Jeremiah 40:6 - Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

To Mizpah. — The name, which signifies “watch- tower” (Genesis 31:49), was naturally not uncommon. Of the six or seven cities that were so called, that which comes before us here was Mizpah of Benjamin (Joshua 18:25-26), prominent in the history of Samuel and Saul (1 Samuel 7:5-13; 1 Samuel 10:17-25), not far from Gibeah of Saul (Isaiah 10:29; Judges 19:13). It has been identified by Dr. Robinson (Bibl. Res. i. 460) with Neby-Samwil, about six miles north of Jerusalem. Dean Stanley, Mr. Grove, and Dr. Bonar, however, find it in the ridge which forms a continuation of the Mount of Olives on the north, and which Josephus (Wars, v. 2), apparently giving the Greek equivalent of the old Hebrew name, calls Skopos, or “the watch-tower.” Mizpah, it may be noted, is twice translated Skopia in the LXX. version (Hosea 5:1; 1 Samuel 22:3). It will be seen that the latter identification fits in better with the narrative than the former.