Ish tob
“Man of Tob or Good man”
Summary
A small Aramean state whose men were hired by the Ammonites to fight against King David, identified with the land of Tob where Jephthah once fled.
☩Alliance Against David
Ish-tob, meaning 'men of Tob,' was one of the small kingdoms or states forming part of the general country of Aram. When the Ammonites realized they had made themselves odious to David after insulting his ambassadors, they hired soldiers from Ish-tob along with troops from Zobah, Rehob, and Maacah. The men of Ish-tob contributed 12,000 soldiers to this coalition opposing Israel.
☩Location and History
Ish-tob is identified with 'the land of Tob' to which Jephthah fled from his brothers before becoming a judge of Israel. The region is thought to have been located east of the Jebel Hauran in Transjordan. The account is omitted in the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 19, which otherwise records the same coalition against David.
See Also
References
- 1.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Ishtob," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Ishtob," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.George Morrish, "Ishtob," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).