Place Old Testament
Mahanaim
Mahanaim, a place east of the Jordan River where Jacob met angels and David found refuge during Absalom's rebellion (Genesis 32:2; 2Sa.17.24, 27). Mentioned in 13 verses across 5 books, first at Genesis 32:2.
Why it matters. A place east of the Jordan; David's refuge
- Primary passages
- Location
- 32.215, 35.633 (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 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; 1Ch.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 (2Sa.17.24, 27). Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was also based in Mahanaim when he ruled over Israel (2Sa.2.8, 12, 29). Later, during Solomon's reign, Mahanaim was the center of one of the twelve districts governed by Solomon's officers (1Ki.4.14).
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 13 verses across 5 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.