Jabesh (Gilead)
ya.vesh is a proper name used chiefly for the community called Jabesh-gilead and also for Shallum’s father.
The name most often identifies Jabesh-gilead or Jabesh as a community and location, appearing in accounts of its inhabitants, its siege and deliverance, and its treatment of Saul’s remains. In three verses it instead identifies the father of Shallum.
Senses in use
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Jabesh-gilead / Jabesh, a community and place · dominant
The proper noun identifies the community whose men seek relief during Nahash’s siege in 1 Samuel 11:1 and receive a message of deliverance in 1 Samuel 11:9. In 1 Samuel 31:12 the APB renders the destination to which Saul’s body was brought as “Jabesh,” while Judges 21:8 refers to men from Jabesh Gilead being absent from the assembly.
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Jabesh, father of Shallum · occasional
The proper noun occurs in Shallum’s paternal designation: in 2 Kings 15:10 the APB renders “Shallum son of Jabesh” as the man who conspired and killed the ruler. The same designation identifies Shallum when he becomes king in 2 Kings 15:13 and when Menahem kills him in 2 Kings 15:14.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the name as “Jabesh-gilead,” but also uses the shorter “Jabesh,” especially where people bring or bury Saul’s remains. In the Kings passages it renders the same name within “son of Jabesh”; these are verse-level renderings rather than definitions.