Mizpah (bible)
Mizpah (Hebrew for “watchtower”, “waiting”, “observation post”) is the general term in the Tanakh , the Hebrew Bible, for a higher-lying vantage point that is suitable for peering. In particular, the designation became the name of various localities. Most mentions of mizpah include an article, Hebrew hammizpah .
Place of covenant between Jacob and Laban
Jacob and his father-in-law Laban made a covenant after a dispute in the mountains of Gilead and erected a cairn as "witness" to strengthen the covenant and keep it in memory ( Gen. 31.44 ff. EU ). They gave the stone the name Gal-Ed (Hebrew) or Jegar-Sahaduta (Aramaic). Laban also called this stone monument Mizpah , peeping tower, and justified this with the fact that YHWH should watch like a scout that the contract is kept by both Laban and Jacob.
Home of Jiftach
The Book of Judges 10.17 EU ; 11.11 EU .34 EU mentions a place in Gilead called Mizpah as the home of Judge Jiftach . Geographically, this could be the place of the union of Jacob and Laban. It is equally possible, however, that a town in Gilead had the same name independently. Some researchers identify this mizpah with Ramot-Gilead , others with a place called Jal′ud.
Place in Moab
David brought his parents to safety in a place called Mizpah, which was in Moab ( 1 Sam 22.3 EU ).
literature
- Helmut Burkhardt, Fritz Grünzweig et al .: The great Bible lexicon. R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal 1988, pp. 983-986.