Nebo ( ''Nəḇō''; also ''Nabo, Nebai, Nobai'') is a town name mentioned in several passages of the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...
(or
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
). It is used for two towns, one in the territory assigned in the Bible to the
Tribe of Reuben
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Reuben () was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Unlike the majority of the tribes, the land of Reuben, along with that of Tribe of Gad, Gad and half of Manasseh (tribal patriarch), Manasseh, was on t ...
, and another in that of the
Tribe of Judah
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tribe of Judah (, ''Shevet Yehudah'') was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel, named after Judah, the son of Jacob. Judah was the first tribe to take its place in the Land of Israel, occupying the southern ...
.
The Reubenite Nebo is mentioned in ,
and is mentioned between
Sibmah and Beon, the latter being an abbreviation of
Baal-meon
A biblical name, Baal-meon, meaning Lord of Dwelling, was the name of a town of Reuben, that some have identified as modern-day Ma`in in Jordan. It was allegedly the birthplace of the prophet Elisha
Elisha ( ; or "God is my salvation", Gr ...
. In the same chapter, verse 38, it is again mentioned between
Cariathaim and Baal-meon, and it is found associated with the same names on the
Mesha Stele
The Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, is a stele dated around 840 BCE containing a significant Canaanite and Aramaic inscriptions, Canaanite inscription in the name of King Mesha of Moab (a kingdom located in modern Jordan). Mesha tel ...
(line 14). These and other indications show that the town was situated in the vicinity of
Mount Nebo
Mount Nebo ( ar, جَبَل نِيبُو, Jabal Nībū; he, , Har Nəḇō) is an elevated ridge located in Jordan, approximately above sea level. Part of the Abarim mountain range, Mount Nebo is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses ...
; its exact location is identified with
Khirbet al-Mukhayyat
Khirbet al-Mukhayyat (Arabic: خربة المُخيَّط) also commonly known as the town of Nebo is a village in Madaba Governorate in Jordan. The village is about 3.5 km from Mount Nebo also known as ''Siyagha''. Many Byzantine churches ...
. It belonged to the rich pasture lands which the tribes of
Reuben
Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob.
Variants include Rúben in European Portuguese; Rubens in Brazilian Portugue ...
and
Gad asked of
Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
in the distribution of the territory (Numbers 32). The town had reverted to the
Moabites at the time when Isaiah prophesied against it (Isaiah 15:2; cf.
Jeremiah 48:1, 22). The
Mesha Stele
The Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, is a stele dated around 840 BCE containing a significant Canaanite and Aramaic inscriptions, Canaanite inscription in the name of King Mesha of Moab (a kingdom located in modern Jordan). Mesha tel ...
(lines 14-18) boasts of having taken it from the Israelites. According to
Saint Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is comm ...
,
[''Commentary on Isaiah'' 15:2, in P.L., XXIV, 168] the sanctuary of the idol
Chemosh
Chemosh ( Moabite: 𐤊𐤌𐤔 ''Kamāš''; he, כְּמוֹשׁ ''Kəmōš'' ; Eblaite: 𒅗𒈪𒅖 ''Kamiš'', Akkadian: 𒅗𒄠𒈲 ''Kâmuš'') was the god of the Moabites. He is most notably attested in the Mesha Stele and the Hebrew ...
was in Nebo.
See also
*
Isaiah 15
Isaiah 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Isaiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. This chapter a ...
References
{{Catholic, wstitle=Nabo (Nebo)
Torah cities
Tribe of Reuben