JabeshGilead

"A town on the east of Jordan, on the top of one of the green" "hills of Gilead, within the limits of the half tribe of" "Manasseh, and in full view of Beth-shan. It is first mentioned" in connection with the vengeance taken on its inhabitants because they had refused to come up to Mizpeh to take part with Israel against the tribe of Benjamin (Judg. 21:8-14). After the "battles at Gibeah, that tribe was almost extinguished, only six" "hundred men remaining. An expedition went against Jabesh-Gilead," "the whole of whose inhabitants were put to the sword, except" "four hundred maidens, whom they brought as prisoners and sent to" proclaim peace to the Benjamites who had fled to the crag "Rimmon. These captives were given to them as wives, that the" tribe might be saved from extinction (Judg. 21). "This city was afterwards taken by Nahash, king of the Ammonites, "but was delivered by Saul, the newly-elected king of Israel. In" "gratitude for this deliverance, forty years after this, the men" of Jabesh-Gilead took down the bodies of Saul and of his three "sons from the walls of Beth-shan, and after burning them, buried" the bones under a tree near the city (1 Sam. 31:11-13). David "thanked them for this act of piety (2 Sam. 2:4-6), and" afterwards transferred the remains to the royal sepulchre "(21:14). It is identified with the ruins of ed-Deir, about 6" "miles south of Pella, on the north of the Wady Yabis."