Endor (Hebrew : עֵין־דֹּר/עֵין דּוֹרʿĒn-Dōr or עֵין־דֹּארʿĒn-Dōʾr) was a Canaanite city, which is listed in the Book of Joshua (Joshua 17:11) as one of the cities the Israelites failed to dispossess, neither the city nor its dependencies. [1] It was located between the Hill of Moreh and Mount Tabor in the Jezreel Valley. It is mentioned twice more in the Hebrew Bible, in 1 Samuel and in Psalm 83.
The original meaning of "Endor" is unknown and its spelling in Hebrew varies. [2] It may be connected with the words ein meaning "spring" and dor, meaning "generation".[ citation needed ]
Endor was first mentioned in Joshua 17:11, when Endor fell within the tribal allotments of Manasseh.
In 1 Samuel 28:4–25, Saul consulted a medium or witch at Endor (1 Samuel 28:7), [3] who lived in the village, on the evening before the Battle of Gilboa, in which he perished. [4]
According to Psalms 83:9–10, it was the scene of the rout of Jabin and Sisera [4] after being defeated by Barak and Deborah in Judges 4–5.
The location of the ancient site of Endor is widely debated and many locations have been suggested. From the biblical accounts, an Endor that is located on the south edge of the Jezreel Valley seems to fit best. The tribal allotments of Manasseh, Saul's journey to Endor and the defeat of Sisera's army all fit well with a location that is on this side of the valley, somewhere between Ibleam and Ta'anach. However, there are difficulties with this location. From the origin of the name, a spring must also be located somewhere near, and archaeological evidence from the time of Joshua, Judges, and Saul is required.
Many suggested sites are located on the north side of the Jezreel Valley, near or on the Hill of Moreh. The main reasons for this placement are due to tradition and name preservation. The major difficulty in a northern location for Endor is that it does not seem to fit the biblical accounts well. The city lists in Joshua 17:11 and Judges 1:27 would be mentioning Endor out of logical order. However, a supporting factor for a northern site is that Saul had to be disguised as he traveled to the witch at Endor. That is usually attributed to the fact that Endor was behind enemy lines since the Philistines were camped at Shunem, just southwest of the most accepted Endor site. Those who hold to a southern site location explain the disguise as necessary not to transverse any enemy lines, but to hide Saul's identity from the medium. Both explanations are possible. The following sites have been suggested:
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