JESHANAH

(Jeshʹa·nah) [Old [Town]].

A place mentioned along with Mizpah as indicating the location of the stone that Samuel set up and called “Ebenezer.” (1Sa 7:12) Jeshanah was one of the cities captured by Judean King Abijah (980-978 B.C.E.) from Jeroboam the king of Israel. (2Ch 13:19) It is considered to be identical with the Isana referred to by Josephus as the site of Herod the Great’s victory over General Pappus. (Jewish Antiquities, XIV, 458 [xv, 12]) The name Isana seems to be preserved in Burj el-Isaneh, about 8 km (5 mi) NNE of Bethel. This place has therefore been suggested as a possible identification for ancient Jeshanah.