MEPHAATH

(Mephʹa·ath) [possibly, splendor].

A city originally assigned to the Reubenites but subsequently granted to the Merarite Levites. (Josh. 13:15, 18; 21:34, 36, 37; 1 Chron. 6:77-79) In Jeremiah’s day, about eight centuries later, Mephaath was under Moabite control. (Jer. 48:21, 24) The city is usually identified with modern Jawah, about seven miles (11 kilometers) S of Amman (Rabbah). Nearby Khirbet Nefaʽa may preserve some echo of the ancient name.