Lexical Summary Yahats: Jahaz, Jahzah Original Word: יַהַץ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Jahaz, Jahazah, Jahzah Or Yahtsah {yah'-tsaw}; or (feminine) Yahtsah {yah-tsaw'}; from an unused root meaning to stamp; perhaps threshing-floor; Jahats or Jahtsah, a place East of the Jordan -- Jahaz, Jahazah, Jahzah. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition a place in Moab NASB Translation Jahaz (7), Jahzah (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs יַ֫הַץ, יַ֫הְצָה proper name, of a location in Moab, site unknown (MI19, 20 יהץ) — יהץ Isaiah 15:4; Jeremiah 48:34; with ה locative יָהְ֑צָה, on border of territory of Amorites (under Sihon) Numbers 21:23; Deuteronomy 2:32; also בְּיָהְ֑צָה Judges 11:20; called יַהֲצָ֫ה Joshua 13:18 (assigned to Reuben); יַ֫הְצָה 1 Chronicles 6:63 (Levitical city in Reuben), Jeremiah 48:21. יהר (√ of following; compare Late Hebrew יָהַר Hithpa`el shew oneself haughty, adjective יָהִיר; Aramaic יְהַר Pa`el be haughty, adjective יְהִירָא; compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Name and Location Jahaz (also Jahazah or Jahzah) lies east of the Jordan in the tableland north of the Arnon Gorge, within territory later known as Moab. Most scholars connect it with Khirbet el-Medeiyineh or an adjacent ruin south-east of Dhiban. Its strategic position on the King’s Highway made it an inevitable battlefield whenever control of the Trans-Jordan shifted. Occurrences in Scripture 1. Numbers 21:23 Historical Overview • Battle against Sihon: The site first enters biblical history when “Sihon gathered all his people and went out to fight against Israel in the wilderness; and when he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel” (Numbers 21:23). Israel’s victory there opened the entire Amorite plateau to the tribes. Role in Tribal Allotments and Levitical Cities Jahaz demonstrates how military victory became settled inheritance. Reuben received it as part of the southern tableland, yet the Levites ministered there—showing that worship and instruction were to be embedded in every tribal region. The city’s later loss to Moab warns how easily spiritual privileges can be surrendered. Prophetic References Concerning Moab By the eighth century B.C., Moab had retaken Jahaz. Isaiah cries, “Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voices are heard as far as Jahaz” (Isaiah 15:4). Jeremiah echoes a century later: “Judgment has come upon the plain—upon Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath” (Jeremiah 48:21). In Jeremiah 48:34 Jahaz again hears “the cry of Heshbon to Elealeh,” portraying the sweeping devastation of Moab under Babylon. Thus the city that once witnessed Israel’s conquest now witnesses divine judgment upon Israel’s enemy, affirming God’s sovereignty over every nation and every era. Archaeological Clues Surface pottery from Iron II and early Persian periods at Khirbet Medeiyineh aligns with biblical data. Inscribed Moabite stelae from nearby Dhiban recount victories of King Mesha, corroborating the transfer of Reubenite towns—including Jahaz—to Moab (cf. Mesha Stele line 18). Although no definitive inscription of Jahazah has been unearthed, the convergence of geographic, ceramic, and epigraphic evidence is compelling. Doctrinal and Devotional Themes 1. Divine warfare: Jahaz proves that Israel’s triumphs were acts of the LORD, not human prowess (Numbers 21:34). Summary From battlefield to Levitical town to prophetic waypoint of judgment, Jahaz encapsulates the flow of redemptive history east of the Jordan. Its nine scriptural mentions trace the reliability of God’s promises, the responsibility of His people, and the certainty that every nation’s account ultimately serves His glory. Forms and Transliterations בְּיָ֑הְצָה ביהצה וְיַ֥הְצָה ויהצה יַ֖הְצָה יַ֖הַץ יַ֙הַץ֙ יָ֑הְצָה יָֽהְצָה׃ יהץ יהצה יהצה׃ bə·yā·hə·ṣāh bəyāhəṣāh beYahetzah veYahtzah wə·yah·ṣāh wəyahṣāh ya·haṣ yā·hə·ṣāh yah·ṣāh yahaṣ Yahatz yāhəṣāh Yahetzah yahṣāh YahtzahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 21:23 HEB: הַמִּדְבָּ֔רָה וַיָּבֹ֖א יָ֑הְצָה וַיִּלָּ֖חֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ NAS: and came to Jahaz and fought KJV: and he came to Jahaz, and fought INT: the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought Israel Deuteronomy 2:32 Joshua 13:18 Joshua 21:36 Judges 11:20 1 Chronicles 6:78 Isaiah 15:4 Jeremiah 48:21 Jeremiah 48:34 9 Occurrences |
    |
be insane).