Eshtaol

Eshtaol was a town in the Shephelah on the border between the territories of Judah and Dan, mentioned frequently in the Samson narratives. Listed in Joshua 15:33 among the towns of Judah in the lowland, it also appears in Joshua 19:41 among the towns of Dan, reflecting the ambiguity of tribal boundaries in the western foothills. Eshtaol is consistently paired with Zorah, a neighboring town a mile or two to the east, in references to the Danite tribal territory.

Samson was born near Zorah, and the Spirit of the LORD first moved upon him between Zorah and Eshtaol—a geographical detail suggesting the locale was associated with divine presence or a sacred encampment. After Samson's death at Gaza, his body was brought back and buried in the tomb of his father Manoah between Zorah and Eshtaol (Judges 16:31). The 600 Danites who scouted and then seized Laish (Judges 18) departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, making this district the staging point for the Danite migration northward. Modern identification is with Eshwa, east of Beth-shemesh.