Jazer
Encyclopedia
Jazer was a city east of the Jordan River, in or near Gilead
, and inhabited by the Amorites. It was taken by a special expedition sent by Moses
to conquer it. From the Septuagint, it appears that Jazer was on the border of Ammon
. As an important city it gave its name to the whole of the surrounding territory. Even a "sea of Jazer" is mentioned in Jer. xlviii. 32.
Jazer is stated to have been a fertile land fit for the raising of cattle and a place having many vineyards. It was occupied by the children of Gad
, by which tribe it was allotted to the Merarite
Levites. In the time of David
it seems to have been occupied by the Hebronites
, who were descendants of Kohath
. It was chosen as one of the stations by David's officers who were sent to number the children of Israel.
According to Josephus
, Jazer was captured and burned by Judas Maccabeus
. The site of Jazer was defined by Eusebius and Jerome
as being 8 or 10 Roman miles west of Philadelphia
, and 15 miles north of Heshbon
, and as the source of a large river falling into the Jordan. It is identified by some scholars with the modern Khurbat Ṣar on the road from `Iraq al Amir
to Al-Salt; but this identification has been rejected by Cheyne.
Gilead
In the Bible "Gilead" means hill of testimony or mound of witness, , a mountainous region east of the Jordan River, situated in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It is also referred to by the Aramaic name Yegar-Sahadutha, which carries the same meaning as the Hebrew . From its mountainous character...
, and inhabited by the Amorites. It was taken by a special expedition sent by Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
to conquer it. From the Septuagint, it appears that Jazer was on the border of Ammon
Ammon
Ammon , also referred to as the Ammonites and children of Ammon, was an ancient nation located east of the Jordan River, Gilead, and the Dead Sea, in present-day Jordan. The chief city of the country was Rabbah or Rabbath Ammon, site of the modern city of Amman, Jordan's capital...
. As an important city it gave its name to the whole of the surrounding territory. Even a "sea of Jazer" is mentioned in Jer. xlviii. 32.
Jazer is stated to have been a fertile land fit for the raising of cattle and a place having many vineyards. It was occupied by the children of Gad
Tribe of Gad
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Gad was one of the Tribes of Israel.From after the conquest of the land by Joshua until the formation of the first Kingdom of Israel in c. 1050 BC, the Tribe of Gad was a part of a loose confederation of Israelite tribes. No central government existed,...
, by which tribe it was allotted to the Merarite
Merarite
The Merarites were one of the four main divisions among the Levites in Biblical times. The Bible claims that the Merarites were all descended from the eponymous Merari, a son of Levi, although some biblical scholars regard this as a postdictional metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness...
Levites. In the time of David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
it seems to have been occupied by the Hebronites
Hebron (Biblical figure)
According to the Torah, Hebron was a son of Kohath and grandson of Levi, consequently being the brother of Amram and uncle of Aaron, Miriam, and Moses...
, who were descendants of Kohath
Kohath
According to the Torah, Kohath was one of the sons of Levi, and the patriarchal founder of the Kohathites, one of the four main divisions among the Levites in Biblical times; in some apocryphal texts such as the Testament of Levi, and the Book of Jubilees, Levi's wife, Kohath's mother, is named as...
. It was chosen as one of the stations by David's officers who were sent to number the children of Israel.
According to Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
, Jazer was captured and burned by Judas Maccabeus
Judas Maccabeus
Judah Maccabee was a Kohen and a son of the Jewish priest Mattathias...
. The site of Jazer was defined by Eusebius and Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
as being 8 or 10 Roman miles west of Philadelphia
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, and 15 miles north of Heshbon
Heshbon
Heshbon was an ancient town located east of the Jordan River in the modern Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and historically within the territories of Ammon and Ancient Israel....
, and as the source of a large river falling into the Jordan. It is identified by some scholars with the modern Khurbat Ṣar on the road from `Iraq al Amir
`Iraq al Amir
Iraq al Amir , is within the municipality of Amman in the Jordan Valley. Located about 15 km southwest of the town of Wadi Al Seer, it has a population of about 6000 people, mostly members of the tribe of Abbadi...
to Al-Salt; but this identification has been rejected by Cheyne.