Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB BLB AICNT OEB WEB WMB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE MOF JPS ASV DRA YLT DBY RV WBS KJB-1769 KJB-1611 BB GNV CB TNT WYC SR-GNT UHB Related Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XY Z
MAHANAIM
Settlement east of the Jordan in Gilead. Jacob met angels there and named the place “God’s camp.” He divided his household and possessions into two camps (Mahanaim means “two camps” in Hebrew) to keep from losing everything when he confronted Esau (Gn 32:1-11).
The city was located along the border between Manasseh and Gad’s tribes (Jos 13:26, 30) and was given to the Levites for an inheritance (Jos 21:38; 1 Chr 6:80). After Saul’s defeat at Mt Gilboa, Ishbosheth, his son, fled to Mahanaim to set up a capital in exile. He managed to control much of Israel from there (2 Sm 2:8, 12, 29) until he was assassinated by Recab and Baanah (4:5-7). David fled to this city when Absalom rebelled against him. Here he received supplies from Barzillai and some Gileadites (17:24-27). At this city gate he wept as he received the news of Absalom’s death. Solomon chose the city for the capital of his seventh district and established Ahinadab as its governor (1 Kgs 4:14).
Biblical references point to a location somewhere along the Jabbok River in central Gilead. Outside of this, the city could have been located virtually anywhere. It was earlier identified with Khirbet al-Makhna, two miles (3.2 kilometers) north of Aijalon. Most recent attention, however, has moved to the twin hills of Tulul al-Dhahab on the Jabbok. Aharoni suggests that the western mound of Tulul al-Dhahab is Mahanaim and the eastern mound is Penuel.