Bible Encyclopedias
Eglath-Shelishiyah

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

A place mentioned in ancient oracles against Moab (Isaiah 15:5, R. V.; Jeremiah 48:34, R. V.), together with Zoar, Luhith, and Horonaim. It has been identified with the Aγαλλα mentioned by Josephus("Ant." 14:1, § 4) in connection with Zohar as an Arabian town, while others have claimed it to be the Ajlun, a mountain range, district, and city north of Jabok. The former identification is the more likely. There must have been three places known as "Eglah" (= heifer), the ordinal numeral being added, as is also the custom in Arabic nomenclature, to distinguish them. Misled by the numeral, some commentators have argued that three horns of a mountain near Zoar were known as "heifers," taking the name as an appellative. Most of the commentators have translated "Eglath-Shelishiyah" as "the three-year-old heifer" (A. V., Targum, Rashi, Ḳimḥi, etc.).

E. G. H.
Bibliography Information
Singer, Isidore, Ph.D, Projector and Managing Editor. Entry for 'Eglath-Shelishiyah'. 1901 The Jewish Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/​encyclopedias/​eng/​tje/​e/eglath-shelishiyah.html. 1901.