Medeba: Waters of quiet, an ancient Moabite town
(Numbers 21:30) It was assigned to
the tribe of Reuben
(Joshua 13:16) Here was fought the great battle in
which Joab defeated the Ammonites and their allies
(1 Chronicles 19:7-15) comp.
(2 Samuel 10:6-14) In the time of Isaiah
(Isaiah 15:2) the Moabites regained
possession of it from the Ammonites.
(See HANUN)
The ruins of this important city, now Madeba or Madiyabah, are seen
about 8 miles south-west of Heshbon, and 14 east of the Dead Sea.
Among these are the ruins of what must have been a large temple, and
of three cisterns of considerable extent, which are now dry. These
cisterns may have originated the name Medeba, "waters of quiet."
