Written by A.R.
The region of Gilead is on the radar of some seeking refuge in Jordan. Believing Gilead to be a part of the original Land promised to Abraham and his descendants, many people are looking at Gilead as a possible gathering place before the return of the Messiah. What did the prophets say about Gilead? How do we interpret their prophecies? Should those coming to Jordan settle in Gilead? Is there balm in Gilead for those seeking refuge? I hope to address these questions and more as I take a look at what the Scriptures teach about Gilead.
From the Scriptures, Gilead is not hard to locate. We first read about Gilead in Genesis 31. Somewhere between Paddan Aram and Kena’an, Jacob made a covenant with Laban in the mountains of Gilead. The Hebrew word Gilead is made up of two words: gal גַּל meaning ‘heap’ and ed עֵד meaning ‘a witness.’ Together these words give the meaning of ‘heap of witness.’ A heap of stones was gathered together to act as a witness of Jacob and Laban’s covenant. This witness was located in the mountains of Gilead.
Gilead is on the eastern side of the Jordan River. In Numbers 32:1, we read that the tribes of Reuben and Gad desired the land of Gilead because they saw the land was good for the livestock. They did not wish to occupy the land of Kena’an but rather wanted the land on the eastern side of the Jordan River (Numbers 32:19). These tribes agreed to help their brothers battle the inhabitants of Kena’an. Moses promised that once the land of Kena’an was subdued, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh would be given the land of Gilead as a possession (Numbers 32:29). The three tribes did as Moses commanded and received the land east of the Jordan River as their inheritance under the leadership of Joshua (Joshua 22:9).
Using the Scriptures as a guide, we can locate the region of Gilead on a map of Jordan. It is in the northernmost part of Jordan on the western border. This area includes the modern governorates of Irbid, Ajloun, Jerash, and Balqa. The area is northwest of Amman, the capital of Jordan.
Is Gilead Under the Eagle’s Wings?
Many people seeking refuge in Jordan understand the significance of the ‘eagle’s wings’ in prophecy and the geography of Jordan. In May 2020, our daughter wrote a simple yet meaningful post showing the eagle’s wings in Jordan’s geography, and she also shared the Scriptures prophesying the area under the eagle’s wings being a place of refuge for YHWH’s people in the End Days. If you are not aware of this beautiful confirmation of Jordan as a place of refuge, I encourage you to read our article, Under the Eagles Wings.
This post shows the eagle’s wings from a satellite map, but not from a political map. Below is a map to show which governorates are under the eagle’s wings. From the northern tip of the eagle’s wings to the southern tip are the following governorates in Jordan: Madaba, Karak, Tafilah, the northernmost tip of the Aqaba governorate, and the northwesternmost tip of the Ma’an governorate. Only these governorates fall under the eagle’s wings. (See map below)
Note: I did not include the southern tip of the Balqa governorate because a few prophecies about Moab seem to indicate that Madaba is the northernmost area protected under the eagle’s wings.
Our family believes the ‘refuge in Jordan’ lies somewhere under the eagle’s wings—not to the south of them and not to the north, not to the eastern border of Jordan, but along the King’s Highway. We have taught there is a Sheepfold, which Yah’s people must seek to find. We believe that Yahushua will gather His people to one specific location within the country of Jordan and that it would be wise for people to come to Jordan and find the safe place—under the eagle’s wings!
Please read our very thorough teaching about how the Scriptures teach one gathering place during the Second Exodus. This is a must-read for those seeking refuge in Jordan. The Second Exodus: One Gathering Place or Many?
Gilead is NOT under the eagle’s wings. Yet, there are prophesies that seem to be pointing people to Gilead. Let’s take a look at some of those prophecies to understand what the prophets taught about the significance of Gilead. We will start with the references in the book Song of Songs.
Gilead in the Song of Songs
On this site, we share that Song of Songs is a prophetic book. We believe that there is information in it that teaches us about the End Days love relationship between Yahushua and His Bride. We have shared in several posts that the book has many references to the modern-day country of Jordan. In other words, the Bride of Messiah will be in Jordan. Two of those references include Gilead by name.
Song of Songs 4:1 See, you are beautiful, my love! See, you are beautiful! Your eyes are as doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats, going down from Mount Gil‛aḏ.
Song of Songs 6:5 Turn your eyes away from me because they overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats that have hopped down from Gil‛aḏ.
The mountain of Gilead is likened to the hair of the Woman in Song of Songs. There is a lot of imagery in this book. To understand the prophetic application for the Bride, we must look at the Hebrew language. In both of these verses, we see a preposition before Gilead, the Hebrew preposition min מִן. Min has the meaning ‘from’ or ‘out of’ or ‘from out of.’ This usage works well here. The Scriptures Version of the Bible interprets the preposition as ‘down from’ which certainly seems fitting; the writer was referring to a mountain. Hair coming down from a mountain is a good description.
When I consider the use of Gilead in Song of Songs, I believe that some of the Bride will come from Gilead, as she will also come from other places in Jordan. However, I do NOT believe the Bride will gather in Gilead to wait for Yahushua. This prophecy seems to indicate that the Bride will come down from Gilead to prepare for Messiah. The Scriptures show many places from which the remnant will come and Gilead is one of them. Likely, some people living in Gilead today will awaken to follow Yahushua into the place of protection. They will come down from Gilead to enter the protection of the Sheepfold under the eagle’s wings.
The Balm of Gilead
The balm of Gilead is an attraction to the region. Supposing there to be some kind of natural healing ointment, some people seek the balm of Gilead. The first mention of balm from Gilead is in Genesis 37 when Joseph’s brothers sold him to Ishmaelites in route from Gilead to Egypt, an important passageway. They were carrying balm from Gilead (Genesis 37:25).
The prophet Jeremiah used the ‘balm of Gilead’ to communicate his message.
Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gil‛aḏ, is there no healer there? Why has the healing of the daughter of my people not come?
Jeremiah knew that Gilead was part of the tribal inheritance of Israel. He also knew about the balm and its healing qualities. He prophesied to a people in need of repentance; repentance was always the message of the prophets. Jeremiah confronted backsliders who didn’t even stop to ask the question: what have we done wrong? Evil was upon them, but they did not seek YHWH. Perhaps they hoped for some kind of easy fix—some balm, some drugs, something to ease their pain. They looked for peace, but there was none; they looked for healing, yet feared (Jeremiah 8:15).
The balm of Gilead was NOT the solution to their problems. The solution was repentance. The same is true today. As people in the nations seek a place of refuge in Jordan, they must come with repentance. They must humbly seek YHWH and His Truth. No balm in Gilead can save, nor will the green pastures in Gilead save.
End Days’ salvation comes from being in the right place with the right heart attitude toward YHWH and His Word.
Jeremiah 46:11 Go up to Gil‛aḏ and take balm, O maiden, the daughter of Mitsrayim. In vain you have used many remedies, there is no healing for you.
A Promise for the Ingathering
There is an abundance of Scripture to support the idea of YHWH gathering His people together during the Tribulation. The land of Gilead is mentioned among some of the promises associated with the Second Exodus.
Jeremiah 50:19-20 “And I shall bring back Yisra’ěl to his pasture, and he shall feed on Karmel and Bashan. And his being shall be satisfied on Mount Ephrayim and Gil‛aḏ. In those days and at that time,” declares יהוה, “the crookedness of Yisra’ěl shall be searched for, but there shall be none, and the sin of Yehuḏah, but none shall be found. For I shall pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.”
Often the prophets gave the good news with the bad news. They told of some disaster, but they also told of the good that will happen when YHWH redeems His people. Sometimes, as they communicated a point in their message, they omitted details that we might find helpful as we seek to understand their message in our day.
The context of the verses above is the End Days Fall of Babylon. This is a dreadful, yet hopeful message for Yah’s people. The dreadful part is that many of Yah’s people will be in Babylon at its fall, but the good news is that some will return and eventually feed in the Land of Israel—on Karmel, Bashan, and the mountains of Gilead. There are a lot of details that are not addressed in these few verses, but the point here is to put the end goal before those who will suffer in the Fall of Babylon. If His people endure until the end to become a part of the remnant, they will see the fulfillment of this verse! Praise Yah.
When proclaiming the Ingathering, the prophets often used the pattern above; YHWH will gather, and the people will return to the Land. However, we know from other prophetic Scriptures that there is a wilderness calling for those in the nations, just as there was a wilderness calling for the Israelites in the First Exodus. Sometimes the prophets omit the wilderness calling and sometimes they tell of it.
The prophet Micah told of both the promise associated with Gilead as well as the gathering in the Sheepfold before its fulfillment.
Micah 2:12 “I shall certainly gather all of you, O Ya‛aqoḇ, I shall bring together the remnant of Yisra’ěl, put them together like sheep of the fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture, they being noisy because of men. The Scriptures Version
Micah 2:12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The King James Version
I am including the King James Version of this verse for the sake of clarity. The prophet told us that YHWH said He would gather His people. Micah then mentioned Botzrah, which can be translated as ‘sheepfold.’ We believe that the Sheepfold into which Yahushua will gather His people is Prophetic Botzrah. Please read our post on Prophetic Botzrah for more information on this.
https://thecalltojordan.com/2022/07/15/discovering-prophetic-botsrah/
Gilead is mentioned at the end of the Book of Micah.
Micah 7:13-15 But the earth shall become a waste because of those who dwell in it and for the fruit of their deeds. Shepherd Your people with Your rod, the flock of Your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest, in the midst of Karmel. Let them feed in Bashan and Gil‛aḏ, as in days of old. “As in the days when you came out of the land of Mitsrayim, I shall let him see wonders.”
It’s not that Micah did not know about the Sheepfold gathering when he prophesied about the destruction of the earth. From Micah 2:12, we see that he knew about the Sheepfold gathering. Yet, when he told of the destruction coming to the earth, he prophesied about the end hope too: destruction will come, but YHWH will shepherd His people, and they will feed in Karmel, Bashan, and Gilead once again.
Many people long to be in the Promised Land, which does include Gilead. Yet no one will be restored to any of the Land previously inherited by the tribes of Israel until AFTER the Tribulation. This is a very important point. Many people we talk with desire to go into the land BEFORE the Tribulation.
Yahushua will save a remnant in the Sheepfold, destroy the nations, and then lead His people to the Land promised. The people who follow Yahushua in repentance to the Sheepfold will live to see the fulfillment of Micah 7.
Micah 7:18-20 Who is an Ěl like You – taking away crookedness and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? He shall not retain His wrath forever, for He Himself delights in loving-commitment. He shall turn back, He shall have compassion on us, He shall trample upon our crookednesses! And You throw all our sins into the depths of the sea!
Gilead: A Part of the Promised Land
Perhaps one of the evilest sins of the modern generation of believers in Yahushua Messiah is trying to partner with the modern-day country of Israel, which is NOT a righteous country. It is a country where most reject Yahushua and severely distort the Torah. Many who have attempted to obtain citizenship in Israel testify to needing to deny Yahushua as Messiah.
Those visiting Israel today will also see blatant acts of defiling the Sabbath and experience being extorted during the Feasts when going to Jerusalem. In the book, Jerusalem Fallacy: Avoiding the Deception, I examined the role of Jerusalem in the past, current, and future, to address the topic of believers feeling obligated to go, particularly for the Feasts. If you desire to sort through the commands to go to Jerusalem and prophecy about its destruction before Messiah’s return, this book will bring clarity to the subject.
Many today seek ‘the Land’ and not the Elohim who promised the Land. Amos prophesied to this generation when he said:
Amos 5:4-5 For thus said יהוה to the house of Yisra’ěl, “Seek Me and live but do not seek Běyth Ěl, nor enter Gilgal, nor pass over to Be’ěrsheḇa. For Gilgal shall certainly go into exile, and Běyth Ěl become a non-entity.
Amos 5:6 “Seek יהוה and live, lest He break out like fire upon the house of Yosěph, and shall consume it, with no one to quench it in Běyth Ěl.
The places listed above are all in the modern country of Israel. Though Gilead is not part of the modern country of Israel, as mentioned earlier, it is part of the Promised Land.
We are not to seek the Promised Land nor are we called to inherit it until AFTER Yahushua has judged all nations and purified the current lands with fire.
Gilead Will Be Judged By Fire
Below are a couple of verses that testify to YHWH judging the Promised Land with fire (there are many more). Please read the prophecies in context.
Ezekiel 20:46-47 “Son of man, set your face toward the south [Teman] and drop word against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South [Negev]. And you shall say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of יהוה! Thus said the Master יהוה, “See, I am kindling a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you – the blazing flame is not quenched. And it shall burn all faces from the south to the north.
Ezekiel 20:48 “And all flesh shall see that I, יהוה, have kindled it, it is not quenched.” ’ ”
There are three different Hebrew words translated south in this passage. Teman is located in the southern part of Jordan. Negev is located in the southern part of the modern state of Israel.
A massive fire is prophesied to burn through the entire forest area, which includes Gilead!
Zechariah 11:1-3 Open your doors, O Leḇanon, and let fire devour your cedars. Howl, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, because the mighty are ravaged. Howl, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has come down. Listen! The howling of shepherds, for their splendour is ravaged. Listen! The roaring of lions, for the pride of the Yarděn is ravaged.
Lebanon is to the north of the modern State of Israel. Bashan is to the north of Gilead and was a part of the tribal inheritance. This fire is prophesied to bring down the forest and affect the shepherds, who have brought their sheep to the green pastures in the northern area of the Promised Land. The shepherds may be actual shepherds feeding sheep and goats, and they may also be people who are shepherding Yah’s people to Gilead. Either way, Zechariah warned the shepherds of the coming fire. I believe the ‘pride of the Jordan’ is the region on both sides of the Jordan River: Galilee, Gilead, and the surrounding area.
Given the context of Zechariah, this judgment by fire seems to be prophetic and hasn’t been fulfilled—it is an End Days event, quite a massive one! Some maps of ancient Bashan show part of it was in the Gilead region! Historically, Bashan included parts of Gilead. Og, king of Bashan, reigned from the border of Gilead in the South to the slopes of Mt. Hermon in the North (Josh. 12:4-5; Josh. 13:11-12). Og also occupied land beyond the Jordan River (Duet. 4:47), which would be northern Transjordan. This is why the children of Israel defeated Og and conquered the Gilead region when they went to inherit the Promised Land.
Zechariah foretold that Lebanon, Bashan, and the pride of the Jordan would be destroyed in this fire. Where are these regions today? They are in the modern-day country of Lebanon, parts of western Syria, the Golan Heights in northern Israel, and some of northern Jordan. We are talking about huge portions of the Middle East, hundreds of square kilometers being burned, with the forests of these areas being fuel for fire. This whole event sounds pretty scary. It should make people seriously question going to the region of Gilead.
Just a few verses earlier, Zechariah prophesied Gilead as a place Yah’s people will once again inhabit.
Zechariah 10:9 “Though I sow them among peoples, they shall remember Me in places far away. And they shall live, together with their children, and they shall return.
Zechariah 10:10 “And I shall bring them back from the land of Mitsrayim, and gather them from Ashshur, and bring them into the land of Gil‛aḏ and Leḇanon until no more room is found for them.”
The prophet told of the hope associated with this Promised Land but went on to clarify that a fire must consume it (Zechariah 11:1-3). Both are true—it’s a matter of timing and understanding how the pieces of prophecy fit together to make a complete story.
Gilead will be consumed by fire, and then, when Yahushua establishes His Kingdom, He will lead His people to feed on the mountains of Gilead and Lebanon once again.
The Return of the Two Houses
Hosea 6 gives us insight to what YHWH thinks about Gilead at the time of the Ingathering.
Hosea 5:15-6:1 “I shall go, I shall return to My place, until they confess their guilt and seek My face, in their distress diligently search for Me, and say, ‘Come and let us turn back to יהוה. For He has torn but He does heal us, He has stricken but He binds us up.
In the context of people returning, Hosea prophesied to our generation when he foresaw the mixing of the House of Ephraim with the House of Judah.
Hosea 6:4 “Ephrayim, what would I do with you? Yehuḏah, what would I do with you? For your loving-commitment is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away.”
Because of their mixture, neither the House of Ephraim nor the House of Judah are pleasing to YHWH. Both houses have transgressed the covenant of YHWH.
Hosea 6:7-8 “But like Aḏam they transgressed the covenant. There they acted treacherously against Me. Gil‛aḏ [Gilead] is a city of workers of wickedness – tracked up with blood.”
The prophet Hosea called to mind the wickedness of Gilead. Likely Hosea was referring to wickedness, not in our generation, but in his generation. Still, intertwined with prophecy about the Ingathering, Hosea makes the point that Gilead is a wicked place. In other words, Gilead is not a gathering place.
Just because Gilead is in the country of Jordan does not make it a safe place. It is not a safe place for either of the Houses before Messiah’s Return. When people claim Gilead as a gathering place, they might as well claim the modern state of Israel as a gathering place. They are both a part of the Promised Land. As seen in the above verses, the Gilead region as well as the modern state of Israel will be judged by fire before Yahushua’s Return.
Hosea 6:10-11 “I have seen a horrible matter in the house of Yisra’ěl: the whoring of Ephrayim is there, Yisra’ěl is defiled. Also, a harvest is appointed for you, O Yehuḏah, when I turn back the captivity of My people.”
YHWH has an appointed time of repentance and return for both the House of Ephraim and the House of Judah. The House of Ephraim is prophesied to return first; at the time of the Ingathering. YHWH calls Ephraim His Firstborn (Jeremiah 31:8-9).
Ephraim is NOT to return to the Promised Land now, but Ephraim is to return to YHWH and then follow Yahushua to the Sheepfold.
The House of Judah is appointed a time of return too (Hosea 6:11) but after more tribulation. The House of Judah will join the House of Ephraim in the modern country of Jordan. Some from the House of Judah will come from the nations, and some will flee from the country of Israel.
We look forward to Yahushua joining the two Houses—at His appointed time, in His appointed place.
Summary points so far:
- Gilead is in the modern country of Jordan and was a part of the original tribal inheritance.
- Gilead is not under the eagle’s wings.
- The Bride follows Yahushua to the Sheepfold. Some of the Bride may come down from Gilead.
- A fire is prophesied to destroy all of Gilead.
- Yah’s people should not try to possess any of the Land before Yahushua judges the earth during the Tribulation.
- Yah’s people must seek YHWH Himself, not the Land.
- YHWH will restore the Land after the Tribulation.
- Gilead is prophesied to be restored to Yah’s people.
What is Better than the Balm of Gilead?
Although Hosea confronted Ephraim and Judah, chapter 6 starts with a word of encouragement for the Ingathering.
Hosea 6:1-2 “Come, and let us turn back to יהוה. For He has torn but He does heal us, He has stricken but He binds us up. After two days He shall revive us, on the third day, He shall raise us up, so that we live before Him.
The Hebrew word translated as ‘turn back’ in the above verse is shub שׁוּב. Many are familiar with this word. It means ‘to repent’ but it also means ‘to return.’ Repentance and return go hand in hand. YHWH promises to restore His people to the Land, but first His people must repent and return. They must seek Him from the nations and take action to follow Him to His place of protection. They must seek His face and turn from sin, false doctrine, and lies. Though the time of tribulation is to be very difficult for Yah’s people, healing will come. When Yah’s people repent and return, we will see the great harvest at the end of this age come to fruition.
Yah’s people repenting and returning will bring healing and blessing—better than the balm of Gilead!
Hosea 6:3 So let us know, let us pursue to know יהוה. His going forth is as certain as the morning. And He comes to us like the rain, like the latter rain watering the earth.’
