Abel-meholah

The text indicates that Abel-meholah was seen as a region with a defined border, west of the Jordan River and south of Beit-She'an.

Among Solomon's twelve governors, there is one Baana who is put in charge of several districts including the area "from Beth-She'an to Abel-meholah" (1 Kings 4:12).

Later in the Book of Kings, Elijah, who had fled fearing Queen Jezebel's wrath, is ordered by God at Mount Horeb to go back along the Jordan valley and "anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah" to succeed him as prophet (1 Kings 19:16).

Jerome and Eusebius refer to it as both a town and an area in the Jordan Valley, about ten Roman miles south of Bethshean.

Noth and Ottosson identified Abel-meholah with Tell Abu el-Kharaz, east of the Jordan River.