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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadInternational Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Jazer
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jā´zẽr (יעזר, ya‛zeÌ„r or יעזיר, ya‛zeÌ„yr; Septuagint ἸαζηÌν, IazeÌ„Ìn in Codex Alexandrinus; IazeÌ„Ìr): In some cases, e.g. , the King James Version reads “Jaazer.†This was a city of the Amorites east of the Jordan taken, along with its towns, by Moses, and occupied by the tribe of Gad (; ). The country was very fertile, and its spacious pasture-lands attracted the flock-masters of Gad (), the southern border of whose territory it marked (). It was assigned to the Merarite Levites (; ). The place was reached by Joab when taking the census (). In the 40th year of King David mighty men of valor were found here to whom he entrusted the oversight in Reuben and Gad “for every matter pertaining to God, and run the affairs of the king†( f). The fruitfulness of the country is alluded to in f; . (Note: “Sea of†Jazer in this verse has arisen through accidental repetition of yaÌ„m, “sea,†from the preceding clause.) The city was taken from the Ammonites by Judas Maccabeus, and burned (1 Macc 5:7, 8; Ant, XII, viii, 1).
Onomasticon places Jazer 10 Roman miles West of Philadelphia (‛Ammān), and about 15 miles from Heshbon, where a great stream rises, which flows into the Jordan. Many would identify it with Khirbet Ṣar, on the South of Wādy Ṣir, about 5 miles West of ‛Ammān. The perennial stream from Wādy Ṣir reaches the Jordan by Wādy el-Kefrein. Cheyne (EB, under the word) suggests Yajūz on Wādy Zorby, tributary of the Jabbok, with extensive Roman remains. It lies a little way to the East of el Jubeihāt (“Jogbehah,†). It is situated, however, to the North and not to the West of ‛Ammān, where Eusebius, Onomasticon, places it. Neither identification is certain.