Eshtaol

Eshtaol was a city located in the Shephelah, or foothills, of Judah. It was initially allotted to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:33) but was later assigned to the tribe of Dan (Joshua 19:41).

Eshtaol is particularly associated with the story of Samson, the legendary Israelite judge. Samson was born in the nearby town of Zorah and is described as moving between Zorah and Eshtaol, where the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him (Judges 13:25). After Samson's death, he was buried between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father, Manoah (Judges 16:31).

Eshtaol also played a role in the Danite migration narrative. Due to limited territory and pressure from the Philistines, a group of Danites sent spies from Zorah and Eshtaol to search for a new land to settle (Judges 18:2). After the spies returned with a favorable report, six hundred men from the clan of the Danites set out from Zorah and Eshtaol to conquer the city of Laish in the north (Judges 18:8, 11).

The descendants of the Eshtaolites, a clan from Eshtaol, are mentioned in 1Ch.2.53 among the descendants of Judah's son Shobal. This suggests that the city maintained its ties to the tribe of Judah even after being allotted to Dan.