River
Jabbok River
JAB-ock · Modern Zarqa River, Jordan
Jabbok River is a river of the biblical world, known today as Zarqa River, Jordan.
What is known
- The Jabbok is a perennial tributary of the Jordan River, rising near Amman and flowing generally northwest and then west through a deep gorge to join the Jordan River in the central Jordan Valley
- Jacob sent his family and possessions across the Jabbok ford by night, then remained alone and wrestled with a mysterious 'man' until daybreak, receiving the name Israel ('he struggles with God') and a permanently wrenched hip (Genesis 32:22-32)
- The Jabbok formed a key boundary marker in the territorial descriptions of the conquest: it separated the kingdom of Sihon the Amorite from the Ammonites, and later marked part of the border between the tribal allotments of Gad and Reuben east of the Jordan (Numbers 21:24; Deuteronomy 3:16; Joshua 12:2)
- Modern Amman's ancient name, Rabbah/Rabbath-Ammon, sat near the Jabbok's headwaters as the capital of the Ammonites
History
- Coordinates
- 32.1000° N, 35.5700° E
Scripture references
- Genesis 32:22-32
- Numbers 21:24
- Deuteronomy 2:37
- Deuteronomy 3:16
- Joshua 12:2
- Judges 11:13-22
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
Jacob wrestled through the night at the Jabbok and refused to let go without a blessing — what struggle of yours is worth holding onto that long?
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