Gilead

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

GILEAD. 1. A person (or personified sept), son of the Manassite Machir (  Numbers 26:29 ,   1 Chronicles 2:21 ), and grandfather of Zelophehad (  Numbers 27:1 ). See No. 4 below. 2. A Gadite, son of Michael (  1 Chronicles 5:14 ). 3. A mountain mentioned in   Judges 7:3 in an order of Gideon’s to his followers, ‘Whosoever is fearful … let him return and depart from [mg. ‘go round about’] Mount Gilead.’ The passage is very difficult, and probably corrupt. The trans-Jordanic Gilead will not suit the context, and no other is known. Various attempts have been made at emendation, none of which has commanded acceptance.

4. The name of the territory bounded on the north by Bashan, on the west by the Jordan between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, on the east by the desert, and on the south by the territory of Moab. It is a lofty fertile plateau, about 2000 feet above the sea-level; its western edge is the precipitous eastern wall of the Jordan Valley. It is an upland country, wooded in places, with productive fields intersected by valleys and streams. It is mentioned first in connexion with Jacob’s flight from Laban; it was the goal at which he aimed, the place where the pursuer overtook him, and where the ‘heap of witness’ was raised (  Genesis 31:1-55 ). Even in the patriarchal period it was famous for its spices, myrrh, and medicinal ‘balm,’ whatever that may have been (cf.   Jeremiah 8:22;   Jeremiah 46:11 ). The Ishmaelite trading caravan which bought Joseph was carrying these substances from Gilead to Egypt (  Genesis 37:25 ). The Amorites were in possession of Gilead under their king Sihon when the Israelites were led to the Land of Promise. When that king was defeated, his territory aroused the desires of the pastoral tribes of Reuben and Gad. Its fitness for pasture is celebrated in the Song of Songs: the Shulammite’s hair is twice compared to ‘goats that lie along the side of Mount Gilead’ (  Song of Solomon 4:6;   Song of Solomon 6:5 ). On the partition of the land, Gilead was divided into two, the southern half being given to Reuben and Gad, the northern half to the trans-Jordanic half of Manasseh. The Manassite part is distinguished by the name Havvoth-jair, apparently meaning the ‘Settlements of Jair.’ Jair was a son of Manasseh, according to   Numbers 32:41 , but he seems in   Judges 10:5 to be confused with one of the minor Judges of the same name. Another Judge, Jephthah (  Judges 11:1-40 ), was a Gileadite, whose prowess delivered Israel from Ammon. His subsequent sacrifice of his daughter is indicated as the origin of a festival of Israelite women (  Judges 11:40 ). In a previous stress of the Israelites, Gilead did not hear its part, and is upbraided for its remissness by Deborah (  Judges 5:17 ). In   Judges 20:1 Gilead is used as a general term for trans-Jordanic Israel. Here some of the Hebrews took refuge from the Philistines (  1 Samuel 13:7 ); and over Gilead and other parts of the country Ish-bosheth was made king (  2 Samuel 2:9 ). Hither David fled from before Absalom, and was succoured, among others, by Barzillai (  2 Samuel 17:27;   2 Samuel 19:31 ,   1 Kings 2:7 ), whose descendants are referred to in post-exilic records (  Ezra 2:61 ,   Nehemiah 7:63 ). To Gilead David’s census agents came (  2 Samuel 24:6 ). It was administered by Ben-geber for Solomon (  1 Kings 4:13 ). It was the land of Elijah’s origin (  1 Kings 17:1 ). For cruelties to Gileadites, Damascus and Ammon are denounced by Amos (  Amos 1:3;   Amos 1:13 ), while on the other hand Hosea (  Hosea 6:8;   Hosea 12:11 ) speaks bitterly of the sins of Gilead. Pekah had a following of fifty Gileadites when he slew Pekahiah (  2 Kings 15:25 ). The country was smitten by Hazael (  2 Kings 10:33 ), and its inhabitants carried away captive by Tiglath-pileser (  2 Kings 15:29 ).

R. A. S. Macalister.

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary

The Bible uses the name Gilead in a number of ways, all of them in relation to the territory that Israel occupied east of the Jordan River. This area was a large tableland, broken by rivers that ran through deep gorges. (For details of trans-Jordan in general see PALESTINE, sub-heading ‘Jordan Valley and Dead Sea’.)

Geographically, Gilead was the region between the Yarmuk River (southern boundary of the land once known as Bashan) and the northern tip of the Dead Sea ( Deuteronomy 3:10). The Jabbok River divided this territory approximately in halves. The eastern part of the tribe of Manasseh lived in the northern half, and the tribe of Gad in the southern half ( Deuteronomy 3:12-13). The Bible may refer to either half as Gilead. It calls the northern half (Manasseh) Gilead in  Joshua 17:1;  Joshua 17:6 and half-Gilead in  Joshua 13:29-31. It calls the southern half (Gad) Gilead in  Joshua 13:24-25 and half-Gilead in  Joshua 12:2. It mentions the two halves together in  Deuteronomy 3:12-13.

The Bible speaks of Gilead in yet another sense, and that is to refer to the whole of the former Amorite territory that Israel’s two and a half eastern tribes occupied. This area included the land of Bashan in the far north and the tribal area of Reuben in the far south. Its southern border was the Arnon River, which divided Reuben from neighbouring Moab ( Judges 10:8;  Judges 20:1;  2 Kings 15:29; see Bashan ; Moab ).

Gilead, like the rest of the area east of Jordan, had large open plains that were good for raising sheep and cattle. The region was also good for growing fruit and grain, and had hilly areas of forest ( Numbers 32:1;  Numbers 32:26;  Numbers 32:36;  Jeremiah 22:6;  Jeremiah 50:19). It was famous for its balm, which people believed had healing properties and which they therefore used extensively in making medicines ( Jeremiah 8:22;  Jeremiah 46:11;  Jeremiah 51:8).

Chief towns of Gilead that feature in the Old Testament story are Jabesh-gilead ( Judges 21:8-12;  1 Samuel 11:1;  1 Samuel 31:8-13), Mahanaim ( Genesis 32:1-2;  Joshua 21:38;  2 Samuel 2:29;  2 Samuel 17:24), Ramoth-gilead ( Joshua 21:38;  1 Kings 22:3-4;  2 Kings 8:28;  2 Kings 9:1-3), Succoth ( Genesis 33:17;  Joshua 13:27;  Judges 8:4-16) and Penuel ( Genesis 32:31;  Judges 8:4-17;  1 Kings 12:25).

In New Testament times the former land of Gilead fell partly within the Decapolis and partly within Perea. Towns of the region that feature in the New Testament story are Gadara, Gerasa and Bethany-beyond-Jordan ( Matthew 4:25;  Matthew 8:28;  Mark 5:1;  Mark 7:31;  John 1:28; see Decapolis ; Perea ).

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

("a hard rocky region".) The mountainous range and the region E. of Jordan are meant by "mount Gilead," not some one mountain. Bashan ("soft level soil"), a fertile plateau, bounds it on the N.; the Arabian table land on the E.; Moab and Ammon on the S. ( Deuteronomy 3:12-17); Jordan on the W.; Hieromax river (now Sheriat'el Mandhur) divides it from Bashan. The Jabbok divided Og's northern half of Gilead (now Jebel Ajlun) from Sihon's southern half (now Belka.). The valley of Heshbon was probably Gilead's southern bound. Mishor, "a table land," is used to denote the plateau S. and E. of Gilead. Thus Bezer was in the country of the Mishor ("plain country," KJV  Deuteronomy 4:43), the smooth downs of Moab contrasting with the higher districts of Bashan northwards and the rugged country W. of the Jordan.

One prominent peak is still called Jebel Jil'ad, "mount Gilead," the probable site of Ramath Mizpeh ( Joshua 13:26), and the "Mizpeh of Gilead" from whence Jephthah passed over to Ammon ( Judges 11:29), an admirable place for assembling forces for war. Es-Salt, a town close by, is on the site of "Ramoth Gilead," the city of refuge in Gad. The mountains of Gilead, 2,000 or 3,000 ft. high, appear still more elevated from the W. owing to the depression of the Jordan valley 1,000 ft., and resemble a massive wall along the horizon; but when ascended they present a" wide table land tossed about in wild confusion of undulating downs, clothed with rich grass and magnificent forests, and broken by three deep defiles, those of the Jarmuk, Jabbok, and Arnon" (Stanley, Sinai and Palestine)

The high Arabian plateau makes them look low from the E. Pasturage abounds in Gilead more than in western Palestine, from whence Reuben and Gad chose it for their numerous flocks and herds (Numbers 32). The physical nature of the country affected the character of its people, who ever retained nomadic pastoral habits. Gad, which lay S. and W. by Jordan, stretching N. as far as the sea of Galilee.) (See Gad .) Manasseh lay N. and E., and stretched S. to Mahanaim. Gilead's isolation kept its people in the background in Israel's history. Its aromatic spices and balm were exported to Egypt ( Genesis 37:25;  Jeremiah 8:22). Chedorlaomer attacked the giant Zuzim in Ham, i.e. probably Gilead; having first attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, now the Hauran, afterward the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, the country subsequently of Moab. In Gilead Saul's son at Mahanaim tried to gain his father's throne ( 2 Samuel 2:8-9).

Here David found shelter and hospitality while fleeing from Absalom ( 2 Samuel 17:22;  2 Samuel 17:27-29). Elijah the Tishbite was of Gilead, and in garb, abruptness, and active energy reflected his country's characteristics. Being a border land, it was exposed to the marauding tribes of the desert ( Joshua 17:1), and Ramoth Gilead was thought the eastern key of Palestine ( 1 Kings 22:3-6). (See Ramoth GILEAD.) Twice our Lord withdrew to the trans-jordanic hills: after His baptism; again just before His last stay at Jerusalem ( John 10:39-40). At Pella in the same region the disciples found the refuge from the siege of Jerusalem which their Lord had told them of beforehand; Cestius Gallus having providentially retired, and so given them the opportunity of fleeing ( Matthew 24:15-16).

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Gilead (Gĭl'E-Ad ), Hard. 1. The grandson of Manasseh.  Numbers 26:29-30, etc. 2. The father of Jephthah.  Judges 11:1;  Judges 2:3. A' Gadite.  1 Chronicles 5:14

Gilead, Rocky Region. Called also Mount Gilead and Land of Gilead,  Genesis 31:25;  Numbers 32:1; and known in New Testament times as Peræa, or, "beyond Jordan."  Matthew 4:15;  John 1:28. 1. Gilead was a region of country bounded on the north by Basban, east by the Arabian desert, south by Moab and Ammon, and west by the Jordan.  Genesis 31:21;  Deuteronomy 3:12-17;  1 Samuel 13:7;  2 Kings 10:33. It was about 60 miles long, and 20 miles in its average breadth. Its mountains named in Scripture are Abarim, Pisgah, Nebo, and Peor, and are about 2000 to 3000 feet above the valley of the Jordan.  Numbers 32:1;  Genesis 37:25. The balm of Gilead was held in high favor,  Jeremiah 8:22;  Jeremiah 46:11; it is said that only a spoonful could be collected in a day, and that was sold for twice its weight in silver. Jacob fled toward Gilead,  Genesis 31:21; it was conquered by Israel,  Numbers 21:24;  Judges 10:18;  Joshua 12:2;  Deuteronomy 2:36; was given to Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh,  Joshua 17:6; under Jephthah it defeated the Ammonites,  Judges 10:18; was a refuge for Saul's son and for David,  2 Samuel 2:9;  2 Samuel 17:22;  2 Samuel 17:24; the home of Elijah,  1 Kings 17:1; taken in part by Syria,  2 Kings 10:33; by Assyria,  2 Kings 15:25-29; referred to in the minor prophets,  Hosea 6:8;  Hosea 12:11;  Amos 1:3;  Amos 1:13;  Obadiah 1:19;  Micah 7:14;  Zechariah 10:10. 2. Mount Gilead of  Judges 7:3 was probably near Mount Gilboa.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

There were several mountains of this name lying eastward of Jordan The term itself is evidently taken from the word Gal, an heap; and Houd, testimony. The balm of Gilead is used in Scripture as typical of Christ. Hence the prophet exclaims, "Is there no balm in Gilead, no physician there?" Yes! both were there. Jesus' blood is a never-failing balm; and he himself a physician which never failed of a cure. "Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?" The answer is direct. If this balm be never used, and this physician never known or regarded, how shall the blessings of either be experienced? ( Jeremiah 8:22)

I must not dismiss this article of Gilead without first taking notice of a beautiful similitude of our Lord's in Scripture, when comparing his church to this mount, on account of its loveliness. "Behold, (saith Jesus,) thou art fair, my love, thou art fair; thou hast dove's eyes within thy locks; thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead." ( Song of Song of Solomon 4:1) Perhaps the fairness so often repeated by the Lord concerning the spouse, is to shew how lovely she is in his eyes, from the comeliness he hath put upon her and the high value he hath for her. And the quickness of sight in the dove, shews how much knowledge Jesus imparts by his regenerating grace. The hair, it should seem, is commended for its beauty by the Lord, because of its nearness to the head, and immediately having its root there. So the saints of God are all beautiful in their order, from being united to, and deriving all their life and nourishment from, Jesus their glorious Head. And as the flocks on mount Gilead, high and lifted up, live securely, feed luxuriously, and are lovely in their numbers and good order; so the fold of Christ have their Gilead, that glorious mountain which was once "a stone cut out without hands;" but now filling the earth, where they live and dwell securely. Jesus himself is their food and their pasture, "their munition of rocks, where their bread is given and their water sure; where they lie down in safety, and none shall make them afraid." ( Isaiah 33:16)

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Judges 10:17 Hosea 6:8 Amos 1:3

Physically, Gilead is a rugged country; the Hebrew name Gil' ad may be translated “rugged.” Some of its peaks reach over 3500 feet. It also has plains with grassland suitable for cattle, and in antiquity the northern half of the region particularly was heavily forested. The King Highway, an important international trade route, passed through Gilead. Gilead was an agriculturally significant region as well. It was famous especially for its flocks and herds, and also for the balm of Gilead, an aromatic and medicinal preparation, probably derived from the resin of a small balsam tree.

Many famous persons and events are associated with Gilead. The judges Jair and Jephthah ( Judges 11:1 ), Israel's King Jehu, and the prophet Elijah were all Gileadites. Jacob and Laban met at its northeastern border ( Genesis 31:22-23 ). Jacob encountered the angel of God at Peniel in Gilead ( Genesis 32:30 ). Saul's son Ish-bosheth ( 2 Samuel 2:8 ), David ( 2 Samuel 17:24 ), and Jesus all retreated to Gilead for a time. Old Testament cities of importance were Heshbon in the south, Rabboth-ammon on the eastern desert fringe, Jabesh-gilead, and Ramoth-gilead. Rabboth-ammon is the New Testament Philadelphia; Pella and Jerash (Gerasa) are other important New Testament cities.

2. Great grandson of Joseph and original clan leader in tribe of Manasseh ( Numbers 26:28-32;  Numbers 36:1 ). The clan was so strong it could be listed with Israel's tribes in Deborah's song ( Judges 5:17 ). They fought for recognition among other tribes ( Judges 12:4-7 ).

Joseph Coleson

Morrish Bible Dictionary

The district on the east of the Jordan, extending from the river Yarmouk, a little south of the Sea of Galilee, to the north corner of the Dead Sea. It fell to the lot of Gad, except its northern part, which, where it joined Bashan, was possessed by Manasseh. It is a mountainous district, which accounts for some part of it being called 'the mount of Gilead' in  Genesis 31:21-25 . Some of the mountains are 2,000 to 3,500 feet high, but from the west they look much higher because of the depression of the Jordan valley. Pasturage abounds in Gilead, and accounts for Gad and the others choosing it for their cattle. The district is divided into north and south by the river Jabbok ( Zerka ). The northern part is cultivated and has numerous villages; but the southern is mostly held by nomadic tribes, with but little cultivation, and having but one inhabited town now, called es Salt, 32 2' N, 35 42' E .

In the days of Ahab Ramoth-gilead was in possession of the Syrians, which was followed by all Gilead and Moab falling into their hands.  1 Kings 22:3;  2 Kings 10:32,33 . This was followed by Tiglath-pileser conquering the region, and carrying the Israelites into captivity.  2 Kings 15:29;  1 Chronicles 5:26 . In the restoration of Israel their border eastward will extend to Damascus and Gilead.  Ezekiel 47:18 . This ancient possession will thus be brought into blessing. The Ishmaelites who bought Joseph were travelling with balm and myrrh from Gilead.  Genesis 37:25 . The balm of Gilead was proverbial for its healing virtues.  Jeremiah 8:22;  Jeremiah 46:11 .

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

the name given to the monument erected by Laban and Jacob, in testimony of a mutual covenant and agreement,  Genesis 31:47-48 . Hence the hill upon which it was erected, was called Mount Gilead,  Song of Solomon 4:1;  Song of Solomon 6:5;  Jeremiah 50:19 . The mountains of Gilead were part of that ridge of mountains which extend from Mount Lebanon southward, on the east of the Holy land; they gave their name to the whole country which lies on the east of the sea of Galilee, and included the mountainous region called in the New Testament Trachonitis. The Scripture speaks of the balm of Gilead,  Jeremiah 8:22;  Jeremiah 46:11;  Jeremiah 51:8 . The merchants who bought Joseph came from Gilead, and were carrying balm into Egypt,  Genesis 37:25 . See Balm .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Genesis 31:21 Genesis 31:25 Numbers 32:1 Psalm 60:7 Genesis 37:25 Deuteronomy 3:13 Numbers 32:40 Genesis 31:21 Deuteronomy 3:12-17

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Heb. Gilad', גַּלְעָד , generally with the article prefixed, when applied to the region or mountain; properly a stony district, hence, according to  Genesis 31:41, Heap or hill Of Testimony; Sept. Γαλαάδ ), the name of several men, also of a region and mountain, and perhaps a city. The name Gilead. as is usual in Palestine, describes the physical aspect of the country. It signifies "a hard, rocky region;" and it may be regarded as standing in contrast with Bashan, the other great trans-Jordanic province, which is, as the name implies, a "level, fertile tract." The statements in  Genesis 31:48, are not opposed to this etymology. The old name of the district was גַּלְעָד (Gilead), but, by a slight change in the pronunciation, the radical letters being retained, the meaning was made beautifully applicable to the "heap of stones" Jacob and Laban had built up "and Laban said! this Heap (גִּל ) is a Witness (עֵד ) between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Gal-Eed" (גִּלְעֵד, "the heap of witness"). Those acquainted with the modern Arabs and their literature will see how intensely such a play upon the word would be appreciated by them. This Galeed could not have been far from Mahanaim, and was doubtless one of those rounded eminences to the northward which overlook the broad plateau of Bashan ( Genesis 31:25;  Genesis 32:1-2). (See Galeed).

1. A mountainous region east of the Jordan; bounded on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon ( Genesis 31:21;  Deuteronomy 3:12-17), properly extending from the parallel of Rabboth-Ammon on the south to the river Hieromax on the north. The same name, however, was given to the ridge extending between these parallels. With the exception of the narrow strip of plain along the bank of the Jordan, the mountains, in fact, cover the whole region; hence it is sometimes called "Mount Gilead" ( Genesis 31:25), הִר הִגַּלְעָד; comp.  Deuteronomy 3:12;  Jeremiah 1:19), sometimes "the land of Gilead" ( Numbers 32:1, אֶרֶוֹ גַּלְעָד; compare  Deuteronomy 34:1;  Numbers 34:29;  Zechariah 10:10), and sometimes simply "Gilead" ( Psalms 60:7;  Genesis 37:25;  Numbers 32:40;  Joshua 17:1;  Amos 1:3); but a comparison of the several passages shows that they all mean the same thing. There is no evidence, in fact, that any particular mountain was meant by Mount Gilead more than by Mount Lebanon ( Judges 3:3) — they both comprehend the whole range, and the range of Gilead embraced the whole province, or group of mountains vaguely stated by Eusebius (Onomast. s.v. Γαλαάδ) to be connected with Lebanon by means of Mount Hermon. It begins not far from the latter, and extends southward to the sources of the brooks Jabbok and Arnon, thus enclosing the whole eastern part of the land beyond the Jordan ( Genesis 31:21;  Song of Solomon 4:1). According to Michaelis (Mos. Recht, 1:86), this mountain, which gave its name to the country so called, must even be situated beyond the region sketched in our maps, and somewhere about the Euphrates. But this is fanciful. Strictly, the name comprehends the mountainous region south of the river Jabbok, where is the highest part of the mountains east of the Jordan; and one ridge is still named Jebel Jelad or Jelud, from the ruined towns so called upon it (Burckhardt, Travels In Syria, page 348; Robinson's Researches, 2:243, 306; App. page 167). The inhabitants were called Gileadites ( Judges 10:3;  2 Kings 15:25).

I. Divisions Of The Territory. —

(a.) Gilead is usually, therefore, the name of a large district beyond the Jordan, continually mentioned in the Scriptures in contradistinction to, or apart from, Bashan ( Deuteronomy 3:13;  Joshua 12:5;  Joshua 13:11;  Joshua 17:1;  2 Kings 10:33;  1 Chronicles 5:16;  Micah 7:14); though, to judge from its geographical position (as given  Numbers 32:26;  Deuteronomy 3:12), it must have comprised the entire possessions of the two tribes of Gad and Reuben, and even the southern part of Manasseh ( Deuteronomy 3:13;  Numbers 32:40;  Joshua 17:2-6); corresponding to the region now called el-Beka and Jebel-Ajlun. Sometimes it is put for the territory of Gad and Reuben alone ( Psalms 60:9;  Psalms 108:9); at others for the tribe of Gad only ( Judges 5:17; comp. 5:16), although this usage is not constant, and in  1 Samuel 13:7, the land of Gad and Gilead are joined. The cities Ramoth, Jabesh, and Jazer are usually designated as lying in Gilead.

There is a special descriptive term, which may almost be regarded as a proper name, used to denote the great plateau which borders Gilead on the south and east. The refuge-city Bezer is said to be "in the country of the Mishor" ( Deuteronomy 4:43); and  Jeremiah 48:21 says, "judgment is come upon the country of the Mishor" (see also  Joshua 13:9;  Joshua 13:16-17;  Joshua 13:21;  Joshua 20:8). Mishor ( מַשׁוֹר and מַשׂר ) signifies a "level plain" or "table-land;" and no word could be more applicable. This is one among many examples of the minute accuracy of Bible topography. (See Mishor).

The extent of Gilead in this general sense we can ascertain with tolerable exactness from incidental notices in the Holy Scriptures. The Jordan was its western border ( 1 Samuel 13:7;  2 Kings 10:33). A comparison of a number of passages shows that the river Hieromax, the modern Sheriat el-Mandhur, separated it from Bashan on the north. "Half Gilead" is said to have been possessed by Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the other half by Og, king of Bashan; and the river Jabbok was the division between the two kingdoms ( Deuteronomy 3:12;  Joshua 12:1-5). The half of Gilead possessed by Og must therefore have been north of the Jabbok. It is also stated that the territory of the tribe, of Gad extended along the Jordan valley to the Sea of Galilee ( Joshua 13:27); and yet "all Bashan" was given to Manasseh ( Joshua 13:30). We therefore conclude that the deep glen of the Hieromax, which runs eastward, on the parallel of the south end of the Sea of Galilee, was the dividing line between Bashan and Gilead. North of that glen stretches out a flat, fertile plateau, such as the name Bashan (בָּשָׁן, like the Arabic Bashah, signifies "soft and level soil") would suggest; while on the south we have the rough and rugged, yet picturesque hill country, for which Gilead is the fit name. (See Porter, in Journal of Sac. Lit. July 1854, page 284 sq.; compare Ib. January 1852, page 364.) On the east the mountain range melts away gradually into the high plateau of Arabia. The boundary of Gilead is here not so clearly defined, but it may be regarded as running along the foot of the range. The southern boundary is less certain. The tribe of Reuben occupied the country as far south as the river Arnon, which was the border of Moab ( Deuteronomy 2:36;  Deuteronomy 3:12). It seems, however, that the southern section of their territory was not included in Gilead. In  Joshua 13:9-11, it is intimated that the "plain of Medeba" ("the Mishor" it is called), north of the Arnon, is not in Gilead; and when' speaking of the cities of refuge, Moses describes 'Bezer, which was given out of the tribe of Reuben, as being "in the wilderness, in the plain country" (i.e., "in the country of the Mishor," אֶרֶוֹ הָמַּישֹׁר), while Ramoth is said to be in Gilead ( Deuteronomy 4:43). This southern plateau was also called "the land of Jazer" ( Numbers 32:1;  2 Samuel 24:5; comp. also  Joshua 13:16-25). The valley of Heshbon may therefore, in all probability, be the southern boundary of Gilead. Gilead thus extended from the parallel of the south end of the Sea of Galilee to that of the north end of the Dead Sea — about 60 miles; and its average breadth scarcely exceeded 20.

(b.) While such were the usual limits of Gilead, the same is used in A wider sense in two or three parts of Scripture. Moses, for example, is said to have seen, from the top of Pisgah, "all the land of Gilead unto Dan" ( Deuteronomy 34:1); and in  Judges 20:1, and  Joshua 22:9, the name seems to comprehend the whole territory of the Israelites beyond the Jordan. A little attention shows that this is only a vague way of speaking, in common use everywhere.

(c.) The district corresponding to Gilead is now divided into two provinces, separated by the Jabbok. The section lying between the Jabkok and the Hieromax is now called Jebel Ajlun; while that to the south of the Jabbok constitutes the modern province of Belka . One of the most conspicuous peaks in the mountain range still retains the ancient name, being called Jebel Jihad, "Mount Gilead." It is about seven miles south of the Jabbok, and commands a magnificent view over the whole Jordan valley, and the mountains of Judah and Ephraim. It is probably the site of Ramath-Mizpeh of  Joshua 13:26; and the "Mizpeh of Gilead," from which Jephthah "passed over unto the children of Ammon" ( Judges 11:29). The spot is admirably adapted for a gathering-place in time of invasion or aggressive war. The neighboring village of es-Salt occupies the site of the old "city of refuge" in Gad, Ramoth-Gilead (q.v.).

II. History . — The first notice we have of Gilead is in connection with the history of Jacob ( Genesis 31:21 sq.). That patriarch, having passed the Euphrates, "set his face towards Mount-Gilead;" he struck across the desert by the great fountain at Palmyra; then traversed the eastern part of the plain of Damascus, and the plateau of Bashan, and entered Gilead from the north-east. "In the Mount Gilead Laban overtook him" — apparently soon after he entered the district; for when they separated again, Jacob went on his way and arrived at Mahanaim, which must have been considerably north of the river Jabbok ( Genesis 32:1-2;  Genesis 32:22). (See Jacob).

Gilead is not mentioned again in the patriarchal history; but it is possibly this same region which is referred to under the name Ham (q.v.), and was inhabited by the gigantic Zuzim. The kings of the East who came to punish the rebellious "cities of the plain," first attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim — i.e., in the country now called Hlaurann; then they advanced southwards against the "Zuzims in Ham;" and next against the Emim in Simaveh-Kiriathim, which was subsequently possessed by the Moabites ( Genesis 14:5;  Deuteronomy 2:9-19). (See Emim); (See Rephaim).

We hear nothing more of Gilead till the invasion of the country by the Israelites. One half of it was then in the hands of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had a short time previously driven out the Moalites. Ogr king of Bashan, had the other section north of the Jabbok. The Israelites defeated the former at Jahaz, and the latter at Edrei, and took possession of Gilead and Bashan ( Numbers 21:23 sq.). The rich pasture-land of Gileads, with its shady forests and copious streams, attracted the attention of Reuben and Gad, who "had a very great multitude of cattle," and was allotted to then. The future history and habits of the tribes that occupied Gilead were greatly affected by the character of the country. Rich in flocks and herds, and now the lords of a fitting region, they retained, almost unchanged, the nomad pastoral habits of their patriarchal ancestors. Like all Bedawin, they lived in a constant state of warfare, just as Jacob had predicted of Gad — "a troop shall plunder him, but he shall plunder at the last" ( Genesis 49:19). The sons of Ishmael were subdued and plundered in the time of Saul ( 1 Chronicles 5:9 sq.), and the children of Ammon in the days of Jephthah and David ( Judges 11:32 sq.;  2 Samuel 10:12 sq.). Their wandering tent life, and their almost inaccessible country made them in ancient times what the Bedawi tribes are now — the protectors of the refugee and the outlaw. In Gilead the sons of Saul found a home while they vainly attempted to re-establish the authority of their house ( 2 Samuel 2:8 sq.). Here, too, 'David' found a sanctuary during the unnatural rebellion of a beloved son; and the surrounding tribes, with a characteristic hospitality, carried presents of the best they possessed to the fallen monarch ( 2 Samuel 17:22 sq.). Elijah the Tishbite was a Gileadite ( 1 Kings 17:1); and in his simple garb, Wild aspect, abrupt address, wonderfully active habits, and movements so rapid as to evade the search of his watchful and bitter foes, we see all the characteristics of the genuine Bedasi, ennobled by a high prophetic mission. (See Gad).

Gilead was a frontier land, exposed to the firtst attacks of the Syrian and Assyrian invaders, and to the unceasing raids of the desert tribes — "Because Machir, the first-born of Manasseh, was a man of war, therefore he had Bashan and Gilead" ( Joshua 17:1). Under the wild and wayward Jephthab, Mizpeh of Gilead became the gathering-place of the trans- Jordanic tribes ( Judges 11:29); and in subsequent times the,neighboring stronghold of Ramoth-Gilead appears to have been considered the key of Palestine on the east ( 1 Kings 22:3-4;  1 Kings 22:6;  2 Kings 9:1).

The name Galaad (Γαλαάδ ) occurs several times in the history of thee Maccabees ( 1 Maccabees 5:9 sq.), and also in Josephus, but generallyc with the Greek termination — Γαλααδῖτις or Γαλαδηνή (Ant. 13:14,2; War, 1:4, 3). Under the Roman dominion the country became more settled and civilized; and the great cities of Gadara, Pella, and Gerasa, with Philadelphia on its south-eastern border, speedily rose to opulence and splendor. In one of these (Pella) the Christians of Jerusalem found a sanctuary when the armies of Titeis gathered round the devoted city (Eusebius, H.E. 3:5). Under Mohammedan rule the country has again lapsed into semi-barbarism. Some scattered villages amid the fastnesses of Jebel Ajluhn, and a few fierce wandering tribes, constitute the whole population of Gilead. They are nominally subject to the Porte, but their allegiance sits lightly upon them. The inhabitants, like the old Gadites, are semi-nomads, whosewealth consists in flocks and herds. Like them, too, they are harassed by the desert tribes; they are inured to arms, and they are noted for their hospitality. The capital of the whole country is es-Salt (Burnkhardt, Trav. in Syria, page 270; Buckingham, Arab Tribes, page 21 sq.; Lord Lindsay's Travels, 2:108 sq.).

III. Description Of Modern Country . — The great body of the range of Gilead is Jura limestone, but there are occasional veins of sandstone. The oak and the terebinth flourish on the former, and the pine on the latter. The mountains of Gilead have a real elevation of from two to three thousand feet, but their apparent elevation on the western side is much greater, owing, to the depression of the Jordan valley, which averages about 1000 feet. Their outline is singularly uniform, resembling a massive wall running along the horizon. From the distant east they seem very low, for on that side they meet thee plateau of Arabia, 2000 feet or more in height. Though the range appears bleak from the distance, yet, on ascending it, we find the scenery rich, picturesque, and in places even garand. The summit is broad, almost like table-land "tossed into wild confusion of undulating downs" (Stanley, Sinai and Pal. page 314). It is everywhere covered with luxuriant herbage. In the extreme north and south there are no trees, but as we advance towards the center they soon begin to appear, at first singly, then in groups, and at length, on each side of the Jabbok, in fine forests, chiefly of prickly oak and terebinth. The rich pasture-land of Gilead presents a striking contrast to the nakedness of Western Palestine. Except among the hills of Galilee and along the heights of Carmel, there is nothing to be compared with it as "a place for cattle" ( Numbers 32:1). In passing through the country, one can hardly get over the impression that he is roaming through an English park. The graceful hills, the rich vales, the luxuriant herbage, the bright wild flowers, the plantations of evergreen oak, pine, and arbutus; now a tangled thicket, and now a grove scattered over the gentle slope, as if intended to reveal its beauty; the little rivulets fringed with oleander, at one place running lazily between alluvial banks, at another dashing madly down rocky ravines. Such are the features of the mountains of Gilead. Here, too, we have the cooing of the wood-pigeon, the hoarse call of the partridge, the incessant hum of myriads of insects, and the cheerful chirp of grasshoppers to give life to the scene. Add to all the crumbling ruins of town, village, and fortress, clinging to the mountain- side or crowning its summit, and you have a picture of the country between es-Salt and Gerasa" (Porter, Hand-book for S. and P. page 310). Such a picture, too, illustrates at once the fertility ascribed to it by  Jeremiah 22:6; Jeremiah 1, 19, and the judgments .pronounced against it by  Amos 1:3;  Amos 1:13.

Gilead anciently abounded in spices and aromatic gums, which were exported to Egypt ( Genesis 37:25;  Jeremiah 8:22;  Jeremiah 46:11). The balm of Gilead seems to have been valued for its medicinal properties from the earliest, times. The Midianitish merchants to whom Joseph was sold were passing through the valley of Jezreel on their way from Gilead to Egypt ( Genesis 37:17). Josephus often mentions this balm or balsam, but generally as the product of the rich plain of Jericho, for example (Ant. 14:4): "Now when Pompey had pitched his camp at Jericho (where the palm-tree grows, and that balsam which is an ointment of all the most precious, which upon any incision being made in the wood with a sharp stone distils out thence like a juice), he marched in the morning to Jerusalem." Dr. Thomson found in the plain of Jericho some thorn-bushes called the zukum, "which is like the crab apple-tree, and bears a small nut, from which a kind of liquid balsam is made, and sold by the monks as balm of Gilead, so famous in ancient times," and he supposes "that the balm which Jacob sent to Joseph ( Genesis 47:11), and that which  Jeremiah 8:22 refers to for its medicinal qualities, were the same which the trading Ishmaelites were transporting to Egypt, and that it was some resinous extract from the forest trees of (Gilead" (Land And Book, 2:193, 194). See below.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Gil´ead. 1. A group of mountains connected with Lebanon by means of Mount Hermon. It begins not far from the latter, and extends southward to the sources of the brooks Jabbok and Arnon, thus enclosing the whole eastern part of the land beyong the Jordan . According to Michaelis, this mountain, which gave its name to the country so called, must be situated beyond the region sketched in our maps, and somewhere about the Euphrates.

2. (a) The name of a large district beyond the Jordan, continually mentioned in the Scriptures in contradistinction to, or apart from, Bashan (;;;;;; ), though, to judge from its geographical position (as given; ), it must have comprised the entire possessions of the two tribes of Gad and Reuben, and even the southern part of Manasseh (;; ). The cities Ramoth, Jabosh, and Jazer, are usually designated as lying in Gilead.

This region was distinguished for its rich pastures and aromatic simples; from which latter different sorts of balsam were prepared—facts confirmed by modern travelers, with the addition that the whole region is covered with groups of limestone mountains, intersected by fertile valleys.

(b) The name of the whole eastern part of the Jordan (; comp.; ).

The name Gilead continued to be used, in a general and geographical sense, even after the exile.

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

A tableland extending along the E. of the Jordan, at a general level of 2000 ft. above the sea, the highest point near Ramoth-Gilead being 3597 ft.