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Sunday, December 22nd, 2024
the Fourth Week of Advent
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Mareshah
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
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ma - rē´sha ( מרשהּ , mārēshāh ; Septuagint: Codex Vaticanus Βαθησάρ , Bathēsár ; Codex Alexandrinus Μαρησά , Marēsá ): A town in the Shephelah of Judah named with Keilah and Achzib ( Joshua 15:44 ). It occupied such a position that Rehoboam thought well to fortify it for the protection of Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 11:8 ). In the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah, Asa overwhelmed Zerah the Ethiopian and his army, pursuing them as far as Gezer (2 Chronicles 14:9 ff). From Mareshah came Eliezer the prophet who denounced disaster upon the commercial copartnery of Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah ( 2 Chronicles 20:37 ). The place is mentioned in Mic (2 Chronicles 1:15 ). Mareshah was plundered and burned by Judas Maccabeus (Ant. , XII , viii, 6; 1 Macc 5:66 the Revised Version margin). Hither Gorgias escaped, having been rescued from the hands of Dositheus by a Thracian horseman (2 Macc 12:35). It was taken by John Hyrcanus, who allowed the inhabitants to remain on condition that they adopt circumcision and submit to the Jewish law. This they did; and later John avenged an injustice done to Mareshah by the Samaritans. It is then described as "a colony of Jews" (Ant. , XIII , ix, 1; x, 2). The city was treated with favor by Pompey (XIV, iv, 4). When the Parthians invaded Judea in support of Antigonus they demolished Mareshah (xiii, 9).
According to Eusebius, Onomasticon , Mareshah was 2 Roman miles from Eleutheropolis ( Beit Jibr̂n ). Until recently it was thought that Khirbet Mir‛ash , where the old name lingers, not far Southwest of Beit Jibr̂n , represented the ancient city. The work of Dr. Bliss, however ("Excavations in Palestine," PEF ), shows that it must be located at Tell Sandaḥannah , about a mile South of Beit Jibr̂n . A series of remarkable tombs was discovered here. From 1 Chronicles 2:42 we may perhaps gather that Hebron was colonized by the men of Mareshah.
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Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. Entry for 'Mareshah'. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/isb/m/mareshah.html. 1915.
