Minnith
“Distribution or apportionment”
Summary
Minnith was an Ammonite town to which Jephthah pursued his enemies after defeating them, noted for producing excellent wheat exported to Tyre.
☩Location and History
Minnith was a town in the territory of the Ammonites, east of the Jordan River. According to Eusebius, it was located four Roman miles from Heshbon on the road to Philadelphia (modern Amman). The town marked the extent of Jephthah's pursuit when he defeated the Ammonites, conquering twenty cities from Aroer to the approach of Minnith. The area around Minnith, including the nearby 'meadow of vineyards' (Abel-Ceramim), was evidently fertile agricultural land.
☩Commerce with Tyre
Ezekiel mentions that Judah and Israel traded with Tyre in wheat from Minnith, indicating the town's reputation for producing high-quality grain. This reference demonstrates that the region continued to be agriculturally significant long after Jephthah's time.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Minnith," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VI (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Minnith," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.James Orr (ed.), "Minnith," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).