Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
). It is used for two towns, one in the territory assigned in the Bible to the
Tribe of Reuben
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Reuben () was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Unlike the majority of the tribes, the land of Reuben, along with that of Gad and half of Manasseh, was on the eastern side of the Jordan and shared a ...
, and another in that of the
Tribe of Judah
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tribe of Judah (, ''Shevet Yehudah'') was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel, named after Judah, the son of Jacob. Judah was the first tribe to take its place in the Land of Israel, occupying the southern ...
.
The Reubenite Nebo is mentioned in , and is mentioned between Sibmah and Beon, the latter being an abbreviation of Baal-meon. In the same chapter, verse 38, it is again mentioned between Cariathaim and Baal-meon, and it is found associated with the same names on the Mesha Stele (line 14). These and other indications show that the town was situated in the vicinity of
Mount Nebo
Mount Nebo ( ar, جَبَل نِيبُو, Jabal Nībū; he, , Har Nəḇō) is an elevated ridge located in Jordan, approximately above sea level. Part of the Abarim mountain range, Mount Nebo is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses ...
; its exact location is identified with Khirbet al-Mukhayyat. It belonged to the rich pasture lands which the tribes of
Reuben
Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob.
Variants include Rúben in European Portuguese; Rubens in Brazilian Portugue ...
and Gad asked of Moses in the distribution of the territory (Numbers 32). The town had reverted to the Moabites at the time when Isaiah prophesied against it (Isaiah 15:2; cf. Jeremiah 48:1, 22). The Mesha Stele (lines 14-18) boasts of having taken it from the Israelites. According to
Saint Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...
,''Commentary on Isaiah'' 15:2, in P.L., XXIV, 168 the sanctuary of the idol Chemosh was in Nebo.
See also
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Isaiah 15
Isaiah 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Isaiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. This chapter ...