Lydda

Lydda (Greek name; Hebrew Lod; Hitchcock: a standing pool) was a town in the Shephelah district of the tribe of Ephraim (later of Dan), situated on the main road from Joppa to Jerusalem about twenty-five miles northwest of Jerusalem. It appears in the Old Testament as Lod, founded by Benjaminite settlers (1 Chr. 8:12), and was rebuilt after the Babylonian exile (Ezra 2:33; Neh. 7:37; 11:35). In the New Testament, Lydda is the site of one of Peter's notable miracles: during his circuit of the coastal communities, he healed Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years, telling him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed (Acts 9:32–35).

The healing at Lydda led directly to Peter being summoned to nearby Joppa to raise Dorcas from the dead, and the miracle of Aeneas caused all the inhabitants of Lydda and the plain of Sharon to turn to the Lord (Acts 9:35). Lydda/Lod has remained continuously inhabited; modern Lod contains Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel's main international gateway.