664. Apheqah
Lexical Summary
Apheqah: Aphekah

Original Word: אֲפֵקָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Apheqah
Pronunciation: ah-fay-KAH
Phonetic Spelling: (af-ay-kaw')
KJV: Aphekah
NASB: Aphekah
Word Origin: [feminine of H663 (אֲפֵק אֲפִיק - Aphek)]

1. fortress
2. Aphekah, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Aphekah

Feminine of 'Apheq; fortress; Aphekah, a place in Palestine -- Aphekah.

see HEBREW 'Apheq

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from Apheq
Definition
perhaps "fortress," a city in Pal.
NASB Translation
Aphekah (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֲפֵקָה proper name, of a location (meaning perhaps id.) one of a group of cities including Hebron Joshua 15:53.

I. אפר (compare perhaps leap, be agile; see אבק).

Topical Lexicon
Name and Meaning

Aphekah (אֲפֵקָה, Strong’s H664) shares the root אפק, “to be strong, to fortify,” giving the sense of “fortress” or “stronghold.” The feminine ending distinguishes it from the more frequently mentioned Aphek (H663) but retains the underlying idea of strength and protection.

Biblical Occurrence

The town is cited a single time, in the territorial catalog of Judah’s hill-country towns: “Janum, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah” (Joshua 15:53). Though seemingly a brief mention, its inclusion confirms the completeness of the land grant to Judah, validating the divine promise first given to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21) and reiterated through Moses (Deuteronomy 1:8).

Geographical Setting

Joshua 15 groups Aphekah among the “hill country” settlements (verses 48-54). This upland zone—rising west of the Dead Sea toward Hebron—forms a natural barrier between the coastal Shephelah and the Judean desert. Aphekah stood somewhere within this rugged limestone terrain, characterized by terraced agriculture, defensible ridges, and strategic overlooks.

Proposed identifications vary:
• Khirbet el-ʿIqbik or Khirbet el-ʿAqaba, southwest of Hebron
• Tell el-Fûlûga, closer to the Beth-tappuah (modern Taffuh) ridge

None is yet confirmed, though surveys reveal Iron Age pottery and fortification traces typical of Judahite hill sites.

Historical Background and Later History

Aphekah enters the biblical record during the settlement period, after the conquest campaigns narrated in Joshua 10–11. The hill-country list likely reflects towns already subdued or soon to be occupied under Calebite and Kenizzite leadership (Joshua 14:6-15; 15:13-19). No further Old Testament narrative involves Aphekah, implying it remained a small agrarian-defensive community rather than a royal, prophetic, or military center like Hebron nearby.

The absence of post-Exilic references suggests it may have been abandoned or absorbed by neighboring Beth-tappuah and Hebron during the Assyrian and Babylonian disruptions (2 Kings 18; 25). In the intertestamental period, Judah’s highland villages often shifted locations to maximize water access and safety; Aphekah likely shared that pattern and faded from distinct memory.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Fulfillment

Every named town in Joshua 15 is a marker of the Lord’s faithfulness to His sworn word. The seemingly minor Aphekah testifies that “not one word out of all the good words that the LORD had spoken… failed” (Joshua 21:45).

2. Divine Protection

The root idea of “fortress” dovetails with numerous psalmic images: “The LORD is my strength and my shield” (Psalm 28:7). The town’s very name embodies the security that covenant-keepers experience in God’s territory.

3. Corporate Identity

Listing Aphekah in Judah’s allotment integrates its inhabitants into the worship life of Israel, centered at the tabernacle and later the Temple. Small villages shared the same festivals, tithes, and prophetic hopes as larger cities, illustrating the equal value of all communities within the covenant people.

Ministry and Devotional Reflections

• Hidden Faithfulness—Like Aphekah, many believers labor in obscurity. Scripture’s deliberate record of such places affirms that God notices and appraises every faithful work (Hebrews 6:10).
• Stronghold in the Hills—Believers are called to be “a city set on a hill” (Matthew 5:14). Aphekah’s hill-country setting invites meditation on visible, fortified testimony amid cultural valleys.
• Inheritance Stewardship—Judah’s families had to occupy, cultivate, and defend their apportioned land. Likewise, Christians receive spiritual gifts and spheres of service that must be possessed and developed (1 Peter 4:10).

Key Reference

Joshua 15:53 — “Janum, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah.”

Forms and Transliterations
וַאֲפֵֽקָה׃ ואפקה׃ vaaFekah wa’ăp̄êqāh wa·’ă·p̄ê·qāh
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Joshua 15:53
HEB: וּבֵית־ תַּפּ֖וּחַ וַאֲפֵֽקָה׃
NAS: and Beth-tappuah and Aphekah,
KJV: and Bethtappuah, and Aphekah,
INT: Janum and Beth-tappuah and Aphekah

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 664
1 Occurrence


wa·’ă·p̄ê·qāh — 1 Occ.

663
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