Editing Abel-meholah

[[File:Mehola.jpg|thumb|[[Jordan Valley]] around Wadi al-Malih. Abel-meholah is believed to have been located in that area]]
'''Abel-meholah''' ({{langx|he|אָבֵל מְחוֹלָה}}, ''Avel Mehola'') was an ancient city frequently mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible]] ([[Old Testament]] of [[Christianity]]). It is best known for being the birthplace and residence of the prophet [[Elisha]]. It is traditionally located near the [[Jordan River]], south of [[Beit She'an|Beit-She'an]].

==Mentions in the Bible==
When [[Gideon]] defeated the [[Midian]]ites, some of them fled "as far as the border of Abel-meholah" ({{Bibleverse|Judges|7:22}}). The text indicates that Abel-meholah was seen as a region with a defined border, west of the Jordan River and south of Beit-She'an.

Abel-meholah is mentioned the [[Books of Kings|Book of Kings]] under the description of [[Solomon|King Solomon]]'s administration. Among Solomon's twelve governors, there is one Baana who is put in charge of several districts including the area "from Beth-She'an to Abel-meholah" ({{Bibleverse|1 Kings|4:12}}).

Later in the Book of Kings, [[Elijah]], who had fled fearing Queen [[Jezebel]]'s wrath, is ordered by God at [[Mount Horeb]] to go back along the [[Jordan Valley (Middle East)|Jordan valley]] and "anoint [[Elisha]] son of [[Shaphat]] from Abel-meholah" to succeed him as prophet ({{Bibleverse|1 Kings|19:16}}).

Adriel the Meholathite, the son-in-law of [[King Saul]], was probably named after Abel-meholah ({{Bibleverse|1 Samuel|18:19}}, {{Bibleverse|2 Samuel|21:8}}).<ref>{{cite book | editor=James_Orr | editor-link=James Orr (theologian) | title=[[International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]]}}</ref>

==Location==
The site of Abel-meholah has not yet been identified with certainty. [[Jerome]] and [[Eusebius]] refer to it as both a town and an area in the [[Jordan Valley]], about ten Roman miles south of Bethshean.<ref>{{cite book | editor=James Orr | editor-link=James Orr (theologian) | title=[[International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]]}}</ref> [[Epiphanius of Salamis]], mentioning the village, writes that in his day it was called Beth-meholah.<ref>''[[On Weights and Measures (Epiphanius)|Epiphanius' Treatise on Weights and Measures - The Syriac Version]]'' (ed. James Elmer Dean), University of Chicago Press: Chicago 1935, p. 73</ref>

In the late 19th century, explorers were trying to identify the exact [[Tell (archaeology)|mound]]. [[Claude Reignier Conder|Conder]] stated with some confidence that the site "is now called 'Ain Helweh". Noth and Ottosson identified Abel-meholah with [[Tell Abu al-Kharaz|Tell Abu el-Kharaz]], east of the Jordan River.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ottosson|first=M.|title=Gilead: Tradition and History|publisher=Gleerup|year=1969|location=Lund|pages=217|language=Swedish|translator-last=Gray|translator-first=J.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Noth|first=M.|date=1959|title=Gilead und Gad|journal=Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins|volume=69|pages=60}}</ref>

Modern scholars generally agree that it has to be found in that area and west of the Jordan River, probably at the spot where Wadi al-Malih, a stream which might preserve the ancient name Meholah, merges into the Jordan. Two [[Tell (archaeology)|tell]]s in that general area, Tell Abu Sifri and Tell Abu Sus, are suitable candidates with the latter being more likely. Tell Abu Sifri is situated at the confluence of Wadi al-Helweh and Wadi al-Malih, while Tell Abu Sus is closer to the Jordan. Neither of the two have yet been excavated.<ref>{{cite book | editor=Avi-Yonah, Michael | title=Encyclopaedia Judaica | publisher=Thomson Gale | year=2010 |origyear=1971 | url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-2587500120/abel-meholah.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | editor=David Noel Freedman | title=Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible | publisher=Amsterdam University Press | year=2000}}</ref>

Two Israeli settlements in the area, [[Mehola]] and nearby [[Shadmot Mehola]], are named after the biblical city.

==References==
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[[Category:Hebrew Bible cities]]
[[Category:Elisha]]
[[Category:Book of Judges]]
[[Category:Books of Kings]]