Lo-debar (Biblical Hebrew: לֹא דְבָר, לוֹ דְבָר, romanized: lōʾ dǝbār[lower-alpha 1]) was a town in the Old Testament in Gilead not far from Mahanaim, north of the Jabbok river (2 Samuel 9:4–5)[1] in ancient Israel. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the home of Machir, a contemporary of David. (2 Samuel 9:4,5).

Lo-debar was also considered a ghetto town in biblical times. Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan was living in Lo-debar at the house of Machir, son of Ammiel, who was possibly a brother to David's wife Bathsheba (see 1 Chronicles 3 verse 5). King David showed loving kindness to Jonathan's son Mephibosheth by bringing him from Lo-debar and having him eat at the King's table regularly. (2 Samuel 9:1-13).

It is usually believed to be the same as Debir in the Tribe of Gad.(Joshua 13:26) The word means "no pasture,"(2 Samuel 17:27) "no word" or "no communication".

Possible locations are:

  1. Tel Dover (Khirbet ed-Duweir) in the mouth of Yarmouk River.[2] Established as an Iron Age fortified settlement.[3]
  2. Khirbet Umm ed-Dabar, Jordan Valley.[4]

References

  1. Public Domain Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Lo-debar". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.
  2. Arav, Rami (2008-01-01). Cities Through the Looking Glass: Essays on the History and Archaeology of Biblical Urbanism. Eisenbrauns. p. 89. ISBN 9781575061429.
  3. Ma'oz, Zvi Uri (1997). "Golan". The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. p. 420. ISBN 0195112156.
  4. Freedman, David Noel; Allen C. Myers (2000-12-31). "Debir (place)". Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Amsterdam University Press. p. 331. ISBN 9789053565032.
  1. The לא spelling is found in 2Sam 17:28, while לו is used in 2Sam 9:4-5. According to some, the לא spelling is also found in Amos 6:13. לִדְבִר is found in Josh 13:26.
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