Mizpah

Mizpah, also known as Mizpeh, Ramah, Ramathaim-zophim, or Arimathea, was a city located in the tribal territory of Benjamin, near the border with Ephraim. It was an important religious and political center during the period of the judges and the early monarchy.

During the time of the judges, the Israelites gathered at Mizpah to address the crisis involving the tribe of Benjamin and the concubine at Gibeah (Judges 20:1, 3; 21:1, 5, 8). Later, the prophet Samuel summoned the people to Mizpah for prayer, repentance, and deliverance from the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:5-7, 11-12, 16). Samuel also gathered the Israelites at Mizpah to appoint Saul as their first king (1 Samuel 10:17).

Mizpah was the hometown and burial place of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:19; 2:11; 7:17; 8:4; 15:34; 16:13; 19:18-23; 20:1; 25:1; 28:3). It was also the city of Joseph of Arimathea, the wealthy disciple who provided the tomb for Jesus' burial (Matthew 27:57; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50-51; John 19:38).

During the divided monarchy, King Asa of Judah fortified Mizpah using materials from the dismantled fortifications of Ramah (1 Kings 15:22; 2 Chronicles 16:6). After the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, Mizpah served as the administrative center for the remnant of Judah under Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:23, 25; Jeremiah 40:6, 8, 10, 12-13, 15; 41:1, 3, 6, 10, 14, 16).