An Israelite city belonging, as its name imply, to the Transjordan tribe of Manasseh in Gilead.
The founding of the city is uncertain and entered into Israelite consciousness at the time of the civil war sparked by the Benjamite murder of the Levite's concubine described in Judg 19. As a result the tribe of Benjamin was decimated with its men left bereaved of wives and children. Recognizing the horror that one of their tribes may be wiped out—and having earlier sworn that none of them would give their women in marriage to the Benjamites for what they had done— the rest of the Israelites attempted to put things right. Realizing that none of the men of Jabesh-Gilead had reponded earlier to their call to muster for war (Judg 21:9), they raided the city, as punishment, and gave the 400 virgins they found in the city to the Benjamites to rebuild themselves as a tribe (v14).
They city managed to recover from the disaster of the Israelite raid on them for women. Late in the time of Samuel they came back into national consciousness when they were attacked by the Ammonites under the leadership of Nahash. While the city was prepared to submit to the Ammonites, Nahash insisted that the treaty must include the condition that all its citizens should gouge out their right eye (1 Sam 11:1-2). Asking for seven days to make a reply the elders of the city meanwhile sent for help. This provided the opportunity for Saul—who had just been proclaimed king by Samuel—to prove his worth: "When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger. He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, 'This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.' Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they turned out as one man." (1 Sam 11:6-7). He proved his worth; the Ammonites were routed.
The citizens of Jabesh-Gilead never forgot what Saul had done for them. When they heard about the death of Saul and Jonathan and how the Philistines had desecrated their bodies, a group of them stole into the city of Beth-Shean and brought their bodies back to the city: "Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days" (1 Chron 10:11; 1 Sam 31:11-13; David would later have the bones brought back to Benjamin and have them re-interned in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, 2 Sam 21:11-14).
CONCORDANCE (NIV)
Jabesh-Gilead appears 12 times in the OT:
Judg 21:8 — Then they asked, "Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?" They discovered that no-one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly.
Judg 21:9 — For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.
Judg 21:10 — So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children.
Judg 21:12 — They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.
Judg 21:14 — So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.
1 Sam 11:1 — ahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, "Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you."
1 Sam 11:9 — They told the messengers who had come, "Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, 'By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be delivered.'" When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated.
1 Sam 31:11— When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, [all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them.]
2 Sam 2:4-5 — Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When David was told that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead to say to them, "The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him.
2 Sam 21:12 — [When David was told what Aiah's daughter Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done,] he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had taken them secretly from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)
1 Chron 10:11 — When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard of everything the Philistines had done to Saul, [all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.]
©ALBERITH
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