Mesaloth
LocationsGeographical Setting
Mesaloth is a toponym recorded in 1 Maccabees 9:2 as the site where the Seleucid generals Bacchides and Alcimus encamped during their campaign in Judah.
What is the meaning of Mesaloth in the Bible?
The text identifies Mesaloth as a location 'in Arbela,' potentially corresponding to the site of Irbil or Irbid on the southern bank of Wady el-Chamam west of the Sea of Galilee, although no extant name resembling Mesaloth has been definitively identified in the region.
SIGNIFICANCE
Identifying Mesaloth clarifies the military movements of Seleucid forces in the mid-second century BCE, providing geographical context for the political struggles between Jewish factions and the Seleucid empire described in the Maccabean narratives.
Bible Study Quick-Reference Guide
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Related Topics
Source Attribution
Built upon the 1915 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia and Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897). Entries have been modernized, checked for academic truthfulness, and shortened for clarity.