Yir'on (Biblical city)

Yir'on (Hebrew: יִרְאוֹן) was a biblical city in the territory of the Tribe of Naphtali, identified with the Lebanese village of Yaroun.

Sources

Yir'on is mentioned once in the Bible as a fortified city: "Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, Yir'on, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh" (Joshua 19:37).

In the records of Tiglath-Pileser III, a city named "Iru..." with an incomplete ending is mentioned among the cities of Upper Galilee that he conquered, and this city is identified with Yir'on.

Identification

The name of the ancient city is believed to have been preserved in the name of the Lebanese village Yaroun, located about 5 km south of Bint Jbeil and near the Israeli border, west of Kibbutz Yiron, which is named after the ancient city and the stream next to him. Its proximity to Tel Hazor and Tel Kedesh, identified with cities listed together with it, supports this identification.

In the center of the village, there is an ancient mound, approximately 800 meters above sea level, where pottery dating back to the Iron Age has been found.