Ono

Ono was a town in the territory of Benjamin, often mentioned together with Lod, and was the site of a proposed meeting between Nehemiah and his enemies.

Ono was a town located in the territory of Benjamin, near Lod (1Chr. 8:12; Ezra 2:33; Neh. 7:37; 11:35). It is mentioned in the context of the descendants of Benjamin who resettled the area after the Babylonian exile. Ono is also known for its association with Nehemiah's enemies, Sanballat and Geshem, who sought to lure him away from Jerusalem to the plain of Ono, likely to harm him (Neh. 6:2). Nehemiah, however, perceived their intentions and refused to meet with them. The exact location of Ono is uncertain, but it was probably situated in the western part of Benjamin, near the border with Judah.

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.