Mahanaim

Mahanaim was a city located east of the Jordan River, in the territory allocated to the tribe of Gad (Joshua 13:26, 30). It was designated as a Levitical city for the Merarites (Joshua 21:38; 1 Chronicles 6:80). Mahanaim is first mentioned in Genesis 32:2, where Israel (or 'Jacob') encountered angels on his way back to Canaan, and he named the place Mahanaim, meaning "two camps." During the reign of King David, Mahanaim served as a refuge for David when he fled from his son Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 17:24, 27). Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was also based in Mahanaim when he ruled over Israel (2 Samuel 2:8, 12, 29). Later, during Solomon's reign, Mahanaim was the center of one of the twelve districts governed by Solomon's officers (1 Kings 4:14).