Aphek, a city allotted to the tribe of Asher.
Also known as Aphik
Aphek was a city located in the territory allotted to the tribe of Asher in the northern part of Canaan. It is mentioned in Joshua 13:4 as part of the land that remained to be conquered after Joshua's initial campaigns. The city was later included in the list of cities given to the tribe of Asher (Joshua 19:30).
However, the tribe of Asher failed to drive out the Canaanite inhabitants of Aphek, as recorded in Judges 1:31. This failure to completely possess their allotted territory was a recurring issue for several Israelite tribes during the period of the judges.
The exact location of this Aphek in Asher's territory is uncertain, but it is generally associated with Tel Afek, a site near the Mediterranean coast, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Acco. Its proximity to the coast suggests that it may have been a strategic port city.
Apart from these brief mentions in the context of the land allotment and the incomplete conquest, no other significant events or details are recorded about this Aphek in the Bible.
Approximate location: 34.066, 35.866 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
3 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0663
to the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Mearah of the Sidonians to Aphek, as far as the border of the Amorites;
Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob. There were twenty-two cities, along with their villages.
Asher failed to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.