Biblical places
Aphek
Where Israel was defeated by the Philistines and lost the ark of the covenant (1 Samuel 4). Identified with Tel Afek on the Sharon Plain (later rebuilt by Herod as Antipatris), now within a national park near Rosh HaAyin.
Sources and location confidence
- Location confidence
- Very High
- Tel Afek (Rosh HaAyin)
- 32.1050, 34.9306
Multiple sources agree on the same coordinates for Tel Aphek (Antipatris). Note that there is also a place called Tel Aphek on the northern coast (near Mount Carmel) with the same name, so care should be taken not to confuse them.
Related Bible passages
These are selected indexed references, not an exhaustive list of every mention in the Bible.
Joshua 12:18
The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;
1 Samuel 4:1
And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben–ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.
1 Samuel 29:1
Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.