JAEZER(Ἰαζήρ, LXX.; Ἀζήρand Ἀσώρ, Euseb.), a city of Gilead, assigned to the tribe of Gad by Moses. In Numbers (32.1), the land of Jazeris mentioned as contiguous to the land of Gilead,and suited to cattle. In Jeremiah (48.32),the sea of Jazer occurs in some versions, as in the English; but Reland (s. 5. p. 825) justly remarks, that this is not certain, as the passage may be pointed after the wordsea, andJazer, as a vocative, commence the following clause. But as the land of Jazeris used for the country south of Gilead, so the Dead Sea may be designated the sea of Jazer.Eusebius ( Onomast. s. v. Ἀσώρ) places it 8 miles west of Philadelphia or Ammon ; and elsewhere (s. v. Ἰασήρ), 10 miles west of Philadelphia, and 15 from Esbon (Heshbon). He adds, that a large river takes its rise there, which runs into the Jordan. In a situation nearly corresponding with this. between Szaltand Esbus, Burckhardt passed some ruins named Szyr, where a valley named Wady Szyrtakes its rise and runs into the Jordan. This is doubtless the modern representative of the ancient Jazer. In two hours and a half (from Szalt) we passed, on our right, the Wady Szyr, which has its source near the road, and falls into the Jordan. Above the source, on the declivity of the valley, are the ruins called Szyr. (Syria, p. 364.) It is probably identical with the Γάζωροςof Ptolemy which he reckons among the cities of Palestine on the east of the Jordan (5.16).
[G.W]