Jabneh

Jabneh is named once in scripture, as one of three Philistine cities whose walls Uzziah king of Judah breaks down during his expansion against the western coast.

A Walled Philistine City Breached by Uzziah

The chronicler frames Uzziah's reign as prospering "as long as he sought Yahweh" (2Ch 26:5), and the Philistine campaign is the first concrete fruit. The text reports: "And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in [the country of] Ashdod, and among the Philistines" (2Ch 26:6). Jabneh stands between Gath and Ashdod in the list — a fortified site on the Philistine plain whose defensive wall is treated as significant enough to record alongside its more prominent neighbors. The chapter follows the breach with new Judahite construction "in [the country of] Ashdod, and among the Philistines," extending Uzziah's reach over the territory Jabneh once helped defend.