Mizpah
“Watchtower or lookout”
Summary
Mizpah, meaning 'watchtower,' was the name of several important biblical locations, most notably the city in Benjamin that served as a national assembly point and later became the administrative center after Jerusalem's destruction.
☩Mizpah in Gilead
The earliest Mizpah mentioned in Scripture is the heap of stones set up by Jacob and Laban in Gilead to witness their covenant. Laban named it Mizpah, saying 'Jehovah watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another.' Another Mizpah in Gilead, possibly the same as Ramath-Mizpeh, was Jephthah's home and the place where he made his fateful vow before defeating the Ammonites. Here Israel assembled to choose a leader in their distress, and here Jephthah met his daughter after his victory.
☩Mizpah in Benjamin
The most significant Mizpah was in the territory of Benjamin, about seven miles north of Jerusalem. It was a place where Israel convened on national emergencies, including the assembly to punish Gibeah for the outrage on the Levite's concubine. Here Samuel gathered Israel for repentance and prayer, and here Saul was chosen king by lot. Its elevated position made it naturally suited as a watchtower and assembly point.
☩Fortification and Later History
King Asa of Judah fortified Mizpah using materials dismantled from Baasha's construction at Ramah, strengthening it against attacks from the northern kingdom. After Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, Mizpah became the residence of Gedaliah, the governor appointed over the remnant. Here the tragic murder of Gedaliah by Ishmael occurred, and here Ishmael subsequently killed a company of pilgrims, casting their bodies into the great cistern that Asa had made. Men of Mizpah helped rebuild Jerusalem's walls after the exile.
☩Other Locations Named Mizpah
Additional places bearing this name include: the land of Mizpah near Mount Hermon, inhabited by Hivites; the Valley of Mizpah eastward of Misrephoth-maim; Mizpeh in the lowlands of Judah; and Mizpeh of Moab, where David entrusted his parents to the Moabite king's protection during Saul's persecution.
Related Verses32 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Mizpah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VI (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Mizpah; Mizpeh," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Mizpah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).