ZIDON (zi'don or si'don), tsee-done', fishery).
/. The eldest son of Canaan (Gen. x :15) : called SIDON (I Chron. :13).
2. One of the most ancient cities in Phoenicia. Justin derives the name from the Phoenician word for fish, `piscent l'hawices sidon vocane (xviii: 3); hut Josephus, from the son of Canaan (Antiq. vi. 2). It had a very commodious harbor, which is now nearly choked up with sand (Strabo, xvi. p. 756; Joseph. Antiq. xiv. to. 6) : it was distant one day's journey from the fountains of the Jor dan (Joseph. Antiq. v. 3. i), four hundred stadia from Berytus, and two hundred stadia from Tyre (Strabo, xvi. pp. 756, 757).
(1) OM Testament References. It was sit uated in•the allotment of the tribe of Asher, but never conquered (Judg. i :31) ; on the contrary, it was sometimes a formidable enemy (Judg. x : 12). Even in Joshua's time it was called Tsidon Rabba, or Great Zidon ( Josh. xi :8). It was noted in very early times for its extensive traffic (Is. xxiii :2; Ezek. xxvii :8) and manufactures, par ticularly glass (Pliny, v. 2o; Strabo, xvi. to). It was threatened by the prophets Joel ( iii :4) and Jeremiah (xxvii :3). Frequent reference to it oc curs in Homer (Iliad, vi, 29o; xviii 743 ; Odyss. xiii. 285; xv. 425). The best vessels in the fleet of Xerxes were Sidonian (Herodotus, vii. 99, 128). Its modern name is Saide. Its traffic is chiefly confined to the neighboring towns ; the population is about fifteen thousand (Mannert's Geographic, vi. I, p. 291 ; Pictorial Bible, notes
on Deut. xxxiii., Josh. xix.).
Tyre was one of the colonies—a "virgin daugh ter," Is. xxiii :12—of Zidon, but subsequently be came the more important town. The two names frequently recur together as denoting not only the cities, but the adjacent country ; but the name of Zidon alone was sometimes used to denote the Phoenicians in general ( Judg. iii :3). From Zidon also came idolatrous abominations to cor rupt Israel (1 Kings xi :5, 33; 2 Kings xxiii :13). The city was mentioned frequently in prophetic threatenings, but with much less severity than Tyre (Is. xxiii :2, 4, 12 ; Jer. XXV :22 ; xxvii :3; xlvii :4 ; xxviii :21, 22; xxxii :3o; Joel iii :4 ; Zech. ix :2).
(2) New Testament References. In New Testament times Zidon (called "Sidon") was vis ited by Jesus (Matt. xv :21 ; Mark vii :24 ; Luke iv : 26), although the "coasts" of Tyre and Sidon de noted the adjacent region as well as the cities themselves, and some think that the Savior did not enter the cities. Hearers from among those people were drawn to his preaching (Mark iii :8; Luke vi :17; comp. Matt. xi :22 ; Luke x :14). Herod's displeasure with this region is noted (Acts xii :20). The apostle Paul touched at Zidon on his way to Rome, and visited the Christians there (Acts xxvii :3). (See ZIDONIANS.)