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Achzib

Achzib — deceitful in Hebrew — is the name of two distinct cities in different tribal allotments.

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**1. Achzib in Judah (Joshua 15:44; Micah 1:14).** A town in the lowland of Judah, near Mareshah and Lachish. Micah's lament over the cities of Judah turns the name into a pun: *the houses of Achzib shall be a lie (achzab) to the kings of Israel* — the deceitful city will prove deceitful as a hoped-for ally. The modern site has been proposed as Tell el-Beida but is not certain.

**2. Achzib in Asher (Joshua 19:29; Judges 1:31).** A Phoenician coastal town on the Mediterranean, about ten miles north of Acco. Allotted to Asher but never effectively conquered — Judges 1:31 lists it among the cities Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of, alongside Acco itself, Sidon, and Ahlab. The city continued under Phoenician control through the biblical period and was known to the Greeks as Ecdippa and the Romans as Casale Imberti. The modern site, Tell Akhziv (ez-Zib) on the Israeli coast, is well preserved and excavated.

Source · AI-drafted from biblical text and standard reference works (Smith's, Easton's, ISBE) — verify and refine against authoritative sources before publication.

Key passages

Joshua 15Joshua 19Judges 1Micah 1

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Places

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In the Bible

4

Verses where Achzib is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).

  • Joshua 15:44

    Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah—nine cities, along with their villages.

  • Joshua 19:29

    The border then turned back toward Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah, and came out at the Sea in the region of Achzib,

  • Judges 1:31

    Asher failed to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob.

  • Micah 1:14

    Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib will prove deceptive to the kings of Israel.