Bible Dictionaries
Medeba

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Waters of quiet, an ancient Moabite town (Numbers 21:30 ). It was assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Joshua 13:16 ). Here was fought the great battle in which Joab defeated the Ammonites and their allies (1 Chronicles 19:7-15; Compare 2 Samuel 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 .)