Hazor was a major Canaanite city, whose king Jabin led a coalition against Israel; it was captured and destroyed by Joshua (Josh 11:1,10-11,13), later oppressing Israel before being defeated by Deborah and Barak (Judg 4:2,17).
Also known as Hezron
Hazor was the largest and most important city in Canaan during the time of Joshua, serving as the head of the northern Canaanite kingdoms (Josh 11:10). Its king, Jabin, led a coalition against Israel, but was defeated by Joshua, who captured and destroyed Hazor (Josh 11:1,10-11,13). The city was allotted to the tribe of Naphtali (Josh 19:36). Hazor later revived and oppressed Israel, but was defeated by Deborah and Barak (Judg 4:2,17). The city was fortified by Solomon (1Ki.9.15) and was one of the first cities captured by Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria during his invasion of Israel (2Ki.15.29). Excavations at Tel Hazor have revealed a large, heavily fortified city with Canaanite temples and palaces, as well as evidence of destruction by fire, possibly corroborating the biblical account of Joshua's conquest.
Approximate location: 33.017, 35.568 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
12 verses in 5 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H2674
Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph;
At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword, because Hazor was formerly the head of all these kingdoms.
The Israelites put everyone in Hazor to the sword, devoting them to destruction. Nothing that breathed remained, and Joshua burned down Hazor itself.
Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds, except Hazor, which Joshua burned.
the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;
proceeded south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, continued on to Zin, went over to the south of Kadesh-barnea, ran past Hezron up to Addar, and curved toward Karka.
Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,
So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his forces was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.
Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.
This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.
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.