Commentators unanimously describe the lands of Jazer and Gilead, east of the Jordan, as exceptionally fertile and ideal for grazing. Scholars note that this region was so renowned for its rich pastures that an Arab proverb stated, "You cannot find a country like the Belka" (the modern name for the area). This geographical reality is the practical basis for the request made by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, who possessed a great number of cattle.