Ijon

IJON

i'-jon (`iyon; Septuagint in Kings has Ain, or Nain; in Chronicles Ion; Aion):

A town in the territory of Naphtali, first mentioned in connection with the invasion of Ben-hadad, in the reign of Baasha. It was captured along with Da and Abel-beth-maacah (1 Kings 15:20; 2 Chronicles 16:4). It shared with these cities a similar fate at the hands of Tiglath-pileser in the reign of Pekah (2 Kings 15:29). The name survives in that of Merj A`yun, "meadow of springs," a rich, oval-shaped plain to the Northwest of Tell el Qady, where the LiTany turns sharply westward to the sea. The ancient city may be represented by Tell Dibbin, an important site to the North of the plain.

W. Ewing