Gilead
Gilead or Gilad (; "Gīləʿāḏ", , Ǧalʻād, Jalaad) is the ancient, historic, biblical name of the mountainous northern part of the region of Transjordan. The region is bounded in the west by the Jordan River, in the north by the deep ravine of the river Yarmouk and the region of Bashan, and in the southwest by what were known during antiquity as the “plains of Moab”, with no definite boundary to the east. In some cases, “Gilead” is used the bible to refer to all the region east of the Jordan River. Gilead is situated in modern-day Jordan, corresponding roughly  to the Irbid, Ajloun, Jerash and Balqa Governorates. Gilead is also the name of three people in the Hebrew Bible, and a common given name for males in modern-day Israel. Etymology. Gilead is explained in the Hebrew Bible as derived from the Hebrew words , which in turn comes from ('heap, mound, hill') and ('witness, testimony'). If that is the case, Gilead means 'heap [of stones] of testimony'. There is also an alternative theory that it means 'rocky region'. From its mountainous character, it is called the Mount of Gilead (; ). It is called also the Land of Gilead (, ) in many  translations, and sometimes simply Gilead (; ; ), also mentioned in . History. Hebrew Bible. The name Gilead first appears in the biblical account of the last meeting of Jacob and Laban (). In Book of Genesis, Gilead was also referred to by the Aramaic name Yegar-Sahadutha, which carries the same meaning as the Hebrew Gilead, namely "heap [of stones] of testimony" (). According to the biblical narrative, during the Exodus, "half Gilead" was possessed by Sihon, and the other half, separated from it by the river Jabbok, by Og, king of Bashan. After the two kings were defeated, the region of Gilead was allotted  by Moses to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the eastern half of Manasseh (; ). In the Book of Judges, the thirty sons of the biblical judge Jair controlled the thirty towns of Gilead (), and in the First Book of Chronicles, Segub controlled twenty-three towns in Gilead (). It was bounded on the north by Bashan, and on the south by Moab and Ammon (; ). Abarim, Pisgah, Nebo, and Peor are its mountains mentioned in Scripture. "Gilead" mentioned in the Book of Hosea may refer to the cities of Ramoth-Gilead, Jabesh-Gilead, or the whole Gilead region; "Gilead is a city  of those who work iniquity; it is stained with blood" (). The kingdoms Ammon and Moab sometimes expanded to include southern Gilead. King David fled to Mahanaim in Gilead during the rebellion of Absalom. Gilead is later mentioned as the homeplace of the prophet Elijah. Neo-Assyrian province. King Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria says he established the province of Gal'azu (Gilead). Arabic. Gilead (, Ǧalʻād or Jalaad) is an Arabic term used to refer to the mountainous land extending north and south of Jabbok. It was used more generally for the entire region east of the Jordan River. It corresponds today  to the northwestern part of the Kingdom of Jordan. People. Gilead may also refer to: In Hebrew, (transcribed Gilad or Ghil'ad) is used as a male given name and is often analyzed as deriving from ("gil") "happiness, joy" and ("ad") "eternity, forever"; i.e. "eternal happiness".