Bible Dictionary
Ono
Ono was a town in Benjamin, situated in the plain of Ono near Lydda. Nehemiah refused repeated invitations to meet opponents there because they intended to harm him.
Definition
Ono was a town of Benjamin associated with the plain of Ono. It was occupied by Benjamites after the exile and was identified with Kefr ‘Ana northwest of Lydda.
Biblical Usage
Sanballat and his allies invited Nehemiah to meet them at Ono under the pretense of a conference. Nehemiah refused repeatedly because their purpose was to harm or capture him.
Historical Background
Ono was connected with the plain of Ono and possibly the valley of craftsmen. It was mentioned with Lod among places fortified or occupied by Benjamites.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A town of Benjamin, in the “plain of Ono” (1 Chr. 8:12; Ezra 2:33); now Kefr ‘Ana, 5 miles north of Lydda, and about 30 miles north-west of Jerusalem. Not succeeding in their attempts to deter Nehemiah from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, Sanballat and Tobiah resorted to strategem, and pretending to wish a conference with him, they invited him to meet them at Ono. Four times they made the request, and every time Nehemiah refused to come. Their object was to take him prisoner.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(strong), one of the towns of Benjamin, is first found in (1 Chronicles 8:12) A plain was attached to the town called “the plain of Ono” (Nehemiah 6:2) perhaps identical with the valley of craftsmen” (Nehemiah 11:35)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>o'-no ('ono; Codex Vaticanus Onan; Codex Alexandrinus Ono, and other forms): A town mentioned along with Lod as fortified by certain Benjamites (1Ch 8:12). The Mishna (Arakhin ix.6) says that Joshua fortified it, but there is no such early notice of it in Scripture. It was occupied by Benjamites after the return from exile (Ezr 2:33; Ne 7:37; 11:35). In one of the villages in the plain of Ono, Sanballat and his friends vainly tried to inveigle Nehemiah into a conference (6:2). It is represented by the modern Kefr `Ana, which lies to the Northwest of Lydda. In 1 Esdras 5:22, the name appears as "Onus."</p><p>W. Ewing</p>