Original Word: חֹלוֹן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Cholown
Pronunciation: kho-lone'
Phonetic Spelling: (kho-lone')
KJV: Holon
NASB: Holon
Word Origin: [probably from H2344 (חוֹל - sand)]

1. sandy
2. Cholon, the name of two places in Israel

Holon

Or (shortened) Cholon {kho-lone'}; probably from chowl; sandy; Cholon, the name of two places in Palestine -- Holon.

see HEBREW chowl

Word Origin
probably from chel
Definition
a place in Moab, also a city in Judah
NASB Translation
Holon (3).

חֹלוֺן, חֹלֹן proper name, of a location 1. in Moab חֹלוֺן Jeremiah 48:21 (ᵐ5 Ξελων), Ξαιλων).

2 in Judah חֹלֹן Joshua 15:51 (ᵐ5 Ξαλου, ᵐ5^L Ξειλου); priestly city Joshua 21:15 (ᵐ5 Γελλα, ᵐ5^L Ιλων) = חֹילֵן 1 Chronicles 6:43 (ᵐ5^L Ξελων).

Occurrences in Scripture

Joshua 15:51; Joshua 21:15; Jeremiah 48:21

“Goshen, Holon, and Giloh—eleven cities, together with their villages” (Joshua 15:51).

“Holon, and Debir, together with their pasturelands—four cities” (Joshua 21:15).

“Judgment has also come upon the plain—on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath” (Jeremiah 48:21).

Geographical Context

In the conquest narrative Holon sits among the hill-country towns of southern Judah, a rugged limestone plateau roughly nineteen to twenty-five kilometers southwest of present-day Hebron. Although its precise archaeological locus is still debated (candidates include Khirbet Ḥulaymûn and Khirbet Beit ‘Îmra), the biblical clustering with Debir, Giloh, and Goshen places it on the spine of the Judean highlands overlooking the Shephelah to the west and the Negev to the south. Its setting afforded natural defenses and access to pasturelands well suited for Levitical flocks.

Tribal Allotment and Levitical Assignment

1. Allocation to Judah (Joshua 15:51).
2. Transfer to the sons of Aaron (Joshua 21:15).

This double notation illustrates the Mosaic provision that certain tribal territories surrender cities to the priestly clan. Holon therefore became one of Judah’s four priest-cities, joining Debir, Jattir, and Beth-shemesh. The pasturelands annexed to it (Joshua 21:15) underline the Lord’s care for those whose inheritance was His service (Numbers 18:20). Holon thus functioned as a spiritual outpost, anchoring sacerdotal ministry deep inside Judah’s hill country.

Covenantal Significance

As a Levitical center Holon embodied at least three covenant themes:

• Presence—The priests living there sustained sacrifice, instruction, and adjudication, making Holon a localized reminder that “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3).
• Provision—Pasturelands surrounding the city demonstrated that the God who withheld territorial inheritance from Levi also supplied daily bread (Deuteronomy 33:8-11).
• Purity—Priestly distribution throughout Israel diffused Torah ethics; Holon’s situation in the heartland strengthened Judah against Canaanite syncretism.

Prophetic Mention in Jeremiah

Jeremiah 48:21 includes a second Holon, this one on “the plain” of Moab. The context is a sweeping oracle against Moabite pride, cataloging towns doomed to Babylonian invasion (Jeremiah 48:1-25). Whether this Holon is identical to the Judean site (unlikely) or represents a homonymous Moabite settlement, its appearance underscores that no fortified place, Israelite or foreign, escapes divine reckoning. The juxtaposition of a priestly Holon in Judah and a judged Holon in Moab magnifies both grace and justice in redemptive history.

Historical and Ministry Insights

1. Faithfulness in Small Places—Holon never rivals Jerusalem in prominence, yet its repeated citation proves that God memorializes faithful ministry carried out in obscure locales (Hebrews 6:10).
2. Land Dedicated to Worship—The city’s pasturelands remind leaders today to allocate resources that sustain gospel servants, echoing Paul’s appeal: “The laborer is worthy of his wages” (1 Timothy 5:18).
3. Warning to the Proud—Moab’s Holon fell under sentence because of national arrogance; the episode cautions modern cultures that security without humility invites judgment (James 4:6).

Christological Trajectory

Holon’s priestly identity anticipates the high-priestly work of Jesus Christ, who “in the days of His flesh” dwelt among ordinary villages (John 1:14) and now stations His people as “a royal priesthood” in every corner of the world (1 Peter 2:9). As Holon once housed the sons of Aaron, so the Church houses the presence of the true and eternal Priest, extending His light beyond famous pulpits to forgotten hillsides.

Summary

Holon appears rarely in the Old Testament, yet its narrative arc—from tribal allotment to Levitical hub to prophetic warning—traces a rich theology of presence, provision, and accountability. Whether nestled in Judah’s hills or listed among Moab’s doomed towns, the name testifies that every city stands under the sovereign gaze of the Lord who redeems, sustains, and judges.

וְחֹלֹ֖ן וחלן חֹל֥וֹן חֹלֹן֙ חלון חלן choLon ḥō·lō·wn ḥō·lōn ḥōlōn ḥōlōwn vechoLon wə·ḥō·lōn wəḥōlōnInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts