MIZPAH OR MIZPEH
MIZPAH OR MIZPEH
A watch tower,1. A town in Gilead, Hos 5:1 ; so named from the stone-heap cast up by Jacob and Laban, Gen 31:49 ; supposed by many to be the place mentioned in the history of Jephthah, Jdg 10:17 11:11,29,34.2. A city of Benjamin, a central gathering-place of the tribes in the period of the judges, Jos 18:26 Jdg 20:1,3 21:1. Here Samuel sacrificed and judged, and here Saul was designated as king, 1Sa 7:5-16 10:17. It was fortified by Asa as a defense against Israel, 1Ki 15:22, was the residence of the governor, under Nebuchadnezzar, Jer 40:6, and was reoccupied after the captivity, Neh 3:19 . Its name indicates that it occupied an elevated site, and it was near Ramah; hence Dr. Robinson identifies it with the modern place called Neby Samwil, four or five miles northnorthwest of Jerusalem.3. A town in the plain of Judah, Jos 15:38 .4. A valley near Mount Hermon, towards Zidon, Jos 11:3,8 .