Medeba

Medeba is a city in the land east of the Jordan, and in Scripture it appears as a place on the edge of a battle. Ammon hired chariots and Syrian allies, who camped before Medeba, while the Ammonites waited at their own city gate (1 Chronicles 19:7-9). David’s commander Joab found himself surrounded, so he split the army with his brother Abishai. Their pledge to each other is worth remembering: “Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.”

9 verses

1 Chronicles

1 Chronicles 19:7

So they hired thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people; who came and pitched before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.

1 Chronicles 19:8

And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.

1 Chronicles 19:9

And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array before the gate of the city: and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field.

1 Chronicles 19:10

Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose out of all the choice of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.

1 Chronicles 19:11

And the rest of the people he delivered unto the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in array against the children of Ammon.

1 Chronicles 19:12

And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

1 Chronicles 19:13

Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.

1 Chronicles 19:14

So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him.

1 Chronicles 19:15

And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

From Easton's Bible Dictionary

Matthew George Easton, 1897

Waters of quiet, an ancient Moabite town (Num. 21:30). It was assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Josh. 13:16). Here was fought the great battle in which Joab defeated the Ammonites and their allies (1 Chr. 19:7-15; comp. 2 Sam. 10:6-14). In the time of Isaiah (15:2) the Moabites regained possession of it from the Ammonites. (See HANUN.)

The ruins of this important city, now Madeba or Madiyabah, are seen about 8 miles south-west of Heshbon, and 14 east of the Dead Sea. Among these are the ruins of what must have been a large temple, and of three cisterns of considerable extent, which are now dry. These cisterns may have originated the name Medeba, “waters of quiet.” (See OMRI.)

Read the full entry

From Smith's Bible Dictionary

William Smith, 1884

(water of rest), a town on the eastern side of Jordan, first alluded to in (Numbers 21:30) Here it seems to denote the limit of the territory of Heshbon. It next occurs in the enumeration of the country divided among the transjordanic tribes, (Joshua 13:9) as giving its name to a district of level downs called "the Mishor of Medeba" or "the Mishor on Medeba." At the time of the conquest Medeba belonged to the Amorites, apparently one of the towns taken from Moab by them. In the time of Ahaz Medeba was a sanctuary of Moab. (Isaiah 15:2) It has retained its name down, our own times, and lies four miles southeast of Heshbon, on it rounded but rocky hill.