Nahash was king of the Ammonites, the descendants of Lot (Genesis 19:36-38) who lived east of Jordan. Nahash means snake. Nahash was an evil man.
 The inhabitants of Jabesh-Gibeah, a city in the land of the half-tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the Jordan River, were exposed to great danger from this man. They sent men to Gibeah to inform Saul, the newly anointed king of Israel, of their problem. Gibeah was Saul 's hometown and the first capital city of Israel. It was about 3 miles north of Jerusalem. Saul promptly responded to their call, gathering together an army of about 330,000 men to march against Nahash. Saul won the battle over the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11:1-11).