Mahanaim
Sign in to savethumb|Territory of Gad on an 1852 map: Mahanaim can be seen in the northeast corner of the pink-shaded area of Gad Mahanaim ( Maḥănayīm, "camps") is a place mentioned a number of times by the Bible said to be near Jabbok, in the same general area as Jabesh-gilead, beyond the Jordan River. Although two possible sites have been identified, the precise location of Mahanaim is uncertain. Tell edh-Dhahab el-Gharbi, the western one of the twin Tulul adh-Dhahab tells, is one proposed identification.
Article
3 sectionsContents
- Biblical narrative
- Historical analysis
- References
thumb|Territory of Gad on an 1852 map: Mahanaim can be seen in the northeast corner of the pink-shaded area of Gad Mahanaim ( Maḥănayīm, "camps") is a place mentioned a number of times by the Bible said to be near Jabbok, in the same general area as Jabesh-gilead, beyond the Jordan River. Although two possible sites have been identified, the precise location of Mahanaim is uncertain. Tell edh-Dhahab el-Gharbi, the western one of the twin Tulul adh-Dhahab tells, is one proposed identification.
==Biblical narrative== In the Biblical narrative, the first mentioned of Mahanaim occurs in the Book of Genesis as the place where Jacob, returning from Padan-aram to southern Canaan, had a vision of angels (). Believing it to be "God's camp", Jacob names the place Mahanaim (Hebrew for "Two Camps", or "Two Companies") to memorialize the occasion of his own company sharing the place with God's. Later in the story, Jacob is moved by fear at the approach of his brother Esau (whom he has reason to fear) and as a result divided his retinue into two hosts (two companies), hence the town built on the site took two hosts as its name.