The Crusaders knew Jezreel na Pat^um Gerinum, and close by occurred in 1183 a skirmish with Saladin, after which the Saracen leader retired
• It is possible that the prediction in 1 K 21'9 (which is from a dllTerent hand from 2J) contemplates the deed o( Jehu in 2 K 025, and njt the death of Ahab himself (cf. 1 K 21-*)- tn any caae, f/38 it an interoolalion. See, further, Wellb. Comp. 284.
(William of Tj-re, xxii. 26). In 1217 the Christian army passed down the vale to Beis.1n ; but the place has been the .scene of no important event in later history ; and for many centuries it has pre- sented, practically unchanged, the aspect of squalid poverty that meets the eye of tlie traveller to-day. 2. A town in the hill-country of Juda>a, the site of which has not been identihed. It was not fai from the Juda'an Carmel (Jos 15**). Ahinoara (the Jezreelitess, n-H'T '■? or n^Nynrn), one of David's lirst two wives (1 S 25'^ 27» 30», 2 S 2» 3^ 1 Ch 3'), wa-s a native of this town.
LiTERATURR.— Bori!/ Travflt in PalettiM, Bohn, p. 184, eta : Robinson, BRP Iii. 161-168 (» ii. 318-325); Thomson, Lami and Buuk, ii. 177-191 ; Stanlcv, Sinai and Pal. p. 343, UMorji qf the Jeieuh Church, ii. 244; Conder, Tmt-Work in Palrtliiif, p. 66. etc ; PKF Mem. ii. pp. 79, 88, 131 ; Baedeker, I-alestiiu and Svria, ed. 1894, p. 242 ; O. A. Smith, IHIIIL pp. 366, 381, etc. ; iiuhl, GAP 2U4(. ; Guiirin, Samarie, L 311 rT.
W. EwiNO. JEZREELITE, JEZREELITESS.— See preceding
article.
JEZRIELDS (A 'lefpfTjXof, B 'leibpiKKot ; AV Hierielus), 1 Es g^'.— In Ezr 10=» Jeiiiel. The AV form is derived from the Aldine text.
JIDLAPH (i^";:, perh. ' he weepeth,' if from root iSt 'drip'; A'leXSdcp, D om., Luc. 'leJXd^). — A son ofNahor, Gn 22- (J). The clan of which he is the eponym has not been identilied.
JOAB (3i<i' ' J" is father ').—!. ('Iud/3) the son of Zeruiah and brother of Abishai and Asahel. J.'s mother is named because she was David's sister, and thus of more importance than his father, of whom all we are told is that his sepulchre was at Bethlehem (2 S 2^=). The first mention of J. is upon the occasion of the engagement at Gibeon between David's men and those of Ishbosheth. Ahner, who commanded the latter, was comiiUtely beaten, but in the course of his retreat killed Asahel, who had overtaken him. At sunset J., at the request of Abner, recalled his men from the pursuit, and returned to David's headquarters at Hebron (2 S 2'-"'-). Some time afterwards Abner, having quarrelled with Ishbosheth, offered his allegiance to David. J. was absent when Saul's general visited Hebron for this purpose, but re- turned shortly after his departure. Prompted by a desire to avenge the death of his brother Asahel, and perhaps also by a jealous dread that Abner might supplant him in the favour of David, J. sent messengers to recall him, and then treacherously murdered him (2 S S"'^). At the siege of Jerus. by David, it was J., ace. to the Chronicler, who first 8cale<l the citadel, and thus earned the reward pro- mised by the king, that he should be chief captain of the host (1 Ch 11"). After the defeat of the EdoMiites (2 S 8™-, cf. title of Ps 60) J. remained in Idiima'.t for six months, and sought to exter- inin.ate all the male population. The terror of his name haunted that country for long (1 K 11""-')- In conjunction with his brother Abishai, J. waged successful war against the allied forces of Syria and Amnion ; and when at length the citadel ol Rabliath-iimmon was ready to fall, he displaj-ed a combination of magnanimity and prudence in send- ing for David to deal the final blow, so that the king liimsidf might have the credit of the victory (2S U' 12-* «). It was during the siege of Kabbah that David .vas guilty of the most heinous sin of his life. J. fell in readily with the king's plan for getting rid of Uriah the Hittite, and thus obtained a new hold upon David through sharing his guilty secret (2 S 1 !*•-'). After Absalom's murder of Amnon, and his flight to Geshur, it was J. who, through the medium of ' a wise woman from Tekoa,' ind)l:-«d David to recall his son, and who
&t last, bat with reluctance, efl'ected a final recon- ciliation between them (2 S 14"^-)- When the rebellion of Absalom broke out, J. remained loyal, and accompanied David in his flight across the Jordan. With his brother Abishai, and Ittai the Gittite, he shared the command of the royal army in the battle which proved so disastrous to Absalom and his adherents. It was by J.'s own band that Absalom met hia death as he hung defencsless in the branches of an oak. Aa he had not hesitated to take the rebel's life in si)ite of David's strict charge to the contraiy, J. did not hesitate after the battle to remonstrate with the king for giving such unrestrained vent to his grief for his son's death. The sturdy common-sense of J., although his phainness of speech must have been very displea.'iing to his master, availed to check the disalt'ection that had begun to spread among the roj'al troops (2 S 19). It was probably resentment at J.'s conduct on this occasion that led David to transfer the command of the army to another of his nephews, Ama.sa, who had been Absalom's commander-in-chief (2 S 19''^). The deadly mistake of this appointment speedily be- came apjiarent when the standard of revolt was raised by Sheba lien-liichri. Amasa proved him- self a useless fninfunl, and the situation became so alarming that David was compelled to send Abishai (or perhaps J. himself)* to take command of the army. At any rate J. was present with the e.\]ieilition, which was ultimately joined also by Aiiia.sa. J. seized tlie first opportunity to rid him- self of his rival, whom ho despatched with as little eoiiipuuction as he had shown in the case of Abner (2 S 2U'"'-, on the text and interpretation of which see Driver, S'im., ndloc). He then prosecuted the cam- paign with vigour, and speedily brought it to a successful issue. Sheba having taken refuge at Abellicth niaacah, J. laid siege to the town, and only desisted wlicn the liead of the rebel was cast to him over the wall (2 S 20--). J. offered strenuovis resistance to David's proposal to number the people (2 S 24"''), and, ace. to the Chionicler, did not complete the work (1 Cli2I"). When .Vdouijaii took .steps to have himself proclaimed king, J. attached him.self to his party, probably without the slightest thought of disloyalty to David, who seems himself to have intended that Adonijah should succeed him, until the houseliold intrigiie of liathsheba, aided by the jiowerful support of the prophet Nathan, led him to decide in favuur of Solomon. The latter, upon his accessiim to the throne, considered it priulent to rid himself of J., whose influence with the army might have con- stituted a serious danger to the new monarch. No doubt a desire to wipe away from his house the stain of the unavenged blood of Abner and Amasa partially in 11 uenceil Solomon, but State reasons must have |iredominatcd. J., on hearing that Adonijah haJ been put to death and Abialhar deposed, needed no further intimation that his own life was in danger, and he tied to the a.sylum of the allnr. Kefusing to leave the sacred place, by Solomon's order he was slain there by Benaiah, whose readiness to act as executioner was doubt- less all the greater because he thus secured the