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Bible Dictionaries
Medeba
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
or MEDEBA ( Numbers 21:30 , Joshua 13:9; Joshua 13:16 , 1 Chronicles 19:7 , Isaiah 15:2 ). A town in the Mishor , or ‘plain’ E. of Jordan, an hour and a half S. of Heshbon on the Roman road from Heshbon to Kerak. It was taken from Moab by Sihon and then conquered by Israel ( Numbers 21:24-35 ) and assigned to Reuben ( Joshua 13:9-16 [ Joshua 13:9 ‘all the tableland Medeba to Dibon’; Joshua 13:16 ‘all the tableland to Medeba’]). The Syrians who came to assist Ammon ( 1 Chronicles 19:6-15 ) pitched at Medeba, which was apparently then Ammonite. Later, Moab regained Medeba, for Omri, according to the Moabite Stone, 1. 8, took Mehedeba , and Israel held it forty years, till Mesha recovered it and rebuilt the cities held by Omri and Ahab. Joram and Jehoshaphat made an unsuccessful attempt to retake these cities ( 2 Kings 3:1-27 ), but Jeroboam II. drove out the Moabites. Moab again held Medeba ( Isaiah 15:2 , and probably also Jeremiah 48:2; but see Madmen). In Maccabæan times it was the stronghold of a robber clan, Jambri, which killed John, eldest son of Mattathias. Jonathan a venged this ( 1Ma 9:36-42; Jos. [Note: Josephus.] Ant . XIII. i. 2, 4). John Hyrcanus besieged Medeba (Jos. [Note: Josephus.] Ant . XIII. ix. 1). Alexander Jannæus took it from the Arabians, and Hyrcanus ii. promised to restore it to Aretas ( ib . XIII. xv. 4, XIV. i. 4). During the Byzantine period Medeba was a flourishing Christian centre, the seat of a bishopric, and represented at the Council of Chalcedon. In 1880 a colony of Christians from Kerak settled there. Many ancient remains have come to light, a large pool with solid walls, remains of gates, towers, four churches, some fine mosaics, especially a deeply interesting and important mosaic map of Christian Palestine and Egypt.
C. H. W. Johns.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Medeba'. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdb/m/medeba.html. 1909.
