Geographical and Historical Context:

Jabesh-gilead was a significant city located east of the Jordan River in the territory of Gilead, which is part of the modern-day region of Jordan. The city is mentioned several times in the Old Testament, particularly in the context of its interactions with the tribes of Israel. It was situated in a fertile area known for its balm and other agricultural products, contributing to its economic and strategic importance.

Biblical References and Events:

1. Judges 21:8-14: Jabesh-gilead first comes into prominence in the narrative of the aftermath of the civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the other Israelite tribes. When the Israelites gathered at Mizpah to address the sin of the Benjamites, they discovered that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the assembly. As a result, the Israelites sent an expedition against Jabesh-gilead, killing its inhabitants except for 400 young virgins, who were given as wives to the surviving Benjamites to help preserve the tribe.

2. 1 Samuel 11:1-11: The city is notably mentioned during the reign of King Saul. Nahash the Ammonite besieged Jabesh-gilead, and the inhabitants sought a covenant with him to avoid destruction. Nahash agreed on the condition that he could gouge out the right eye of every man, thus bringing disgrace upon all Israel. The people of Jabesh-gilead sent messengers to Saul, who was then newly anointed as king. Saul, filled with the Spirit of God, rallied the Israelites and delivered Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites, solidifying his leadership and kingship.

3. 1 Samuel 31:11-13: The loyalty of Jabesh-gilead to Saul is further demonstrated after the battle of Mount Gilboa, where Saul and his sons were killed by the Philistines. The Philistines desecrated their bodies, hanging them on the wall of Beth-shan. The valiant men of Jabesh-gilead traveled overnight to retrieve the bodies of Saul and his sons, bringing them back to Jabesh-gilead for a proper burial. This act of bravery and loyalty is remembered as a significant gesture of respect and gratitude towards Saul.

4. 2 Samuel 2:4-7: Following Saul's death, David, who was anointed king over the house of Judah, sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, blessing them for their loyalty to Saul and encouraging them to remain strong and valiant. David's message was both a recognition of their past loyalty and an invitation to support his emerging kingship.

Theological and Moral Insights:

Jabesh-gilead's narrative in the Bible provides insights into themes of loyalty, covenant, and divine deliverance. The city's initial punishment for not joining the assembly at Mizpah highlights the importance of unity and participation in the collective life of Israel. The deliverance of Jabesh-gilead by Saul underscores the role of divinely appointed leadership and the power of the Spirit of God to bring about salvation and victory. The city's later actions in retrieving Saul's body reflect a deep sense of honor and gratitude, illustrating the biblical principle of honoring those who have served faithfully.

Jabesh-gilead serves as a testament to the complexities of human relationships, the consequences of disobedience, and the redemptive possibilities through acts of courage and loyalty. Its account is interwoven with the broader narrative of Israel's history, reflecting the dynamic interplay between divine providence and human agency.A town on the east of Jordan, on the top of one of the green hills of Gilead, within the limits of the half tribe of Manasseh, and in full view of Beth-shan. It is first mentioned in connection with the vengeance taken on its inhabitants because they had refused to come up to Mizpeh to take part with Israel against the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 21:8-14). After the battles at Gibeah, that tribe was almost extinguished, only six hundred men remaining. An expedition went against Jabesh-Gilead, the whole of whose inhabitants were put to the sword, except four hundred maidens, whom they brought as prisoners and sent to "proclaim peace" to the Benjamites who had fled to the crag Rimmon. These captives were given to them as wives, that the tribe might be saved from extinction (Judges 21).

This city was afterwards taken by Nahash, king of the Ammonites, but was delivered by Saul, the newly-elected king of Israel. In gratitude for this deliverance, forty years after this, the men of Jabesh-Gilead took down the bodies of Saul and of his three sons from the walls of Beth-shan, and after burning them, buried the bones under a tree near the city (1 Samuel 31:11-13). David thanked them for this act of piety (2 Samuel 2:4-6), and afterwards transferred the remains to the royal sepulchre (21:14). It is identified with the ruins of ed-Deir, about 6 miles south of Pella, on the north of the Wady Yabis.

JABESH-GILEAD

ja'-besh-gil'-e-ad (yabhesh gil`adh; or simply yabhish, "dry"): A city East of the Jordan, in the deliverance of which from Nahash the Ammonite Saul's military prowess was first displayed (1 Samuel 11:1). At an earlier time the inhabitants failed to share with their brethren in taking vengeance upon Benjamin. This laxity was terribly punished, only 400 virgins being spared alive, who afterward became wives to the Benjamites (Judges 21). The gratitude of the inhabitants to Saul was affectingly proved after the disaster to that monarch on Gilboa (1 Samuel 31). David, hearing of their deed, sent an approving message, and sought to win their loyalty to himself (2 Samuel 2:4). Robinson (Biblical Researches, III, 39) thought it might be represented by ed-Deir, about 6 miles from Pella (Fachil), on the southern bank of Wady Yabis. The distance from Pella agrees with the statement of Eusebius, Onomasticon (s.v.). Others (Oliphant, Land of Gilead, 277; Merrill, East of Jordan, 430, etc.) would identify it with the ruins of Meriamin, about 3 miles Southeast of Pella, on the North of Wady Yabis. The site remains in doubt; but the ancient name still lingers in that of the valley, the stream from which enters the Jordan fully 9 miles Southeast of Beisan.

W. Ewing

Jabeshgilead (12 Occurrences)
... W. Ewing. Multi-Version Concordance Jabeshgilead (12 Occurrences). ... And, behold, there
came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly. (KJV). ...
/j/jabeshgilead.htm - 13k

Jabesh (21 Occurrences)

/j/jabesh.htm - 14k

Jabesh-gilead (12 Occurrences)
Jabesh-gilead. Jabeshgilead, Jabesh-gilead. Ja'besh-gil'ead . Easton's Bible
Dictionary ... Jabeshgilead, Jabesh-gilead. Ja'besh-gil'ead . Reference Bible.
/j/jabesh-gilead.htm - 13k

Showed (164 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 11:9 And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto
the men of Jabeshgilead, To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall ...
/s/showed.htm - 37k

Valiantest (1 Occurrence)
... 10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and
commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the ...
/v/valiantest.htm - 6k

Gibeon (39 Occurrences)
... birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night."
David afterwards removed the bones of Saul and Jonathan at Jabeshgilead (21:12 ...
/g/gibeon.htm - 31k

Bethshan (3 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 21:12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan
his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street ...
/b/bethshan.htm - 9k

Suffice (22 Occurrences)
... Judges 21:14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which
they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed ...
/s/suffice.htm - 13k

Sufficed (4 Occurrences)
... Judges 21:14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which
they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed ...
/s/sufficed.htm - 7k

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