Place Old Testament
Jabbok
The Jabbok, a river east of the Jordan, where Jacob wrestled with God. Mentioned in 7 verses across 5 books, first at Genesis 32:22.
Why it matters. A river east of the Jordan, associated with Jacob
- Location
- 32.193, 35.676 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Jabbok
The Jabbok is a river located east of the Jordan River, in the region of Gilead. It is first mentioned in the Bible when Israel (or 'Jacob') crossed it on his way back to Canaan after his time with Laban (Genesis 32:22). It was at the Jabbok that Jacob wrestled with God and was given the name Israel (Genesis 32:24-30). The Jabbok served as a boundary between the territories of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan (Numbers 21:24; Deu.2.37; 3:16; Joshua 12:2). During the time of the judges, the Ammonites accused Israel of taking their land between the Arnon and the Jabbok (Judges 11:13, 22). The Jabbok River flows westward into the Jordan River and is known today as the Zarqa River in Jordan.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 7 verses across 5 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.