scythes, was under the command of Sisera, who takes greater prominence in the account than Jabin himself.—Judg. 4:2, 3; 5:19, 20.

By Jehovah’s permission, Jabin harshly oppressed apostate Israel twenty years. But on their calling to God for deliverance, Jehovah raised up Barak and Deborah to lead Israel to victory over Jabin’s army. Sisera was killed by the wife of Heber the Kenite, who had been at peace with Jabin. (Judg. 4:3-22) The Israelites continued warring against Jabin and finally put him to death.—Judg. 4:23, 24; Ps. 83:9, 10.

JABNEEL

(Jabʹ’ne·el) [God causes to be built].

1. A Judean boundary site (Josh. 15:1, 11), probably the same as the Jabneh that King Uzziah (829-777 B.C.E.) wrested from the Philistines. (2 Chron. 26:6) Jabneel is identified with modern Yebna. Situated about four miles (c. 6 kilometers) from the Mediterranean Sea, Yebna stands on an isolated, sandy hill some thirteen miles (c. 21 kilometers) S of Joppa.

2. A boundary site of Naphtali. (Josh. 19:32, 33) Many geographers suggest as a possible identification Khirbet Yamma, less that five miles (8 kilometers) W-SW of the southern end of the Sea of Galilee.

JABNEH

(Jabʹneh) [God causes to be built].

A walled Philistine city that suffered defeat at the hands of Judah’s King Uzziah. (2 Chron. 26:6) it is probably the same as Jabneel.—Josh. 15:11; see JABNEEL No. 1.

JACAN

(Jaʹcan).

Fifth named of Abihail’s seven sons; a Gadite.—1 Chron. 5:13, 14.

JACHIN

(Jaʹchin) [he will firmly establish].

1. The fourth son of Simeon. (Gen. 46:10) He is apparently called Jarib at 1 Chronicles 4:24. His descendants, the Jachinites, comprised one of the Simeonite families in Israel.—Ex. 6:15; Num. 26:12.

2. The priest whose paternal house was selected by lot to care for the twenty-first of the twenty-four priestly divisions that David organized. (1 Chron. 24:7, 17) One or more of their descendants (or another priest of the same name) resided in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.—1 Chron. 9:3, 10; Neh. 11:10.

3. The southernmost of the twin pillars standing in front of Solomon’s temple.—1 Ki. 7:15-22; see BOAZ, II; CAPITAL.

JACHINITES

(Jaʹchin·ites).

Descendants of Simeon’s fourth son Jachin.—Gen. 46:10; Num. 26:12.

JACKAL

A kind of wild dog that has a long, pointed muzzle and a bushy tail, and closely resembles the fox. This animal is still encountered in Palestine. Though the jackal may attack and kill fowl and even lambs and, in fact, live on almost anything, including fruit, it is basically a scavenger that feeds on carrion. Hence, the animal performs a beneficial service, since the carrion otherwise might provide a breeding place for disease germs. Jackals generally hunt at night, singly, in pairs or in small packs. During the day they usually sleep in desolate places, holes in the ground, caves and abandoned buildings, or ruins.

Since jackals are denizens of wild, lonely and even desertlike areas, the domain of the jackal is used figuratively in the Scriptures to represent a state of utter desolation, without human inhabitant. Various prophecies use this figure to forecast desolation for Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, Hazor, Babylon and Edom. (Jer. 9:11; 10:22; 49:33; 51:37; Isa. 34:5, 13; Mal. 1:3) The Bible also makes reference to the jackal’s mournful wailing or howling. (Isa. 13:22; Mic. 1:8) The jackal’s cry begins at sunset and is a long-drawn-out wail, repeated three or four times, each repetition being slightly higher in key than the preceding one. Finally the wail ends in a series of short, loud, yelping barks.

In Scripture the jackal figures repeatedly in an illustrative setting. Job, in describing his own lamentable state, exclaims that he has become “a brother to jackals.” (Job 30:29) In regard to a humiliating defeat of God’s people, the psalmist, perhaps with reference to the battlefield where jackals congregate to feed upon those slain (compare Psalm 68:23), mourned: “You have crushed us in the place of jackals.” (Ps. 44:19) Babylon’s siege of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. brought the stress of famine, resulting in mothers’ treating their own offspring cruelly. Thus Jeremiah appropriately contrasted the cruelty “of my people” with the jackals’ maternal care.—Lam. 4:3, 10.

On account of the intense droughts on the land of Judah when it lacked Jehovah’s blessing, zebras are depicted as snuffing up the wind, that is, panting for breath, like jackals. (Jer. 14:1, 2, 6) On the other hand, with reference to the restoration of his people, Jehovah promised that the abiding place of jackals would come to have grass, reeds and papyrus plants. And Jehovah’s providing water for his people in the wilderness would cause animals such as the jackal to glorify him.—Isa. 35:7; 43:20, 21.

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The Bible refers to the mournful wailing of the jackal

JACOB

(Jaʹcob) [taking hold of the heel; supplanter].

1. Son of Isaac and Rebekah, and younger twin brother of Esau. Jacob’s parents had been married for twenty years before the birth of these twins, their only children, in 1858 B.C.E. Isaac at the time was sixty years old. So, as in the case of Abraham, Isaac’s prayers for offspring were answered only after his patience and faith in God’s promises had been fully tested.—Gen. 25:20, 21, 26; Rom. 9:7-10.

In her pregnancy, Rebekah was distressed by the struggling of the twins within her womb, which, Jehovah explained, were the beginnings of two opposing nations. Furthermore, Jehovah declared that, contrary to custom, the older would serve the younger. Accordingly, the second-born Jacob was holding the heel of Esau at their birth; hence the name Jacob, meaning “taking hold of the heel.” (Gen. 25:22-26) Jehovah thus demonstrated his ability to detect the genetic bent of the unborn, and to exercise his foreknowledge and right to select beforehand whom he chooses for his purposes, and yet in no way to predetermine the final destiny of individuals.—Rom. 9:10-12; Hos. 12:3.

In contrast to his father’s favorite son Esau, who was a wild, restless, wandering type of huntsman, Jacob is described as “a blameless [Heb., tam] man, dwelling in tents,” one who led a quiet pastoral life and was dependable to look after domestic affairs,