Tell el-Maqlub is situated atop of a hill overlooking a bend in Wadi Yabis, in a region known in biblical times as Gilead.

[1][2][3][4][5] This identification is thought to be in accordance with the account of Eusebius, who described "Iabeis Galaad" in the 4th century CE as a "village beyond the Jordan located on the mountains six miles from the city of Pella on the road to Gerasa.

"[6] Some biblical scholars, including Nelson Gluck, preferred to place Jabesh-Gilead in Tell Abu el-Kharaz, located further east along the Wadi Yabis.

This identification is based on the account given in Book of Samuel, which mentions Jabesh as being a night's march away from Beit She'an.

[7] Based on archeological surveys conducted at the site, Tell el-Maqlub was a large, fortified town during the Iron Age, and when the nearby hills were first terraced for agriculture.