ACCARON (Hebrew Egrān; Assyrian Amqarrāna). - The northernmost of the five Philistine cities (Josh. 13:3), famous for its sanctuary of Beelzebub (v.) (II Kings 1:2-16). It is commonly identified (after E. Robinson, 1838) with present-day Aqr, 10 km southwest of Ramle; J. Garstang (Jeshua, Judges, London 1931, pp. 330-36), on the other hand, identifies it with Qatra, 7 km southwest of Aqr.
Occupied by the Israelites, A. first marked the northwestern boundary of the tribe of Judah (Josh. 15:45), which had captured it (Judg. 1:18); but shortly afterward it was ceded to the neighboring tribe of Dan (Josh. 19:43). In the time of Samuel, A. was again in the power of the Philistines (I Sam. 5:10; 6:16 ff.; 17:52), under whom it remained during the period of the monarchy. In 702, Padi, king of A., having refused to enter the anti-Assyrian league, was handed over as a prisoner to Hezekiah, king of Jerusalem; but the following year he was freed and restored to his throne by Sennacherib in his march against Egypt (E. Schrader, Keilinschr. Bibliothek, II, Berlin 1890, pp. 92, 94).
The Prophets name A. together with Gaza, Ashkelon and Ashdod, foretelling its ruin (Am. 1:8; Jer. 25:20; Zeph. 2:4; Zech. 9:5-7). In 147 Alexander Balas, king of Syria, gave A. with its district to Jonathan Maccabeus (I Macc. 10:89).
Gaetano M. Perrella