BEZER

(Beʹzer) [fortress].

1. One of the “sons of Zophah” of the tribe of Asher.—1 Chron. 7:30, 36, 37.

2. A Levite city of refuge, one of the three on the E side of the Jordan, designated primarily for the tribe of Reuben. (Deut. 4:41-43; Josh. 20:8; 21:36; 1 Chron. 6:78) It is spoken of as “on the tableland” and “at Jericho to the east of the Jordan . . . in the wilderness.” Bezer is generally identified with modern Umm el-ʽAmad, located on the plateau region, seventeen miles (27 kilometers) E of the northern end of the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in the ancient Moabite Stone as being one of the cities captured and fortified by King Mesha of Moab, in his revolt against Israel after the death of King Ahab in 919 B.C.E.—2 Ki. 3:5.