Dibon

Biblical References

Dibon was a city in the land of Moab. It is mentioned in several books of the Old Testament.

• Numbers: Numbers 21:30, in a poem celebrating the victory of Sihon king of the Amorites over Moab, declares that "Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon." When the children of Reuben and the children of Gad asked for land east of the Jordan, they listed Dibon among its towns (Numbers 32:3). The text then records that the children of Gad built Dibon (Numbers 32:34). Numbers 33:45–46 names "Dibon-gad" as one of the places where Israel encamped after the Exodus.
• Joshua: Joshua 13:9 and 17 include Dibon among the boundaries and cities of the territory that Moses gave to the tribe of Reuben.
• Isaiah and Jeremiah: Both prophetic books mention Dibon in proclaiming judgment on Moab. Isaiah 15:2 depicts the people going up to Dibon, to the high places (sites of worship built on elevated ground), to weep. Jeremiah 48:18 and 22 call on the inhabitants of Dibon to come down from their glory and sit in thirst, and name Dibon among the cities to be judged.
• Nehemiah: Nehemiah 11:25 also names Dibon as a village inhabited by the children of Judah. This is regarded as a different village in the southern region of Judah.

Background

Dibon lay on the plateau north of the Arnon Valley. Its site is widely identified with the area of modern Dhiban in Jordan. In 1868 the stele of Mesha, king of Moab, was discovered there. In its inscription Mesha calls himself "the Dibonite," and Dibon is therefore understood to have been a principal city of Moab in his time. The inscription records how Mesha threw off Israelite rule and is frequently compared with the account of Moab's rebellion in 2 Kings 3. It also states that the men of Gad had long dwelt in the land of Ataroth. The original meaning of the place name is uncertain.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

In the narratives of Israel's settlement, Dibon appears as land received by the Transjordanian tribes. In the prophetic books it appears once again as a Moabite city. This shows that control of the region changed hands several times over the centuries. The oracles (prophecies proclaimed as the word of God) against Moab in Isaiah and Jeremiah belong to the "oracles against the nations" in the Prophetic Books. These prophecies express the conviction that God governs the history not only of Israel but also of the neighboring nations. Dibon does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretive Issues

• Dibon and Dibon-gad: The "Dibon-gad" of Numbers 33 is generally regarded as the same place as the Dibon built by the children of Gad.
• Gad and Reuben: Numbers 32:34 states that the children of Gad built Dibon, whereas Joshua 13:17 records Dibon as part of Reuben's allotment. Some scholars explain this discrepancy as the result of the two tribes' borders adjoining one another or shifting over time.
• Dimon: Some identify the "Dimon" of Isaiah 15:9 with Dibon, explaining the name as a wordplay on the Hebrew dam, meaning "blood." Others, however, regard it as a separate place.
• Archaeological Excavations: The Dhiban area has been excavated several times since the mid-twentieth century. Scholars nevertheless differ over which strata from the biblical period should be associated with which events.