Jabesh, Jabesh-Gilead (Place) — Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

Town appearing in the closing chapters of the book of Judges (chs 19–21 OET JDG 19:1–30 · OET JDG 20:1–48 · OET JDG 21:1–25). This is a sad record of the division and degradation of the land, which tells of a base atrocity committed by the men of Gibeah against a Levite’s concubine, a sanguinary war against Benjamin in consequence, and savage reprisals against Jabesh-gilead, whose community had sent no contingent to the battle. Such is the first mention of the town. The town was repopulated by neighboring Gileadites and next appears in 1 Samuel 11. East of the Jordan River, Jabesh was exposed to Ammonite attack, and Nahash of Ammon forced Jabesh-gilead to seek terms of surrender. The condition imposed by the barbarous Nahash was the loss of the right eye for all the inhabitants, a mutilation intended to humiliate Israel and destroy the military potential of a border fortress. The sequel was Saul’s forced march, a fine piece of military prowess, and a tremendous boost for the new king’s prestige. Saul gained in one swift blow the support of the Transjordanian tribes and the reduction of the frontier threat that a militarily powerful Ammon would undoubtedly offer. The men of Jabesh-gilead repaid their deep debt to Saul when the king, now unbalanced and rejected, died on Mt Gilboa with his son Jonathan in a last attempt to blunt the Philistine drive to the north. The bodies of Saul and Jonathan, hung headless over the walls of Beth-shan, were cut down and rescued by a commando force from Jabesh-gilead, who made a forced march of nine miles (14.5 kilometers) each way to honor their onetime benefactor (1 Sm 31:8-13; 1 Chr 10:8-12). When David became king, he repaid the men of Jabesh-gilead with gratitude.

Show passage in OET: SA1 31:8–13

OET-RV SA1 31:8

8 The next day when the Pelishtim came to strip anything valuable from the bodies, they found the bodies of Sha’ul and his three sons there on Mt. Gilboa.

OET-RV SA1 31:9

9 They cut off the king’s head and took all his gear. Then they sent messengers all around the Pelishti region to spread their good news to the temples of their idols and to all their people.

OET-RV SA1 31:10

10 They Sha’ul’s armour and weapons in the temple of the Ashtarot, and hung his body on the Beyt -Shean city wall.

OET-RV SA1 31:11

11 When the residents of Yavesh-Gilead heard what the Pelishtim had done to Sha’ul’s body,

OET-RV SA1 31:12

12 all their warriors walked all night to take Sha’ul’s body and those of his sons, off the wall at Beyt -Shean. They took them back to Yavesh and burnt them there.

OET-RV SA1 31:13

13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Yavesh, and fasted for seven days.

OET-LV SA1 31:8

8 And_he/it _was from_the_next _day and_ the_Pəlishtiy _they _came to_strip DOM the_ones_slain and_they _found DOM Shāʼūl and_DOM the _three _of sons _of_his fallen on_the _mountain _of (the)_Gilboˊa.

OET-LV SA1 31:9

9 And_they _cut _off DOM his/its_head and_they _stripped _off DOM armour(s)_of_his and_they _sent in_the _land _of the_Pəlishtiy all _around to_bear _the _news the _house _of their _idols _of_their and_DOM the_people.

OET-LV SA1 31:10

10 And_they _put DOM armour(s)_of_his the _house _of ˊAshtārōt and_DOM corpse _of_his they _fixed on_the _wall _of Bēyt Shan.

OET-LV SA1 31:11

11 And_they _heard to_him/it the _inhabitants _of Yāⱱēsh/(Jabesh) DOM that_which the_Pəlishtiy they _had _done to_Shāʼūl.

OET-LV SA1 31:12

12 And_ every _of man _of strength _they _arose and_they _went all _of the_night and_they _took DOM the _corpse _of Shāʼūl and_DOM the _corpses _of his _sons _of_his from_the _wall _of Bēyt Shan and_they _came to_Yāⱱēsh and_they _burnt DOM_them there.

OET-LV SA1 31:13

13 And_they _took DOM bones _of_their and_they _buried_them under the _tamarisk_tree in_Yāⱱēsh and_they _fasted seven _of days.

Show passage in OET: CH1 10:8–12

OET-RV CH1 10:8

8 The next day, when the Pelishtim came to strip the dead, they found Sha’ul and his sons’ bodies on Mt. Gilboa.

OET-RV CH1 10:9

9 They stripped him and carried away his head and his armour. Then they sent messengers all around the Pelishti regions to take the news to their idols and the people.

OET-RV CH1 10:10

10 They put his armour in the temple of their gods, and they hung his head in their god Dagon’s temple.

OET-RV CH1 10:11

11 When everyone who lived back in Yavesh in the Gilead region heard about everything the Pelishtim had done to Sha’ul,

OET-RV CH1 10:12

12 all the strong men took action and retrieved the corpses of Sha’ul and his sons, and brought them back to Yavesh. Then they buried them under the large tree in Yavesh, and they fasted for seven days.

OET-LV CH1 10:8

8 And_he/it _was from_the_next _day and_ the_Pəlishtiy _they _came to_strip DOM the_ones_slain and_they _found DOM Shāʼūl/(Saul) and_DOM sons _of_his fallen on_the _mountain _of Gilboˊa.

OET-LV CH1 10:9

9 And_they_stripped _him and_they _took DOM his/its_head and_DOM armour(s)_of_his and_they _sent in_the _land _of the_Pəlishtiy all _around to_bear _the _news DOM idols _of_their and_DOM the_people.

OET-LV CH1 10:10

10 And_they _put DOM armour(s)_of_his the _house _of their _gods _of_their and_DOM skull _of_his they _fixed the _house _of Dāgōn.

OET-LV CH1 10:11

11 And_ all _of Yāⱱēsh/(Jabesh) Gilˊād _they _heard DOM all _of that the_Pəlishtiy they _had _done to_Shāʼūl.

OET-LV CH1 10:12

12 And_ every _of man _of strength _they _arose and_they _took DOM the _corpse _of Shāʼūl and_DOM the _corpses _of his _sons _of_his and_they_brought _them to_Yāⱱēsh and_they _buried DOM bones _of_their under the_terebinth in_Yāⱱēsh and_they _fasted seven _of days.

Jump to OET SA1 31:8–13 section.

Jump to OET CH1 10:8–12 section.

The name Jabesh is preserved in that of the Wadi el-Yabis that runs into the Jordan directly south of the southern end of the Sea of Galilee. The town itself, according to Eusebius’s generally reliable topography, was about six miles (9.7 kilometers) south of Pella on the road to Gerasa. The twin tells of Tell el-Maqereh and Tell Abu Kharaz on the Wadi el-Yabis correspond with Eusebius’s location much better than the other site suggested: Tell el-Maqlub. Tell el-Meqereh and Tell Abu Kharaz are on the eastern rim of the Jordan Valley and fit the details of the historical record—Saul’s forced march from Bezek, and the route of the Jabesh-gilead raiding party to Beth-shan.