On 1 Macc. 5:3 and Ma'ale 'Aqrabbim

This paper examines previous identifications of the location of Judah Maccabee’s military activities mentioned in 1 Macc. 5:3. Special attention is paid to the identification of Akrabatene (1 Macc. 5:3) with Ma'ale 'Aqrabbim, in the course of which both the already published archaeological data is taken into account and new GIS simulations are conducted. The conclusion is, however, that although 1 Macc. 5:3 indeed points to a Maccabean attack against an Idumean location (due to the reference to the sons of Esau), none of the previous localisations of this attack has been satisfactory (including Ma'ale 'Aqrabbim) and, what is more, its precise location is probably not to be ascertained at all due to textual problems.