Numbers 32:39Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Gilead is the mountain to which Jacob journeyed on the seventh day after leaving Harr during his flight. It lies behind Phoenicia and Arabia, linking with the highlands of Lebanon. This mountain stretches across the wilderness to the area where Zion, the king of the Amorites, once resided on the opposite bank of the Jordan River. The aforementioned mountain was allocated to the descendants of Reuben and Gad, as well as to half of the tribe of Manasseh. Jeremiah states, "Gilead, thou art the head of Lebanon unto me." This mountain lent its name to the region, including the city established there, which Gilead, the son of Machish and descendant of Manasseh, seized from the Amorites.