Mizpah

How Nave’s arranged it

• 1. A city allotted to the tribe of BenjaminJoshua 18:26
• The Israelites assemble atJudges 20:1–3
• And decree the penalty to be visited upon the Benjamites for their maltreatment of the Levite's concubineJudges 20:10
• Assembled by Samuel so that he could reprove them for their idolatry1 Samuel 7:5
• They crown Saul king of Israel at1 Samuel 10:17–25
• A judgment seat of Samuel1 Samuel 7:16
• Walled up by Asa1 Kings 15:222 Chronicles 16:6
• Temporarily the capitol of the country after the people of Israel had been carried away captive2 Kings 25:232 Kings 25:25Jeremiah 40:6–15Jeremiah 41:1–14
• Captivity returned toNehemiah 3:7Nehemiah 3:15Nehemiah 3:19
• 2. A valley near LebanonJoshua 11:3Joshua 11:8
• 3. A city in Moab
• David puts his parents into the care of the king of1 Samuel 22:31 Samuel 22:4

The passages, in Bible order (20)

The same references, sorted Genesis to Revelation. The first 16 are quoted in full; the rest are one click beneath them, book by book.

1. Joshua 11:3

   to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

   ›Commentary on Joshua 11:32 voices

   “Hermon - See Deu 3:9 note. The land of Mizpeh - or Mizpah,” the land of the watch-tower” The locality is probably identified as a plain stretching at the foot of Hermon southwestward, from Hasbeya, toward the Bahr el Huleh. In a land abounding in striking points of view like Palestine, the name Mizpah was naturally, like “Belle Vue” among ourselves, bestowed on many places. The Mizpeh here mentioned must not be confounded with the Mizpeh of Gilead (Jos 13:26, and Jdg 11:29); nor with the Mizpeh of Judah Jos 15:38; nor yet with that of Moab 1Sa 22:3.

   “The Canaanite - The Canaanites properly so called, lived part of them on the east near Jordan, and part on the west near the sea, and both are here united. The Hivite - That dwelt under mount Hermon in the north of Canaan, whereby they are differenced from those Hivites who lived in Gibeon. Mizpeh - That Mizpeh which was in the northern part of Gilead.

   Everything gathered on Joshua 11:3→

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2. Joshua 11:8

   and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them down and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors.

   ›Commentary on Joshua 11:82 voices

   “Jabin ("the Intelligent"), which seems to have been a hereditary title (Jud 4:2), took the lead, from Hazor being the capital of the northern region (Jos 11:10). It was situated on the borders of lake Merom. The other cities mentioned must have been in the vicinity though their exact position is unknown.

   “Great Zidon - If this were the same with the Sidon of the ancients, it was illustrious long before the Trojan war; and both it and its inhabitants are frequently mentioned by Homer as excelling in works of skill and utility, and abounding in wealth: - Ενθ’ εσαν οἱ πεπλοι παμποικιλοι, εογα γυναικων Σιδονιων. Iliad, lib. vi., ver. 289. “There lay the ventures of no vulgar art, Sidonian maids embroidered every part.” Pope. Αργυρεον κρητηρα τετυγμενον· ἑξ δ’ αρα μετρα Χανδανεν, αυταρ καλλει ενικα πασαν επ’ αιαν Πολλον, επι Σιδονες πολυδαιδαλοι ευ ησκησαν.

   Everything gathered on Joshua 11:8→

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3. Joshua 15:38

   Dilan, Mizpeh, Joktheel,

   ›Commentary on Joshua 15:381 voice

   “And Dilean,.... Of the first of these nothing is to be said: and Mizpeh, of which name there were cities in other tribes; this in the tribe of Judah was in the times of Jerom (w) called Mapha, on the borders of Eleutheropolis to the south, as you go to Aelia, or Jerusalem: and Joktheel, of which nothing is to be said. (w) De loc. Heb. fol. 93. D.

   Everything gathered on Joshua 15:38→

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4. Joshua 18:26

   Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

   ›Commentary on Joshua 18:262 voices

   “And Mizpeh,.... Frequent mention is made of Mizpeh in Scripture; according to Fuller (t), it was about eight miles from Gibeah; it was near Ramathon, which Josephus says (u) was forty furlongs from Jerusalem: and Chephirah was one of the cities subject to Gibeon, Jos 9:17. and Mozah; there was a place called Motza, near to Jerusalem, where they used to go to get willows at the feast of tabernacles (w). (t) Pisgah-Sight, B. 2. c. 12. p. 209. (u) Antiqu. l. 8. c. 12. sect. 3. (w) Misn. Succah, c. 4. sect. 5.

   “And Mizpeh - This place is celebrated in the sacred writings. Here the people were accustomed to assemble often in the presence of the Lord, as in the deliberation concerning the punishment to be inflicted on the men of Gibeah, for the abuse of the Levite’s wife. Jdg 20:1-3. Samuel assembled the people here to exhort them to renounce their idolatry, 1Sa 7:5, 1Sa 7:6. In this same place Saul was chosen to be king, 1Sa 10:

   Everything gathered on Joshua 18:26→

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5. Judges 20:1–3

   Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.

   ›Commentary on Judges 20:1–31 voice

   “The “congregation” is the technical term for the whole community of the Israelite people. Its occurrence here is an indication of the early date of these transactions. From Dan to Beer-sheba - We cannot safely infer from this expression that the settlement of Dan, recorded in Judg. 18 had taken place at this time. It only proves that in the writer’s time, from Dan to Beer-sheba was a proverbial expression for all Israel (compare the marginal reference).

   Everything gathered on Judges 20:1–3→

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6. Judges 20:10

   We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”

   ›Commentary on Judges 20:101 voice

   “Ten men of a hundred - Expecting that they might have a long contest, they provide suttlers for the camp; and it is probable that they chose these tenths by lot.

   Everything gathered on Judges 20:10→

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7. 1 Samuel 7:5

   Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.”

   ›Commentary on 1 Samuel 7:52 voices

   “And Samuel said, gather all Israel to Mizpeh,.... Not Mizpeh in Gilead, on the other side Jordan, but a city which lay on the borders of Judah and Benjamin, where the tribes met on the account of the Levite's concubine, Jdg 20:

   “Gather all Israel to Mizpeh - This appears to have been an armed assembly, though probably collected principally for religious and political purposes; but Samuel knew that an unarmed multitude could not safely be convened in the vicinity of the Philistines.

   Everything gathered on 1 Samuel 7:5→

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8. 1 Samuel 7:16

   Every year he would go on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all these places.

   ›Commentary on 1 Samuel 7:161 voice

   “He went from year to year in circuit - When he was at Beth-el, the tribe of Ephraim, and all the northern parts of the country, could attend him; when at Gilgal, the tribe of Benjamin, and those beyond Jordan, might have easy access to him; and when at Mizpeh, he was within reach of Judah, Simeon, and Gad; but Ramah was the place of his ordinary abode; and there he held his court, for there he judged Israel; and, as it is probable that Shiloh was destroyed, it is said, 1Sa 7:17, that there (viz., at Ramah) he built an altar unto the Lord.

   Everything gathered on 1 Samuel 7:16→

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9. 1 Samuel 10:17–25

   After this, Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah

   ›Commentary on 1 Samuel 10:17–251 voice

   “31. Mizpah, as I said, is interpreted as "watchtower." In the ordination of the king, the people are called to Mizpah, because those who come together to ordain a pastor of holy Church are taught to attend to his spiritual qualities, not his carnal ones. To watch, indeed, is to recognize the preacher to be ordained through the standard of sacred Scripture. For sacred Scripture is the mirror of the elect. A pastor is known as if through a mirror, when he is shown by his conduct to be such as is proclaimed in sacred eloquence.

   Everything gathered on 1 Samuel 10:17–25→

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10. 1 Samuel 22:3

    From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab, where he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother stay with you until I learn what God will do for me.”

    ›Commentary on 1 Samuel 22:32 voices

    “David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab--"Mizpeh" signifies a watchtower, and it is evident that it must be taken in this sense here, for it is called "the hold" or fort (1Sa 22:4).

    “Mizpeh of Moab - A good conjecture connects it with “Zophim” (a word of the same root as Mizpeh) on the top of Pisgah Num 23:14. It is probable that David’s descent from Ruth the Moabitess may have had something to do with his seeking an asylum for Jesse, Ruth’s grandson, in the land of her birth. It would be very easy to get to the Jordan from the neighborhood of Bethlehem, and cross over near its embouchure into the Dead Sea. Come forth, and be with you - The construction of the Hebrew is very strange.

    Everything gathered on 1 Samuel 22:3→

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11. 1 Samuel 22:4

    So he left them in the care of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time David was in the stronghold.

    ›Commentary on 1 Samuel 22:42 voices

    “And he brought them before the king of Moab,.... Having leave from him for it, and left them with him; so the Targum,"caused them to remain before him:" and they dwelt with him all the whole time that David was in the hold; either in the cave of Adullam, as some think; or rather at Mizpeh in Moab, which might be a fortified place; or the sense may be, while he was in any hold in those parts, as he might go from one to another; what became of David's parents afterwards, we nowhere else read.

    “He brought them before ... - The Septuagint renders it “he persuaded (the face of) the king.” In the hold - Where David was after he left the cave of Adullam, probably in the land of Moab. The phrase “all the while,” would indicate that David sojourned a considerable time in Moab.

    Everything gathered on 1 Samuel 22:4→

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12. 1 Kings 15:22

    Then King Asa summoned all the men of Judah, with no exceptions, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials King Asa built up Geba of Benjamin, as well as Mizpah.

    ›Commentary on 1 Kings 15:221 voice

    “None was exempted - Every man was obliged to go and help to dismantle the fortress at Ramah which Baasha had built. This was a general levee en masse of the people: every one was obliged to lend a helping hand, as the state was then supposed to be in danger, and all exemptions necessarily ceased. This is a maxim of civil policy, Ubi adversus hostem muniendi sent limites, omnis immunitas cessat: “Where the boundaries are to be fortified against an enemy, then all exemptions cease.

    Everything gathered on 1 Kings 15:22→

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13. 2 Kings 25:23

    When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men.

    ›Commentary on 2 Kings 25:231 voice

    “The captains of the armies - i. e., the officers of the troops who had fled from Jerusalem with Zedekiah 2Ki 25:4, and had then dispersed and gone into hiding 2Ki 25:5. For Mizpah, see Jos 18:26 note. The Netophathite - Netophah, the city of Ephai (compare Jer 40:8), appears to have been in the neighborhood of Bethlehem Neh 7:26; Ezr 2:21-22. The name is perhaps continued in the modern Antubeh, about 2 12 miles S. S. E. of Jerusalem. A Maachathite - Maachah lay in the stony country east of the upper Jordan, bordering upon Bashan Deu 3:14.

    Everything gathered on 2 Kings 25:23→

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14. 2 Kings 25:25

    In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

    ›Commentary on 2 Kings 25:252 voices

    “The generous governor, though apprised of his intentions, refused to credit the report, much less to sanction the proposal made by an attached friend to cut off Ishmael. The consequence was, that he was murdered by this same Ishmael, when entertaining him in his own house (Jer 41:1).

    “Smote Gedaliah - This was at an entertainment which Gedaliah had made for them; see Jer 41:1, etc. He was not content with this murder, but slew fourscore more, who were coming with offerings to the temple, and took several as prisoners, among whom were some of the king’s daughters; and set off to go to the Ammonites: but Johanan, the son of Careah, hearing of these outrages, raised a number of men, and pursued Ishmael upon which Ishmael’s prisoners immediately turned and joined Johanan; so that he, and eight of his accomplices, with difficulty escaped to the Ammonites.

    Everything gathered on 2 Kings 25:25→

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15. 2 Chronicles 16:6

    Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials he built up Geba and Mizpah.

    Verse page →Original language →

16. Nehemiah 3:7

    Next to them, repairs were made by Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, and the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, who were under the authority of the governor of the region west of the Euphrates.

    ›Commentary on Nehemiah 3:72 voices

    “And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah,.... Which places were both in the tribe of Benjamin, Jos 18:25 and one of these men was of the one place, and the other of the other: unto the throne of the governor on this side the river; where the governor of those parts under the king of Persia had his seat, and now Nehemiah; but, according to Aben Ezra, Cisse, rendered "throne", is the name of a man who was the governor.

    Unto the throne ... - The meaning is thought to be “the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, who, though they worked for Nehemiah, were not under his government, but belonged to the jurisdiction of the governor on this side the river.”

    Everything gathered on Nehemiah 3:7→

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