KEDESH(Καδής, LXX.).
1. A town of Naphtali, 20 M. P. from Tyre. (Euseb. Onomast. s. v. Cedes. ) Its Canaanitish chieftain was slain at the conquest of the land ( Josh. 12.22); afterwards it belonged to the Levites, and was one of the cities of refuge. ( Josh. 20.7, 21.32; 1 Chron. 6.76.) Barak was born here ( Judges, 4.6): and Tiglath-Pileser made tile conquest of it (2 Kings, 15.29). It was the scene of the victory of Jonathan Maccabaeus over the princes of Demetrius (1 Macc. 11.63—73), and was the birthplace of Tobias (Κύδις τῆς Νεφθαλείμ, Tobit, 1.2). In Josephus, Κύδισα ( Antiq. 9.11.1) or Κέδασα ( Antiq. 13.5.1) is spoken of as the boundary between Tyre and Galilee: during the war it appears to have been hostile to Galilee ( B. J. 2.18.1). The strongly fortified place in this district, called Κυδοισσοίby the same writer ( B. J. 4.2.3), is probably the same as Kedesh. A village on the hills opposite the marshes of Hûlet-Bâniâs, still called Kedes, is identified by Dr. Robinson with the ancient city. ( Bibl. Res. vol. 3. p. 355.) Kedeswas visited in 1844 by the Rev. Eli Smith, who has a full account of it in MS. ( Biblioth. Sacra, vol. 3. p. 203.)
2. A town in the S. district of the tribe of Judah. ( Josh. 15.23.)
3. A town of Issachar, belonging to the Levites. (1 Chron. 6.72; Reland, Palaest. p. 668; Winer, Biblisch. Realwört. s.v.;Von Raumer, Palest. p. 129; Ritter, Erdkunde, vol. xv.pp. 246—252.) [E.B.J]