Gilead

הַגִּלְעָד

Where is Gilead? The Ajlun highlands of northern Jordan. I mark it certain.

Laban caught up with Jacob in these hills. The two men piled up a heap of stones as a witness and parted in peace.

By Aaron Shaffier, licensed Israel tour guide and mapmaker · About the mapmaker

Site today
The Ajlun highlands of northern Jordan
How sure
Certain The name, the sources and the finds all agree.
Other names
Galaad, Har HaGilead, Jebel Jil'ad, Ajlun highlands
Location
32.3642° N, 35.7345° E (Google Maps)
Gilead on the hand-drawn Map of Biblical Israel
Gilead on our hand-drawn Map of Biblical Israel. Get the full map as a print →

How we know where it was

Gilead is the forested hill country east of the Jordan. The Jabbok cuts it in two. Half of Manasseh settled north of the river and Gad settled south of it. The name survives in Jebel Jil'ad, near es-Salt in Jordan. Biblical towns like Mahanaim, Penuel, Ramoth-gilead and Jabesh-gilead sit along the Jabbok and the wadis near it.

Two things made Gilead famous. One was its balm. The caravan that bought Joseph was carrying it down to Egypt. The other was its people, rough and independent. Gilead gave Israel the judge Jephthah and the prophet Elijah.

Visiting today

Gilead is in Jordan. The Ajlun forest, Jerash and the Jabbok valley, now Wadi Zarqa, are open to visitors.

Read it in the Bible

Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In a handful of chapters English Bibles count one verse off.

See Gilead on the interactive map →

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