Gilead גִּלְעָד, جلعاد | |
|---|---|
 Gilead around river Zarqa, biblical River Yabok | |
  Gilead | |
| Coordinates:32°33′N35°51′E / 32.550°N 35.850°E /32.550; 35.850 | |
| Location | Irbid Governorate,Jordan |
| Highest elevation | 1,200 m (3,900 ft) |
Gilead orGilad (UK:/ˈɡɪliæd/,US:/ˈɡɪliəd/;[1][2]Hebrew:גִּלְעָדGilʿāḏ,Arabic:جلعاد,Jalʻād) is the ancient, historic,biblical name of the mountainous northern part of the region ofTransjordan.[3] The region is bounded in the west by theJordan River, in the north by the deep ravine of the riverYarmouk and the region ofBashan, and in the southwest by what were known during antiquity as the "plains of Moab", with no definite boundary to the east. In some cases, "Gilead" is used in the Bible to refer to all the region east of the Jordan River.[4] Gilead is situated in modern-dayJordan, corresponding roughly to theIrbid,Ajloun,Jerash andBalqaGovernorates.
Gilead is explained in the Hebrew Bible as derived from the Hebrew wordsגלעדgal‛êd, which in turn comes fromgal ('heap, mound, hill') and‛êd ('witness, testimony').[5] If that is the case, Gilead means 'heap [of stones] of testimony'. There is also an alternative theory that it means 'rocky region'.[6]
From its mountainous character, it is called the Mount of Gilead (Genesis 31:25;Song 4:1). It is called also the Land of Gilead (Numbers 32:1,Judges 10:4) in manytranslations, and sometimes simply Gilead (Genesis 37:25;Judges 10:8;Psalm 60:7), also mentioned inMicah 7:14–15.
The name Gilead first appears in the biblical account of the last meeting ofJacob andLaban (Genesis 31:21–22). InBook of Genesis, Gilead was also referred to by theAramaic name Yegar-Sahadutha, which carries the same meaning as the Hebrew Gilead, namely "heap [of stones] of testimony" (Genesis 31:47–48).[7][3]
According to the biblical narrative, duringthe Exodus, "half Gilead" was possessed bySihon, and the other half, separated from it by the riverJabbok, byOg, king of Bashan. After the two kings were defeated, the region of Gilead was allotted byMoses to the tribes ofGad,Reuben, and the eastern half ofManasseh (Deuteronomy 3:13;Numbers 32:40).
In theBook of Judges, the thirty sons of thebiblical judgeJair controlled the thirty towns of Gilead (Judges 10:4), and in theFirst Book of Chronicles, Segub controlled twenty-three towns in Gilead (1 Chronicles 2:21–22). It was bounded on the north by Bashan, and on the south byMoab andAmmon (Genesis 31:21;Deuteronomy 3:12–17).
"Gilead" mentioned in theBook of Hosea may refer to the cities ofRamoth-Gilead,Jabesh-Gilead, or the whole Gilead region; "Gilead is a city of those who work iniquity; it is stained with blood" (Hosea 6:8).
The kingdomsAmmon andMoab sometimes expanded to include southern Gilead. KingDavid fled toMahanaim in Gilead during the rebellion ofAbsalom. Gilead is later mentioned as the homeplace of the prophetElijah.
KingTiglath-Pileser III ofAssyria established the province of Gal'azu (Gilead) c. 733 BCE.[8]
Gilead (Arabic:جلعاد, Ǧalʻād or Jalaad) is an Arabic term used to refer to the mountainous land extending north and south ofJabbok. It was used more generally for the entire region east of theJordan River. It corresponds today to the northwestern part of the Kingdom ofJordan. The region appears in the ancientSafaitic inscriptions.[9]
