Tob

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Tob was the name of a place in Transjordan, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.

Jephthah flees from his brothers to the "land of Tob". In Tob, Jephtha gatheres some men until his brothers want him back to fight against the Ammonites (Judges 11:3–11). The place may be the same as the one mentioned in 2 Samuel 10:6–8, named Ishtob (cf. Hebrew ish Tov). Some believe it should be translated "men of Tob", rather than "Ishtob".[citation needed]

Identification

There is a place named as Ṭby or Ṭubu in second millennium BCE sources, mentioned among the cities in Bashan.[1] This led Benjamin Mazar and Martin Noth to identify it with the region near "Taiyibeh", to the east of biblical Edrei (today's Daraa in southern Syria),[1] where today there is a Syrian village by this name (coordinates: 32°33'45 N, 36°14'38 E). Conder gave for his choice of Tob/Taibeh the coordinates "32° 35' N., 35° 42' E.", a place described in Brown–Driver–Briggs as 12 miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee,[2][3] corresponding to modern-day Taibah near Irbid in northern Jordan.

It has been suggested that the "land of Tob" was back country, used by outlaws as a place of refuge.[1]

Amarna letters

See also

References

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