The Hebrew place name Ayalon (Aijalon) derives from ayyal (deer, hart) and means 'place of deer' or 'deer field.' Aijalon was a valley and city in the territory of Dan (later a Levitical city in Ephraim) located west of Gibeon, famous as the site of one of the most extraordinary miracles in the Old Testament.
The Valley of Aijalon is forever associated with Joshua's prayer for extended daylight: 'Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon' (Joshua 10:12). God responded by causing the sun to stand still nearly a full day so that Israel could complete their victory. This miracle demonstrates God's absolute sovereignty over creation in service of His covenant purposes. The quiet deer field became the theater of cosmic miracle. No place is too ordinary for God's extraordinary intervention. The God who stopped the sun fights for His people.