Mizpah in Benjamin

Updated on Sep 30, 2024

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Mizpah ("watch-tower; the look-out") was a city of the tribe of Benjamin referred to in the Hebrew Bible.

Tell en-Nasbeh is one of two sites often identified with Mizpah of Benjamin, and is located about 8 miles north of Jerusalem. The other suggested location is Neby Samwil, which is some 4 miles north-west of Jerusalem, and situated on the loftiest hill in the vicinity, some 600 feet above the plain of Gibeon.

Identification

The main contenders for the site of Mizpah are Tell en-Nasbeh and nearby Nebi Samwil.

If Mizpah was Tell en-Nasbeh on the Nablus road, Ishmael would not have fled to Ammon via Gibeon which is located to the West near Neby Samwil which overlooks Jerusalem.

Moreover, Mizpah was located right next to Gibeon.

Furthermore, Judas Machabeus, preparing for war with the Syrians, gathered his men "to Maspha, over against Jerusalem: for in Maspha was a place of prayer heretofore in Israel".

On the other hand, Nebi Samwil has produced no remains of the Iron Age I, nor any remains of the 6th century, both periods in which Mizpah was occupied. By contrast, Tell en-Nasbeh has produced abundant remains from both periods, and moreover, has a massive fortification system which matches well with the building campaign of King Asa of Judah in the early 9th century BC. Its location on the main road leading out of Jerusalem fits well with the reference to Mizpah in 1 Kings xv, 22.

References

Mizpah in Benjamin Wikipedia

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