Gilead was eminent for balm, Genesis 43:11, taken for rosin or turpentine, which is a kind of more liquid rosin, and either flows or drops from certain trees of its own accord, or their juice flows from several holes pierced into them, as from the pine, cedar, cypress, or terebinth tree. As the story goes, Jacob fell in love with Rachel, but Laban said he would need to work for him for seven years in order to marry her. Then were built such cities as Gadara and Gerasa, which are still imposing, even in ruins. He occupied parts of Israel, dividing the annexed territory into three provinces, named in the Assyrian lists according to their respective capitals: Megiddo (Magiddu), Dor (Duru), and Gilead (Galaza). In the second episode, the audience sees Handmaid Janine give birth to a child and the baby is handed off to the wife of the wealthy family she is serving. No matter what ingredients the particular balm of Gilead contained, we know they believed it could heal the wounded. Moses was allowed to see the land of Gilead as far as Dan from the top of Mount Nebo just before his death (Deut 34:1). Israel and Judah entered into an alliance to wrest Ramoth-gilead from the king of Syria (1 Kings 22:1-4), resulting in the death of Ahab on the battlefield. Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary - Gilead, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gilead (1), International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gilead (2). Gilead is later mentioned as the homeplace of the prophet Elijah. Youve deceived me, and youve carried off my daughters like captives in war." All rights reserved. proper name, masculine and in combination with other Yes, the balm might heal their physical wounds, but they had far deeper spiritual cuts that needed ultimate healing. He condemned the cruelty of the Ammonites toward innocent women of Gilead in time of war (Amos 1:13). In the Hebrew Bible, the term handmaid is applied to a female servant who serves her mistress, as in the case of Hagar being described as Sarais handmaid, Zilpah being Leahs handmaid and Bilhah as Rachels handmaid. God shows Israel that they'd turned to a temporary healing solution, but they had far deeper spiritual cuts that needed ultimate healing. The "balm in Gilead" is a reference from the Old Testament, but the lyrics of this spiritual refer to the New Testament concept of salvation through Jesus Christ.The Balm of Gilead is interpreted as a spiritual medicine that is able to heal Israel (and sinners in general). It is only mentioned in Genesis 37:25, Jeremiah 8:22 and 46:11. Based on Jeremiahs prophecy, Egypt would never return to heights of prominence. The N part of Gilead was settled as early as the 23rd cent. A balm is an aromatic, medicinal substance derived from plants. Balm of Gilead Oil. So Jacob works for seven more years, marries Rachel, works for six more years, and then runs away with Laban in pursuit. The same verb, namely ('ada II) is used to mean to adorn or ornament oneself that is: to have items approach the canvas of one's bulk in order to testify of some social rank or perhaps the trade or order one belongs to. From Jeremiah, we discover that the Balm of Gilead means spiritual health. name Gilead means mountain or hill country. The tree or shrub producing the balm is commonly identified as Commiphora gileadensis. resina; Engl. The potent healing strengths of the balm of Gilead made it one many sought after to help with a variety of illnesses and ailments. The ancient salve mixtures could contain a number of ingredients from beeswax to balsam and poplar tree juices. For all its disturbing moments, the indelible image of The Handmaids Tale Season 1 is undoubtedly Ofglen (Alexis Bledel) carefully lifting up her hospital gown, only to realize that by Gileads order, her clitoris had been cut off to negate her desire for sex (specifically with a person of the same gender). In Hebrew, (transcribed Gilad or Ghil'ad) is used as a male given name and is often analyzed as deriving from (gil) "happiness, joy" and (ad) "eternity, forever"; i.e. It was a region east of the Jordan River. Tishbite is a demonym predicated of the Prophet Elijah in the Hebrew Bible. But they wouldve understood the imagery. The Arabic jilead means "rough," "rugged." (1) A city named in Hosea 6:8; 12:11, possibly to be identified with Gilead near to Mizpah ( Judges 10:17 ). Hope Bolingeris an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, and the author 21+ books. Blessed Be the Fruit: Gileadean for hello. Handmaids use this line to greet each other to encourage fertility. Both Atwood and Miller stated that the people running Gilead are not genuinely Christian. For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Himself of His foes . It is possible that this ancient trade item of balm is now known as the Balsam of Mecca. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! The theme of Genesis 30:1-3 runs throughout the story. During the Roman period, especially in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, the land enjoyed great prosperity. The Rose of Sharon is not truly a rose. Jesus Christ is called the Rose of Sharon in Christian works because of the similarities between the plant and Christ. "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". The balm of Gilead referenced in the Bible was a representation and foretelling of Jesus Christ, but an actual balm of Gilead oil still exists today. Gideon and his army lay to the South of the plain of Jezreel on the lower slopes of Gilboa. If you read through the Bible each year, youll discover three scriptures that reference the balm of Gilead. When the Promised Land was divided among the twelve tribes of . Since my people are crushed,I am crushed;I mourn, and horror grips me. Josh 22:9ff. The Significance of Shechem. The "balm in Gilead" is a reference from the Old Testament, but the lyrics of this spiritual refer to the New Testament concept of salvation through Jesus Christ. But one of the final scenes in the fourth season let the viewers know that the commanders might actually start paying for their crimes. Why then has the healing of the daughter of My people not come? This particular lands topography was mountainous and fertile. Genesis 31:20 - 21 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. If you grew up in a Lutheran church, or a church that frequently sang hymns, you may have been familiar . Abarim, Pisgah, Nebo, and Peor are its mountains . And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. Jdg 11:1. In a strict sense, the fertile area east of the Jordan River that extended north and south of the Valley of Jabbok. The title, Balm of Gilead, also provides important clues about the process required before being made useful. Glean. In the Old Testament, the balm of Gilead is taken most directly from Jeremiah chapter 8 v. 22: "Is there no . Meaning of Gilead. Here, Jeremiah shares the vision he has about the battle between Egypt and the Babylonians in Carchemish near the Euphrates River. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh did not want to cross over the Jordan with the other tribes, as the Trans-Jordan territory appealed to them. Hadnt He provided spiritual leaders, or physicians of the soul, like Jeremiah to guide the people? For the Christian captured by sin, God is eager to provide healing. Gilead literally translates the meaning as the Eyes keeping the citizens under control so that they go along with their daily lives obeying the law. The last suggestion is favored by the presence of a strong spring under the northern declivity of Gilboa, nearly 2 miles from Zer`in, possibly to be identified with the Well of Harod. To heal the sin sick soul. Is there no physician there? The Balm of Gilead is interpreted as a spiritual medicine that is able to heal Israel (and sinners in general). Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. Location. Unable to outrun Laban and his men, Jacob faced his adversary in the hill country where they made a covenant with one anothera heap or mass of testimony.. 2. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! Above this again is the white chalk of the desert plateau, the same as that found in Samaria and Lower Galilee, with bands of flint or chert in contorted layers, or strewn in pebbles on the surface. Bible Meaning: Rocky region. Judea corresponds to part of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, also known as the Southern Kingdom. First, Jeremiah points out that spiritual healing for Israel and Judah was readily available through God. But in any case it is clear that the bulk of Gilead fell to Gad, so that Gilead might stand for Gad (Judges 5:17). Jephthah the Gileadite So called, either from his father Gilead, or from the mountain, or city of Gilead, the place of his birth. The geological formation is the same as that of Western Palestine, but the underlying sandstone, which does not appear West of the Jordan, forms the base slopes of the chain of Moab and Gilead, and is traceable as far as the Jabbok. Amos condemned Syria for her extreme cruelty, particularly toward Gilead (Amos 1:3-5). "Half Gilead" was possessed by Sihon, and the other half, separated from it by the river Jabbok, by Og, king of Bashan. In the same way that the leaves of the plant were thrust through to extract the resin, Jesus was broken that we might benefit from His wounds. The parallel verb (gil) expresses a circular motion as is mostly associated with expressions of joy and celebration (dance). "Gilead" mentioned in the Book of Hosea may refer to the cities of Ramoth-Gilead, Jabesh-Gilead, or the whole Gilead region; "Gilead is a city of those who work iniquity; it is stained with blood" (Hosea 6:8). The balm you are asking about is believed by some to have been first brought from this region of Israel by Ishmaelite traders traveling in a caravan to Egypt (Genesis 37:25). For less than $5/mo. An Ammonite attack was repulsed by the prowess of Jephthah (Judges 11:1); and the spite of the Ephraimites was terribly punished (Judges 12:1). It has been tentatively identified with Reimun, on the northern slope of the Jabbok, about 5 miles west of Jerash or Gerasa, one of the cities of Decapolis. What Do We Learn from Reading Jesus Genealogy? Based on these three verses, we discover that the balm produced in the region of Gilead was both valuable and rare. After Sauls defeat and death at the hands of the Philistines, Abner established Sauls son Ish-bosheth as king over Gilead (2 Sam 2:8, 9). The name Gilead first appears in the biblical account of the last meeting of Jacob and Laban (Genesis 31:2122). From old time Gilead was famed for its BALM (which see). The term was applied to the entire central section of Israelite Trans-Jordan (2 Kings 10:33). Well also talk about the role of balms in Scripture, and as always, well form a discussion about it. In NT times, as a part of the kingdom of Herod the Great and his son Herod Antipas, it was known as Perea. NOBSE Study Bible Name List appears to ignore the second part of the name and renders Rocky or Strong, but the rendition of Strong seems a bit stretchy. Gilead in NT times was part of Perea. The territory where this salve came from (an area north of the Salt (Dead) Sea in the land of Israel) was originally given by God to Manasseh as an inheritance when the children of Israel entered the Promised Land. Israel 26 compare same used of camel (camelus robustus ac firmus, compare Hom NS 144), whence camel hump, originally name of mountain) Genesis 37:25 79t. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. The first mention of the balm is from Genesis 37:25-26. The city of Ramoth-gilead (Ramoth in Gilead), located east of the Jordan River, was on a major north-south trading route known as the King's Highway. Alexander Janneus, who had subdued Gilead, was forced to yield it again to the king of Arabia (Ant., XIII, xiv, 2; BJ, I, iv, 3). Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? What does Gilead mean? At the end of Jacob's tenure, Laban tricks Jacob and has him marry his other daughter Leah instead. Theyd consulted other nations, other gods, and other methods to heal their sin problem. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand: and there remained ten thousand. To the East of it lies the hollow (an old lake bottom) of el-Buqei`a, fully 1,500 ft. lower. To gather whatever portion of a crop the harvesters had intentionally or unintentionally left behind. The name is also applied to a tribe known as Gileadites, parallel to Reuben and Dan and equivalent to Gad (Judg 5:17). At length Tiglath-pileser overran the country and transported many of the inhabitants (2Kings 15:29). The most known location that produced this type of ointment was the city of Ein Gedi (or Engedi, located on the western shore of the Dead Sea). The following episode shows Offred confined to her room on the orders of Serena Joy. Jesus is truly the "balm of Gilead" for all the hurting people of the world. Check out her books at hopebolinger.comfor clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. This product was used both for medicinal purposes and for a perfume by ancient Greek and Roman cultures. The region is bounded in the north by the Yarmk River and in the southwest by what were known in ancient times as the "plains of Moab"; to the east there is no definite boundary. Of flowers the most plentiful are the phlox, the cistus and the narcissus. [2] The region is bounded in the west by the Jordan River, in the north by the deep ravine of the river Yarmouk and the region of Bashan, and in the southwest by what were known during antiquity as the plains of Moab, with no definite boundary to the east. ( Nu 32:1; Jos 12:2; 2Ki 10:33 ) See App. The Balm of Gilead was a perfume-like substance that had medicinal purposes. In the North we have Jebel Hakart (3,408 ft.) W, of Reimun. Above this lies the hard, impervious dolomite limestone which appears in 'the rugged hills round' the Jabbok and in Jebel `Ajlun, rising on an average 1,500 ft. above the sandstone and forming the bed of the copious springs. The people chose Jephthah, an outcast Gileadite and mighty warrior, as their leader to deliver them. The third person named Gilead was a . It is only mentioned in Genesis 37:25, Jeremiah 8:22 and 46:11. Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale is a chilling and timely adaptation of the bestselling dystopian novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. 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