Meaning of HESHBON

"calculation, account."
City of Sihon, king of the Amorites. It originally belonged to the Moabites (Num. 21:25-30, 34). Moses gave Heshbon to the Reubenites; After their conquest, they rebuilt the city (Num. 32:37; Josh. 13:17).

Located on the borders of Reuben and Gad (Josh. 13:26), it fell into the hands of the Gadites, and was later assigned to the Levites, as the city of Gad (Josh. 21:27-39; 1 Chron. 6: 81).

In the days of Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Moabites occupied Heshbon (Is. 15:4; 16:8, 9; Jer. 48:2, 33, 34). Later, Alexander Jannaeus, and later Herod the Great, conquered it (Ant. 13:15, 4; 15:8, 5).

It is still known by the name of Hesbãn; Its ruins can be seen on a hill between the Arnon and Jabbok, more than 12 km north of Mádabã.

A little to the east of the ruins of Heshbon there is a large cistern, which probably corresponds to one of the pools that were outside the fortifications (Song. 7:4).