Encyclopedia entry
Kishon
Winding, a winter torrent of Central Palestine, which rises about the roots of Tabor and Gilboa, and passing in a northerly direction through the plains of Esdraelon and Acre, falls into the Mediterranean at the north-eastern corner of the bay of Acre, at the foot of Carmel. It is the drain by which the waters of the plain of Esdraelon and of the mountains that surround it find their way to the sea. It bears the modern name of Nahr el-Mokattah, i.e., “the river of slaughter” (comp. 1 Kings 18:40). In the triumphal song of Deborah (Judg. 5:21) it is spoken of as “that ancient river,” either (1) because it had flowed on for ages, or (2), according to the Targum, because it was “the torrent in which were shown signs and wonders to Israel of old;” or (3) probably the reference is to the exploits in that region among the ancient Canaanites, for the adjoining plain of Esdraelon was the great battle-field of Palestine.
Read full account →↑
This was the scene of the defeat of Sisera (Judg. 4:7, 13), and of the destruction of the prophets of Baal by Elijah (1 Kings 18:40). “When the Kishon was at its height, it would be, partly on account of its quicksands, as impassable as the ocean itself to a retreating army.” (See DEBORAH.)
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
(winding), The river, a torrent or winter stream of central Palestine, the scene of two of the grandest achievements of Israelitish history—the defeat of Sisera, Judges 4, and the destruction of the prophets of Baal by Elijah. (1 Kings 18:40) The Nahr Mukutta, the modern representative of the Kishon, is the drain by which the waters of the plain of Esdraelon and of the mountains which enclose that plain find their way through the plain of Acre to the Mediterranean. The part of the Kishon at which the prophets of Baal were slaughtered by Elijah was doubtless close below the spot on Carmel where the sacrifice had taken place.
In the Bible
6
Verses where Kishon is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- 1 Kings 18:40
Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.
- Joshua 21:28
From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kishion, Daberath,
- Judges 4:7
And I will draw out Sisera the commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his troops to the River Kishon, and I will deliver him into your hand.’”
- Judges 4:13
he summoned all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the River Kishon.
- Judges 5:21
The River Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the River Kishon. March on, O my soul, in strength!
- Psalms 83:9
Do to them as You did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,
Scripture on Kishon
5
Entries that reference Kishon
10
Kishon references
15
Sources · Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869) · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.