. Its governor
wrote to his suzerain professing loyalty when the northern towns were falling
away (Am Tab 17 BM, 95 B). The Egyptian suzerainty over the coast, which was
established by Thothmes III about 1480 BC, was apparently lost in the 14th
century, as is indicated in Tell el-Amarna Letters, but was regained under Seti
I and his more famous son Rameses II in the 13th, to be again lost in the 12th
when the Phoenician towns seem to have established their independence. Sidon
however surpassed her sisters in power and exercised a sort of hegemony over the
Phoenician towns, at least in the south, and Acco was included in it (Rawl.
Phoenica, 407-8). But when Assyria came upon the scene it had to submit to this
power, although it revolted whenever Assyria became weak, as appears from the
mention of its subjugation by Sennacherib (ib 449), and by Ashurbanipal (ib
458). The latter "quieted" it by a wholesale massacre and then carried into
captivity the remaining inhabitants. Upon the downfall of Assyria it passed,
together with other Phoenician towns, under the dominion of Babylon and then of
Persia, but we have no records of its annals during that period; but it followed
the fortunes of the more important cities, Tyre and Sidon. In the Seleucid
period (BC 312-65) the town became of importance in the contests between the
Seleucids and the Ptolemies. The latter occupied it during the struggles that
succeeded the death of Alexander and made it their stronghold on the coast and
changed the name to PTOLEMAIS, by which it was known in the Greek and Roman
period as we see in the accounts of the Greek and Roman writers and in Josephus,
as well as in New Testament (1 Macc 5:22; 10:39; 12:48; Acts 21:7). The old name
still continued locally and reasserted itself in later times. The Ptolemies held
undisputed possession of the place for about 70 years but it was wrested from
them by Antiochus III, of Syria, in 219 BC and went into the permanent
possession of the Seleucids after the decisive victory of Antiochus over Scopas
in that year, the result of which was the expulsion of the Ptolemies from Syria,
Israel and Phoenicia (Ant., XII, iii, 3). In the dynastic struggles of the
Seleucids it fell into the hands of Alexander Bala, who there received the hand
of Cleopatra, the daughter of Ptolemy Philometor, as a pledge of alliance
between them (ib XIII, iv, 1). Tigranes, king of Armenia, besieged it on his
invasion of Syria, but was obliged to relinquish it on the approach of the
Romans toward his own dominions (BJ, I, v, 3). Under the Romans Ptolemais became
a colony and a metropolis, as is known from coins, and was of importance, as is
attested by Strabo. But the events that followed the conquests of the Saracens,
leading to the Crusades, brought it into great prominence. It was captured by
the Crusaders in 1110 AD, and remained in their hands until 1187, when it was
taken from them by Saladin and its fortifications so strengthened as to render
it almost impregnable. The importance of this fortress as a key to the Holy Land
was considered so great by the Crusaders that they put forth every effort during
two years to recapture it, but all in vain until the arrival of Richard Coeur de
Lion and Philip Augustus with reinforcements, and it was only after the most
strenuous efforts on their part that the place fell into their hands, but it
cost them 100,000 men. The fortifications were repaired and it was afterward
committed to the charge of the knights of John, by whom it was held for 100
years and received the name of Jean d'Acre. It was finally taken by the Saracens
in 1291, being the last place held by the Crusaders in Israel
It declined after this and fell into the hands of the Ottomans under Selim I in
1516, and remained mostly in ruins until the 18th century, when it came into the
possession of Jezzar Pasha, who usurped the authority over it and the
neighboring district and became practically independent of the Sultan and defied
his authority. In 1799 it was attacked by Napoleon but was bravely and
successfully defended by the Turks with the help of the English fleet, and
Napoleon had to abandon the siege after he had spent two months before it and
gained a victory over the Turkish army at Tabor. It enjoyed a considerable
degree of prosperity after this until 1831 when it was besieged by Ibrahim
Pasha, of Egypt, and taken, but only after a siege of more than five months in
which it suffered the destruction of its walls and many of its buildings. It
continued in the hands of the Egyptians until 1840 when it was restored to the
Ottomans by the English whose fleet nearly reduced it to ruins in the
bombardment. It has recovered somewhat since then and is now a town of some
10,000 inhabitants and the seat of a Mutasarrifiyet, or subdivision of the
Vilayet of Beirut. It contains one of the state prisons of the Vilayet, where
long-term prisoners are incarcerated. Its former commerce has been almost wholly
lost to the town of Haifa, on the south side of the bay, since the latter has a
fairly good roadstead, while Acre has none, and the former being the terminus of
the railway which connects with the interior and the Damascus-Mecca line, it has
naturally supplanted Acre as a center of trade.
https://free-bible.com/isbe/A/ACCO/
More Information about Acco
Acre (Hebrew: עַכּוֹ, Akko; Arabic: عكّا, ʻAkkā), is a city in the Western
Galilee region of northern Israel and is situated on a low promontory at the
northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously
inhabited sites in the country and historically, was regarded as a strategic
coastal link to the Levant. Acre is the holiest city of the Bahá'í Faith. As of
2009, the city had a population of 46,300. Ancient period. Acre is one of the
oldest continuously inhabited sites in Israel. The name Aak, which appears on
the tribute-lists of Thutmose III (c. 16th century BC), may be a reference to
Acre.[citation needed] The Amarna letters also mention a place named Akka,[5] as
well as the Execration texts, that pre-date them.[6] In the Hebrew Bible,
(Judges 1:31), Akko is one of the places from which the Israelites did not drive
out the Canaanites. It was in the territory of the tribe of Asher. According to
Josephus, Akko was ruled by one of Solomon's provincial governors. Throughout
the period of Israelite rule, it was politically affiliated with Phoenicia
rather than the Philistines. Around 725 BC, Akko joined Sidon and Tyre in a
revolt against Shalmaneser V.
Greek and Roman periods. Greek historians refer to the city as Ake, meaning
"cure." According to the Greek myth, Heracles found curative herbs here to heal
his wounds. Josephus calls it Akre. The name was changed to Antiochia Ptolemais
shortly after Alexander the Great's conquest, and then to Ptolemais, probably by
Ptolemy Soter, after the partition of the kingdom of Alexander the Great. Strabo
refers to the city as once a rendezvous for the Persians in their expeditions
against Egypt. About 165 BC Judas Maccabeus defeated the Syrians in many battles
in Galilee, and drove them into Ptolemais. About 153 BC Alexander Balas, son of
Antiochus Epiphanes, contesting the Syrian crown with Demetrius, seized the
city, which opened its gates to him. Demetrius offered many bribes to the
Maccabees to obtain Jewish support against his rival, including the revenues of
Ptolemais for the benefit of the Temple in Jerusalem, but in vain. Jonathan
Maccabaeus threw in his lot with Alexander, and in 150 BC he was received by him
with great honour in Ptolemais. Some years later, however, Tryphon, an officer
of the Syrians, who had grown suspicious of the Maccabees, enticed Jonathan into
Ptolemais and there treacherously took him prisoner. The city was captured by
Alexander Jannaeus, Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Tigranes II of Armenia. Here
Herod built a gymnasium, and here the Jews met Petronius, sent to set up statues
of the emperor in the Temple, and persuaded him to turn back. St Paul spent a
day in Ptolemais (Acts 21:7). A Roman colonia was established at the city,
Colonia Claudii Cćsaris. After the permanent division of the Roman Empire in 395
CE, Akko was administered by the Eastern (later Byzantine) Empire. -
Wikipedia
Accho - Biblical Meaning of Accho in Eastons Bible
Dictionary ...Accho - Biblical Meaning for Accho in Eastons Bible Dictionary
(Free Bible)
wwwestfree-bible.com/eastons/A/Accho/
Accho - Biblical Definition of Accho in Fausset's Bible Dictionary ...Accho in
Fausset's Bible Dictionary (Free Bible)
wwwestfree-bible.com/faussets/A/Accho/
Accho - Meaning of Accho in Smiths Bible Dictionary (Bible History ...Accho:
Biblical Meaning of Accho in Smiths Bible Dictionary (Free Bible)
wwwestfree-bible.com/smiths/A/Accho/
ACCHO in Naves Topical Bible (Free Bible) ACCHO in Naves Topical Bible
(Free Bible)
wwwestfree-bible.com/naves/A/ACCHO/
Judges 1:31 Bible Verse (KJV Book of Judges) Free Bible 31 - Neither
did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor
of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, ...
wwwestfree-bible.com/studybible/Judges/1/31/
Abdon: - Bible History Links (Ancient Biblical Studies) A city in the tribe if
Asher, given to the Gershonites, Jos 21:30; 1Ch 6:74 the modern Abdeh, 10 miles
northeast of Accho. ...
Abdon Links
Cabul - Biblical Meaning of Cabul in Eastons Bible Dictionary ...to Hiram; the
modern Kabul, some 8 miles east of Accho, on the very borders of Galilee. (2.) A
district in the north-West of Galilee, near to Tyre, ...
wwwestfree-bible.com/eastons/C/Cabul/
Sidon - Clickable Map of the Roman Empire - First Century AD1:31 - Neither did
Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of
Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, ...
wwwestfree-bible.com/maps/romanempire/Sidon.php
Asher - Biblical Definition of Asher in Fausset's Bible Dictionary ...The
portion near Zidon, Dor, Accho, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, Rehob, they never
made themselves masters of (Judges 1:31-32; Joshua 19:24-31; ...
wwwestfree-bible.com/faussets/A/Asher/
AMAD in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE (Free Bible) a'-mad (`am`adh): A
town in northern Israel, which fell to the tribe of Asher in the division of the
land (Josh 19:26). The modern ruin `Amud near Accho may ...
wwwestfree-bible.com/isbe/A/AMAD/