Jazer

July 24, 2016

The languishing vines of Moab (Isa 16:8-16:11)

“The fields of Heshbon languish.

The vine of Sibmah languishes.

Those clusters once made drunk

The lords of the nations.

They reached to Jazer.

They strayed to the desert.

Their shoots once spread abroad.

They crossed over the sea.

Therefore I weep

With the weeping of Jazer

For the vines of Sibmah.

I drench you

With my tears.

O Heshbon!

O Elealeh!

The shout over your fruit harvest

Has ceased.

The shout over your grain harvest

Has ceased.

Joy is taken away,

Gladness is taken away

From the fruitful field.

In the vineyards,

No songs are sung.

No shouts are raised.

No one treads out wine

In the presses.

The vintage shout is hushed.

Therefore my soul throbs

Like a lyre for Moab.

My very soul throbs

For Kir-heres.”

Heshbon was in the northern part of Reuben or the northern part of Moab. The vines of Sibmah were about 5 miles east of Heshbon, also part of Moab and Reuben. Elealeh was a town about a mile outside of Heshbon, also part of Reuben and Moab. The grapes from this vine at Sibmah made many various great leaders drunk. There is a special mention of Jazer, a Levitical city near Gilead that was given to Gad in Joshua, chapter 21. The wonderful vine shoots that had strayed into the desert and even across waters were now languishing. Now Isaiah was also crying, because there would no longer be any shouting in the fields at the grape or grain harvest time. There would be no joy, gladness, shouting, or singing at harvest time, because there was no harvest. There was no one to tread the wine presses because there were no grapes. Therefore Isaiah was like a lyre or harp throbbing for Moab and the folks at Kir, on the main road, about 10 miles from the Dead Sea, as mentioned earlier.

April 29, 2015

Judas Maccabeus battles with the Ammonites (1 Macc 5:6-5:8)

“Then Judas crossed over to attack the Ammonites, where he found a strong band and many people with Timothy as their leader. He engaged in many battles with them.   Finally, they were crushed before him as he struck them down. He also took Jazer and its villages. Then he returned to Judea.”

Judas Maccabeus went across the Jordan River. He then attacked the Ammonites, another Semitic group, which had a man named Timothy as their leader. He then crushed them, destroying the village of Jazer, which was near Gilead and Ammon, before he returned to Judea.

November 7, 2014

The towns of the Merarites (1 Chr 6:77-6:81)

“To the rest of the Merarites out of the tribe of Zebulun were given Rimmono with its pasture lands and Tabor with its pasture lands. Across the Jordan from Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, out of the tribe of Reuben were given Bezer in the steppe with its pasture lands, Jahzah with its pasture lands, Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands. Out of the tribe of Gad were given Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands, Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands.”

The distribution of land to 3rd group of Levites, the Merarites, has a reference point is Joshua, chapter 21, also. Somehow Zebulun was included with this group of east Jordan tribes, but they were clearly on the west side of the Jordan River. There were only 2 of the 4 towns from Zebulun mentioned here, Rimmono and Tabor, while in Joshua there were the names of 4 different towns, Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, Nahalal in Zebulun. This adds to the oddity of Zebulun who was put into this group of the Transjordan tribes. The 4 towns from Reuben were Bezer, Jahzah or Jahaz, Kedemoth, and Mephaath which is exactly the same as Joshua, with the tiny exception of Jahzah and Jahaz that are close enough. The 4 towns from Gad, Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer were exactly the same here as in Joshua. Here the Merarites only get 10 towns instead of 12.