Where is Jabesh in the Bible?

What happened at Jabesh?

Jabesh, also known as Jabesh-gilead, was a town located in the region of Gilead, east of the Jordan River. The city is first mentioned in the book of Judges, where the inhabitants refused to join the Israelites in fighting against the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 21:8-14). As a result, the town was attacked, and the virgins of Jabesh were given as wives to the surviving Benjamites. Later, during the reign of King Saul, the Ammonites besieged Jabesh, and Saul came to their rescue, defeating the Ammonites and solidifying his position as king (1Sa.11.1-11). After Saul's death, the men of Jabesh bravely retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the Philistines and buried them (1Sa.31.11-13; 1Ch.10.11-12). David later praised the men of Jabesh for their loyalty and kindness to Saul (2Sa.2.4-7). The town's location is uncertain, but it was likely situated in northern Gilead, possibly near modern-day Wadi Yabis in Jordan.

Where does Jabesh appear in the Bible?

Jabesh is referenced in 18 verses across 4 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

• 1 Chronicles 10:11
• 1 Chronicles 10:12
• 1 Samuel 11:1
• 1 Samuel 11:3
• 1 Samuel 11:5
• 1 Samuel 11:9
• 1 Samuel 11:10
• 1 Samuel 31:11
• 1 Samuel 31:12
• 1 Samuel 31:13
• 2 Samuel 2:4
• 2 Samuel 2:5
• 2 Samuel 21:12
• Judges 21:8
• Judges 21:9
• Judges 21:10
• Judges 21:12
• Judges 21:14

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Jabesh.