Migdal-gad standard
e been identified with any certainty. This would indicate a site in the Philistine plain, and the modern flourishing town of Mejdel, 2 1/2 miles Northeast of Ashkelon, appears to be a possible identification.
Where is Migdal-gad in the Bible?
Migdal-gad was a town located in the lowlands of Judah, mentioned in the book of Joshua as one of the towns allocated to the tribe of Judah during the division of the Promised Land (Joshua 15:37). The exact location of Migdal-gad has not been identified with certainty, though scholars suggest it may correspond to the modern town of Mejdel, situated approximately 2.5 miles northeast of Ashkelon in what is now Israel. This placement in the Philistine plain region raises historical questions about Judah's control of such a strategically vulnerable area near major Philistine strongholds. The name Migdal-gad, meaning "tower of Gad," reflects the town's likely function as a fortified settlement in this frontier region.
Study in OliveGrove: Joshua
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Migdal-gad
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain)e been identified with any certainty. This would indicate a site in the Philistine plain, and the modern flourishing town of Mejdel, 2 1/2 miles Northeast of Ashkelon, appears to be a possible identification. It is the most important town in the district which is named after it Nahiet el-Mejdel. It must, however, be admitted that it is difficult to see how Judah could have held a site so close to the great Philistine strongholds. It is very probable that Mejdel ("tower") is the tower mentioned in Josephus, BJ, III, ii, 3, as close to Ashkelon, and it or Migdalgad (or both if they are the same sites) may be identical with the Magtal of the Tell el-Amarna Letters (Petrie, Hist. Egypt, II, 329). For Mejdel see Palestine Exploration Fund, II, 410, Sh XVI.
E. W. G. Masterman
mig'-dol, mig'-dol (mighdol; Magdolon): This name ("the tower") is applied to two places on the east frontier of Egypt.
1Exodus 14:2; Numbers 33:7
In Ex 14:2; <ref os