Gilead, a region east of the Jordan River, holds significant historical and biblical importance. It is often associated with the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. The region is characterized by its rugged terrain and fertile land, making it a desirable area for settlement and agriculture. Throughout biblical history, Gilead was a site of numerous conflicts, one of the most notable being the war initiated by the Ammonites.

The conflict with the Ammonites is detailed in the Book of Judges, specifically in Judges 10 and 11. The Ammonites, descendants of Lot, were a perennial adversary of Israel. Their hostility towards Israel is rooted in territorial disputes and historical grievances. The Ammonites claimed the land of Gilead as their own, asserting that Israel had unjustly taken it during their conquest under Moses.

In Judges 10:7-9 , it is recorded that due to Israel's idolatry and abandonment of the LORD, God allowed them to fall into the hands of their enemies, including the Ammonites: "So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, who that year shattered and crushed the Israelites. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites."

The oppression by the Ammonites was severe, prompting the Israelites to cry out to the LORD for deliverance. In response, God raised up Jephthah, a Gileadite, to lead Israel against the Ammonites. Jephthah, despite being an outcast due to his birth, was recognized for his valor and leadership abilities. The elders of Gilead sought him out, and after securing his leadership, Jephthah attempted to negotiate with the Ammonite king, reminding him of Israel's legitimate claim to the land based on historical events (Judges 11:12-27).

The Ammonite king, however, dismissed Jephthah's arguments, leading to a military confrontation. Judges 11:32-33 describes the ensuing battle: "So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hand. He struck them down from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith—twenty cities in all—and as far as Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites."

This victory was significant not only for the immediate relief it provided to the people of Gilead but also for reaffirming Israel's claim to the land. The conflict with the Ammonites over Gilead underscores the recurring theme of Israel's struggle to maintain its God-given inheritance amidst surrounding hostile nations. The narrative also highlights the importance of faithfulness to God and the consequences of idolatry, as well as the role of divinely appointed leaders in delivering God's people.Judges 11:1
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.
Nave's Topical Index

That the Judges who Succeeded Gideon Made War with the Adjoining ...
... a ruler, so they thought proper to make the offer ... with him in his expedition against
the Ammonites, but because ... forces which he sent for out of Gilead, and he ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 7 that the judges.htm

Concerning the Insurrection of Absalom against David and ...
... his son should change his mind, and make haste to ... Gileadite, and Siphar the ruler
among the Ammonites, and Machir the principal man of Gilead; and these ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 9 concerning the insurrection.htm

The Captivity.
... at Acre under Mount Carmel, and intending to march through Gilead. ... that if he would
go out and make terms with ... royal, who had fled to the Ammonites during the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson x the captivity.htm

How Judas Subdued the Nations Round About; and How Simon Beat the ...
... he went thence in haste against the Ammonites, who had ... the cities of Galilee; and
exhorted him to make haste to ... Jonathan, were in the land of Gilead, did these ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 how judas subdued.htm

The Nations of the South-East
... against the Midianite oppressors of Gilead was one of ... to the settlement of the Ammonites
and Moabites ... no central capital like Jerusalem to make it centralised ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter iii the nations of.htm

The First Kings.
... and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments ... came pouring in, and Saul marched
to Jabesh-Gilead. A battle followed, and the Ammonites were routed with ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/the first kings.htm

The Israelites
... how to anticipate the famine and make it subserve ... Moabites and Midianites, Ammonites
and Bedawin, even the king ... Jabesh-gilead was rescued from the Ammonite king ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter i the israelites.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... Jephthah is said to have had Gilead for his ... sheikhs of the Midianites, Moabites,
and Ammonites"all these ... chiefs were respectively free to make alliances, or ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

Chapter xiv
... the critics feel they may with impunity make light of ... it could well have been Rabba
of the Ammonites (cf. ... For another Dan in Gilead (see De 34:1), mentioned ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xiv.htm

The Historical Books.
... within the same period (Judges 15:20), it is easy to make out the ... a notice of his
exploit in delivering the people of Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites. ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xx the historical books.htm

Why did God use a lying spirit to deceive Ahab? | GotQuestions.org

Who were Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon? | GotQuestions.org

What can we learn from the story of the Levite and his concubine? | GotQuestions.org

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