JESHANAH

(Jeshʹa·nah) [possibly, old].

A place mentioned along with Mizpah as indicating the location of the stone that Samuel set up and called “Ebenezer.” (1 Sam. 7:12) Jeshanah was one of the cities captured by Judean King Abijah (980-977 B.C.E.) from Jeroboam the king of Israel. (2 Chron. 13:19) It is considered to be identical to the Isanas referred to by Josephus as the site of Herod the Great’s victory over General Pappus. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XIV, chap. XV, par. 12) The name “Isanas” seems to be preserved in Burj el-Isaneh, a village some five miles (8 kilometers) N-NE of Bethel. This place has therefore been suggested as a possible identification for ancient Jeshanah. Another site, favored by some, is Ain Sinja, about three miles (c. 5 kilometers) SW of Burj el-Isaneh.