JAHAZ, JAHAZA, JAHAZAII, and JAII ZAH (r14 and rqr.r, perhaps i. Ltsj, tram pled down ;"Iacract and gaud ; Yam), a town in the territory of the Amorites, on the confines of the eastern desert, where the Israelites gained the decisive victory over Sihon (Num. xxi. 23 ; Deut. ii. 32). It was given to the Reubenites, and was assigned out of that tribe to the Levites (Josh. xiii. 18 ; xxi. 36 ; Chron. vi. 78). Isaiah and Jere miah include it, with Heshbon and Elealeh, in the prophetic curse pronounced upon Moab (Is. xv. 4; Jer. xlviii. 34). The whole country east of tl.= Dead Sea had originally been given to the Moab ites and Ammonites (Gen. xix. 36-38 ; Dent ii. t9-22); but the warlike Amorites from the west oi the Jordan conquered tbem and expelled them from the region north of the river Arnon. From the Amorites the Israelites took this country ; but subsequently the Ammonites claimed it as theirs (Judg. xi. 13) ; and on the decline of Jewish power
the Moabites and Ammonites again took possession of it. For this reason Jahaz is ascribed by the prophets to Moab. Eusebius states that in his day Jahaz (he writes it 'Ico-o-d) still existed, and was situated between Medaba and Debus (Anfloiir, Jerome says Diblatha ; Onomast. s. v. yassa ; Reland, Pal., p. 825; Winer, Realwoerterbuch, s. v.) The situation thus given to it appears to be too far west for the requirements of the sacred narrative. We read in Num. xxi. 23 that Sihon went out against Israel into the wilderness ; and he came to yahaz and fought against them.' Con sequently we must look for the site on the extreme eastern border of Ammon. This region is still unknown. No traveller has ventured to explore it ; and the site of Jahaz remains yet to be identi fied (Keil on Yoshio, xiii. IS).—J. L. P.