2. A chieftain of the clan of tlie Kechabites, whose fidelity to the commands of his ancestor Jonadab was tested by the prophet Jeremiah as an example to the people of Judah (Jer ,35*).
3. Son of Shaphan, who appeared in Ezekiel's vision as ringleader of seventy of the elders of Israel in the practice of secret idolatry at Jerusa- lem (Ezk 8").
i. Son of Azzur, one of the princes of the people at Jerusalem, against whose counsels Ezekiel was commanded by J ' to prophesy (Ezk U'"-).
C. F. BURNEV.
JAAZIAH (ii.-i;';).— A son of Merari, 1 Ch 24*='. The text is hopelessly corrupt. (Cf. Berth, and Oettli, utl loc. ; Kittel's proposed restoration of the text and note in Haupt's Hacred Buuks of UT ; and Kautzsch's AT, ad loc.). See GenealouV.
JAAZIEL (^K'ly:).— A Levite skilled in the use of the psaltery, 1 Ch 15", called in v.-»Aziel. Kittel (see note, ail loc, in Haupt's UliO'l') would correct the text in both instances to S)<'|!{ Uzziel.
JABAL (Sj:, LXX A 'lu^A, E 'laS^S, Luc. 'Iw,ij)\). — Son of Laniech by .\dah, and originator o/ the nomadic form of life, Gn 4" (J) Sit Kunig in Exjios. y'lHWis, May, IS'.tS, p. 347'. The meaning of the name is quite uncertain ; for conjectures see Dillm. ad loc. and Ball in SiiUT.
JABBOK (p::;, 'loiSi*).— Onoof the principal rivers of 1'.. Palestine, now called W'aily iiirhn from the bluish ciilour of its water. Its course may Im indicated thus : take on a iiinp a ixiint 18 miles E. of the .lordan on the latitude of S'Ablus, and from it draw a line 18 miles long due south. On this
S24
JABESH
JAB^sKEL
line as diameter, and to tlio E. of it, draw a semi- circle; and from the N. end of its diameter (the point originally taken) draw a line inclining slii;htlj' to the S. as far as the edge of the .Jor(hin valley (liere about 5 miles from the river) ; and from tliat edge draw a line in a S.W. direction to the Jordan. The figure will give aiiproximately the course of Wudy Zerka, though in its numerous windings it continually deviates fiom the outline figure above indicated. In its ui)i)er .semicircular portion it forms a boundary between east and west ; while in its lower portion it forms a boundary between nortli and south. These two portions are referred to in Nu 21", where the territory of Sihon is described as extending ' from Arnon unto Jabl)ok, even unto the children of Amnion ' ; i.e. the lower portion of the .Jabbok formed the N. boundary, wliile tlie ujiper portion formed the E. boundary of Sihon's kingdom ; and the verse may be ni.ade clear by inserting 'northwards' after Jabbok and ' eastwards ' after Amnion. Tlie upper portion is referreil to in Dt 2^', where the border of the children of Amnion is described as 'all the side of the river Jabljok.' The river Jabbok is also mentioned as a boundary DtS'", Jos 12-, Jg 11"- '-. One remarkable incident in the patriarclial narratives is connected with this river. Jacob, after sending all that he had over the stream, was left alone to wrestle with the mysterious visitor, and to jirevail (Gn .'G-^'- referred to in Hos 12*). The Heb. wonl for wrestling (from the root P3n), which is used only here, is similar in sound to Jabbok, and it is intended that the name of the river should call to mind this instance of favour shown to tlie ancestor of the chosen race. A probable derivation of tlie word is from the root ppi ' pour out.' The river .Jabbok is mentioned only in connexion with Jacob, and as a boundary existing at the time of Lsrael's ajipearance E. of Jordan, in the pas.sages already noted. A. T. Chapman.
JABESH (wj;). — Father of Shallum, who usurped the kingdom of Israel by the assassination of king Zecliariah (2 K IS'"- '"■ ").
JABESH-GILEAD (nv'-J 02;, also ci; or v'5' alone in IS il'-a.5.«.w 3ii2.i3_ j ch 10>=).— While the history of this East Jordan city as furnished in the Bible IS meagre, it gives us vivid pictures of both tragic and tender scenes in ancient Hebrew life. In tlie early period of Jewish history it seems to have been prominent, and later to have fallen into insignificance. Its first appearance is when the Israelites are said to have made a raid upon it with a powerful force, put all the males and married women to death, destroyed the city, and carried ofi 400 virgins, who became wives to the Ben- jamites (Jg 21 ). Afterwards, wlien it had regained its position of importance, it was attacked by the Ammonites under Naliash, when Saul, to whom the inhabitants appealed for succour, came quickly with his army and utterly routed the enemy (IS 11). Later, when Saul and his sons were slain in the disaster at Mount Gilboa, and their bodies were being ill-treated by the Philistine conquerors, the men of Jabesh-gilead rushed into the face of death, recovered the bodies, and saw- that they were cared for in the kindest ni.anner and buried with proper honours (1 S 31). David, when he was made king at Hebron, remembered this act, and sent special messengers with com- mendatory blessings to the men of Jabesh-gilead for their heroic devotion to Saul (2 S 2'). Sub- sequently the bones of Saul and his sons were brought thence by David and buried in the terri- tory of Benjamin (2 S 21'=").