Jahaz
Jahaz is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Transjordan in modern-day Jordan. Known today as Khirbet el Medeiyineh. It appears across 9 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Jahaz (also spelled Jahaza or Jahzah) is best known as the site of the decisive battle between Israel and Sihon, king of the Amorites, during the wilderness period. When Israel requested peaceful passage through Sihon's territory, the Amorite king refused and mustered his forces at Jahaz (Numbers 21:23; Deuteronomy 2:32). Israel's victory there opened the Transjordanian territory for settlement. The city was subsequently assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Joshua 13:18) and designated as a Levitical city given to the Merarite clan (Joshua 21:36; 1 Chronicles 6:78). Jahaz appears again in prophetic literature, featuring in oracles against Moab. Isaiah 15:4 mentions the cries of Heshbon and Elealeh being heard as far as Jahaz, while Jeremiah 48:34 includes it in a similar lament over Moab's devastation. The Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone, circa 840 BC) provides extra-biblical confirmation, as King Mesha of Moab records that the king of Israel had built Jahaz and occupied it during his war against Moab, but Mesha drove him out and annexed it to Dibon. This convergence of biblical and epigraphic evidence makes Jahaz one of the better-attested Transjordanian sites.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Jahaz has been identified with Khirbet el-Medeiyineh eth-Themed, located on the Moabite plateau east of the Dead Sea in modern Jordan. This identification, proposed by J. Andrew Dearman and others, is based on the site's position along major Transjordanian routes and its correspondence with geographical data from the Mesha Stele. Excavations conducted by teams from German and Jordanian institutions have revealed a substantial Iron Age settlement with fortification walls and domestic structures. Alternative identifications include Khirbet el-Medeiyineh near Wadi ath-Thamad and Jalul. The Mesha Stele's mention of Jahaz provides crucial extra-biblical evidence for the city's existence and its role in Israelite-Moabite conflicts. The surrounding Moabite plateau preserves numerous Iron Age sites that collectively illuminate the political landscape described in both biblical and Moabite sources.
Verse Appearances (9)
Num
Deut
Judg
1Chr
Isa
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →