Mahanaim

Mahanaim (meaning two camps or two armies) was a place east of the Jordan near the Jabbok River where Jacob encountered a host of angels on his return to Canaan, naming the site "God's camp" (Genesis 32:1–2). The name commemorating two camps — Jacob's own company and the angelic host — made it a place associated with divine protection. It was subsequently assigned to the Gadites and designated a Levitical city (Joshua 13:26, 30; 21:38; 1 Chronicles 6:80).

Mahanaim's strategic location in the Transjordanian highlands made it politically significant: Abner made it the capital of Ish-bosheth's rival kingdom after Saul's death (2 Samuel 2:8, 12). David fled to Mahanaim during Absalom's rebellion, and it served as his base of operations from which Joab's army defeated Absalom in the forest of Ephraim (2 Samuel 17:24–27; 18:6). Solomon's district officer held the region (1 Kings 4:14). The site is generally located near the modern Tulul adh-Dhahab on the north bank of the Jabbok.