# Gilead

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{{short description|Northern part of the region of Transjordan, also the name of several biblical figures}}
{{other uses}}
{{for|the personal name "Gilad" ("Gil'ad")|Gilad}}
{{Infobox landform
| name              = Gilead
| other_name        = גִּלְעָד, جلعاد
| type              = [Region](/source/Region)
| image             = File:Landscape of Jordan.JPG
| caption           = Gilead around river Zarqa, biblical River Yabok
| pushpin_map       = Jordan
| pushpin_relief    = 1
| pushpin_label     = Gilead
| coordinates       = {{coord|32|33|N|35|51|E|type:region|display=inline,title}}
| range             = 
| location          = [Irbid Governorate](/source/Irbid_Governorate), [Jordan](/source/Jordan)
| highest_point     = [Mount Maqta' al Qurmeya](/source/Mount_Maqta'_al_Qurmeya)
| highest_elevation = {{cvt|1,200|m}}
| length            = 
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'''Gilead''' or '''Gilad''' ({{IPAc-en|uk|ˈ|ɡ|ɪ|l|i|æ|d}}, {{IPAc-en|us|ˈ|ɡ|ɪ|l|i|ə|d}};<ref>{{cite EPD|18}}</ref><ref>{{cite LPD|3}}</ref> {{langx|he|גִּלְעָד}} ''Gilʿāḏ'', {{langx|ar|جلعاد}}, ''Jalʻād'') is the ancient, historic, [biblical](/source/Hebrew_Bible) name of the mountainous northern part of the region of [Transjordan](/source/Transjordan_(region)), present-day [Jordan](/source/Jordan).<ref name="easton">''Easton's Bible Dictionary'', [https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/galeed/ ''Galeed'']</ref> The region is bounded in the west by the [Jordan River](/source/Jordan_River), in the north by the deep ravine of the river [Yarmouk](/source/Yarmouk_River) and the region of [Bashan](/source/Bashan), and in the southwest by what were known during antiquity as the "[plains of Moab](/source/plains_of_Moab)", with no definite boundary to the east. In some cases, "Gilead" is used in the Bible to refer to all the region east of the Jordan River.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gilead {{!}} ancient region, Palestine {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Gilead-ancient-region-Palestine|access-date=2021-12-09|website=www.britannica.com|language=en}}</ref> Gilead is situated in modern-day [Jordan](/source/Jordan), corresponding roughly to the [Irbid](/source/Irbid_Governorate), [Ajloun](/source/Ajloun_Governorate), [Jerash](/source/Jerash_Governorate) and [Balqa](/source/Balqa_Governorate) [Governorates](/source/Governorates_of_Jordan).

==Etymology==
Gilead is explained in the Hebrew Bible as derived from the Hebrew words {{Script/Hebrew|גלעד}} {{lang|he-Latn|gal‛êd}}, which in turn comes from {{lang|he-Latn|gal}} ('heap, mound, hill') and {{lang|he-Latn|‛êd}} ('witness, testimony').<ref>Hebrew Dictionary, Strong's Concordance of the Bible, reference #5707</ref> If that is the case, Gilead means 'heap [of stones] of testimony'. There is also an alternative theory that it means 'rocky region'.<ref>''Smith's Bible Dictionary'', "Gil'e-ad"</ref>

From its mountainous character, it is called the Mount of Gilead ({{Bibleverse|Genesis|31:25|KJV}}; {{Bibleverse |Song|4:1|KJV}}). It is called also the Land of Gilead ({{Bibleverse |Numbers|32:1|KJV}}, {{Bibleverse|Judges|10:4|KJV}}) in many [translations](/source/English_translations_of_the_bible), and sometimes simply Gilead ({{Bibleverse|Genesis|37:25|KJV}}; {{Bibleverse|Judges|10:8|KJV}}; {{Bibleverse|Psalm|60:7|KJV}}), also mentioned in {{Bibleverse|Micah|7:14-15|KJV}}.

==History==
===Hebrew Bible===
The name Gilead first appears in the biblical account of the last meeting of [Jacob](/source/Jacob) and [Laban](/source/Laban_(Bible)) ({{Bibleverse|Genesis|31:21–22|KJV}}). In [Book of Genesis](/source/Book_of_Genesis), Gilead was also referred to by the [Aramaic](/source/Aramaic) name Yegar-Sahadutha, which carries the same meaning as the Hebrew Gilead, namely "heap [of stones] of testimony" ({{Bibleverse |Genesis|31:47–48|KJV}}).<ref>Bible Atlas, [http://bibleatlas.org/jegar-sahadutha.htm ''Jegar-sahadutha (Ramoth-gilead)''].</ref><ref name="easton" />

According to the biblical narrative, during [the Exodus](/source/the_Exodus), "half Gilead" was possessed by [Sihon](/source/Sihon), and the other half, separated from it by the river [Jabbok](/source/Jabbok), by [Og](/source/Og), king of Bashan. After the two [Amorite](/source/Amorites) kings were defeated, the region of Gilead was allotted by [Moses](/source/Moses) to the tribes of [Gad](/source/tribe_of_Gad), [Reuben](/source/Tribe_of_Reuben), and the eastern half of [Manasseh](/source/tribe_of_Manasseh) ({{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|3:13|KJV}}; {{Bibleverse |Numbers|32:40|KJV}}).

In the [Book of Judges](/source/Book_of_Judges), the thirty sons of the [biblical judge](/source/Biblical_judges) [Jair](/source/Jair_(biblical_figure)) controlled the thirty towns of Gilead ({{bibleverse|Judges|10:4|KJV}}), and later the biblical judge [Jephthah](/source/Jephthah) defeated the Ammonites attempting to retake the former Ammonite territory in Gilead conquered by Moses ({{bibleverse|Judges|11|KJV}}). In the [First Book of Chronicles](/source/First_Book_of_Chronicles), Segub controlled twenty-three towns in Gilead ({{bibleverse||1 Chronicles|2:21–22|KJV}}). It was bounded on the north by Bashan, and on the south by [Moab](/source/Moab) and [Ammon](/source/Ammon) ({{bibleverse|Genesis|31:21|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|3:12–17|KJV}}).
right|thumb|250px|The hills of Gilead, Jordan
"Gilead" mentioned in the [Book of Hosea](/source/Book_of_Hosea) may refer to the cities of [Ramoth-Gilead](/source/Ramoth-Gilead), [Jabesh-Gilead](/source/Jabesh-Gilead), or the whole Gilead region; "Gilead is a city of those who work iniquity; it is stained with blood" ({{bibleverse|Hosea|6:8}}).

The kingdoms [Ammon](/source/Ammon) and [Moab](/source/Moab) sometimes expanded to include southern Gilead. King [David](/source/David) fled to [Mahanaim](/source/Mahanaim) in Gilead during the rebellion of [Absalom](/source/Absalom). Gilead is later mentioned as the homeplace of the prophet [Elijah](/source/Elijah).
[[File:Sea_of_Galilee_from_Jordan.jpg|thumb|[Sea of Galilee](/source/Sea_of_Galilee) as seen from Gilead near [Irbid](/source/Irbid)]]

===Neo-Assyrian province===
King [Tiglath-Pileser III](/source/Tiglath-pileser_III) of [Assyria](/source/Neo-Assyrian_Empire) established the province of Gal'azu (Gilead) c. 733 BCE.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Gilead-ancient-region-Palestine | title=Gilead &#124; ancient region, Palestine &#124; Britannica}}</ref>

===Arabic===
Gilead ({{langx|ar|جلعاد}}, Ǧalʻād or Jalaad) is an Arabic term used to refer to the mountainous land extending north and south of [Jabbok](/source/Jabbok). It was used more generally for the entire region east of the [Jordan River](/source/Jordan_River). It corresponds today to the northwestern part of the Kingdom of [Jordan](/source/Jordan). The region appears in the ancient [Safaitic](/source/Safaitic) inscriptions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://krc.orient.ox.ac.uk/ociana/corpus/pages/OCIANA_0005677.html | title=OCIANA - Online Corpus of the Inscriptions of Ancient North Arabia}}</ref>

==See also==

* [Balm of Gilead](/source/Balm_of_Gilead)
* [Machir](/source/Machir)
* [Machir (tribal group)](/source/Machir_(tribal_group))
* [Shibboleth](/source/Shibboleth)
* [Tribe of Manasseh](/source/Tribe_of_Manasseh)
* [Perea](/source/Perea)
* [Balqa](/source/Balqa_(region))
* [Republic of Gilead](/source/Republic_of_Gilead)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Gilead}}
{{EB1911 poster|Gilead}}

{{Regions of the world}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Gilead
Category:Ammon
Category:Hebrew Bible regions
Category:Book of Genesis locations
Category:Book of Exodus locations
Category:Book of Numbers locations
Category:Book of Deuteronomy locations
Category:Book of Judges locations
Category:Books of Chronicles locations
Category:Book of Hosea locations
Category:Regions of Jordan
Category:Book of Numbers people
Category:Moab
Category:Tourism in Jordan
Category:Founders of biblical tribes
Category:Tribe of Reuben
Category:Transjordan (region)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gilead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilead) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilead?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.