John Bagot Glubb (“Glubb Pasha”) - The British Officer Who Commanded and Developed the Arab Legion
There are moments in history when one individual becomes a bridge between two worlds—and when his influence reaches far beyond his own lifetime.
John Bagot Glubb, known throughout the Arab world as Glubb Pasha, was one such figure.
A British army officer, Glubb became deeply involved in the development of the military force that became known as the Arab Legion of Transjordan. He helped organize, train, equip, and command the Legion, transforming it into a disciplined military force. By 1948, when the British Mandate for Palestine was ending and the State of Israel was being established, Glubb was serving as its commander.
For me, understanding Glubb Pasha is not merely a matter of military history.
It raises larger questions about Jerusalem, the land of Israel, warfare, nations, borders, and the promises recorded in the Tanakh.
When I examine this history through the Scriptures of Israel, I am reminded that the Bible repeatedly places Jerusalem and the land at the center of conflicts among nations.
“For behold, in those days and at that time,
When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
I will gather all nations
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.”
— Joel 3:1–2
The story of Glubb Pasha therefore becomes part of a much larger historical question: What happens when nations and armies contend over a land that the Tanakh repeatedly identifies with Israel?
Who Was John Bagot Glubb?
John Bagot Glubb was a British officer born in 1897.
He served in the British Army during the First World War and subsequently became involved in British military affairs in the Middle East.
He eventually entered the service of the Emirate of Transjordan.
There he became instrumental in developing the Arab Legion.
The force was originally established under the British mandate system, but under Glubb's leadership it developed into a highly organized and disciplined Arab military force.
He became known as Glubb Pasha, a title reflecting the authority and reputation he acquired among the Arab Legion.
His influence extended beyond battlefield command.
He was involved in:
- military organization;
- recruitment;
- training;
- discipline;
- communications;
- administration;
- and the development of the Legion into an effective fighting force.
The Arab Legion ultimately became the principal military force of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
And then came 1948.
The Arab Legion and the War of 1948
In 1948, the British Mandate for Palestine ended.
The State of Israel declared its independence.
Armies from neighboring Arab states entered the conflict.
Among them was the Arab Legion of Transjordan.
Glubb Pasha commanded the Legion.
The Arab Legion entered the former Mandate territory and fought Israeli forces, particularly around Jerusalem and the areas that would later become known as the West Bank.
The Legion captured and held East Jerusalem, including the Old City, and controlled much of the territory west of the Jordan River that came under Jordanian rule after the war.
This is particularly significant when viewed through the Tanakh because Jerusalem is not presented merely as an ordinary city.
The Scriptures repeatedly describe Jerusalem as a city uniquely associated with the God of Israel.
“For the LORD has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His dwelling place.”
— Psalm 132:13
And:
“His foundation is in the holy mountains.
The LORD loves the gates of Zion
More than all the dwellings of Jacob.”
— Psalm 87:1–2
That makes the struggle over Jerusalem historically significant—and biblically profound.
Jerusalem: More Than a Military Objective
When I read the history of the 1948 war, I cannot separate Jerusalem from the biblical testimony concerning the city.
The Tanakh repeatedly connects Jerusalem with David, the Temple, Zion, Judah, and the worship of the God of Israel.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of Jerusalem in extraordinary terms:
“For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
— Isaiah 2:3
Jerusalem is therefore not simply a geographical location.
It occupies a unique place within the biblical story.
The prophet Zechariah speaks of Jerusalem as a focal point of international conflict:
“For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem.”
— Zechariah 14:2
Whatever historical interpretation one gives to this prophecy, the passage reminds me of something important: the Tanakh anticipated that Jerusalem would become a place of international contention.
And history has certainly demonstrated the extraordinary intensity surrounding the city.
Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion's Training
One of the most important aspects of Glubb's career was his development of Arab military forces.
Glubb did not merely arrive and command an already-developed army.
He helped build the Arab Legion into an effective military organization.
He emphasized discipline, organization, leadership, training, and military professionalism.
The British played a significant role in the military development of Transjordan, and Glubb became one of the central British figures responsible for that development.
This creates an important historical distinction.
The Arab Legion was Arab in personnel and identity, but British officers—including Glubb—played an important role in its organization and development.
That relationship continued for years.
By the time of the 1948 war, Glubb was not simply an outside observer.
He was the commander of the Legion.
A British Officer Commanding an Arab Army
This is perhaps the most fascinating element of Glubb's story.
Here was a British officer who had spent years working with Arab soldiers and had become deeply embedded in the military and political affairs of Transjordan.
He spoke Arabic.
He understood the region.
He had developed relationships with Arab leaders and soldiers.
And ultimately he commanded an Arab military force during one of the most consequential wars in modern Middle Eastern history.
Yet the Tanakh repeatedly reminds me that human beings may make plans while God remains sovereign over history.
“The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD,
Like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.”
— Proverbs 21:1
And:
“There are many plans in a man's heart,
Nevertheless the LORD's counsel—that will stand.”
— Proverbs 19:21
These verses do not eliminate human responsibility.
Rather, they force me to look beyond human commanders, governments, armies, and political strategies.
The Arab Legion's Role in Jerusalem
The Arab Legion's most famous military operations in 1948 occurred around Jerusalem.
The Legion fought Israeli forces for control of the city.
It succeeded in taking the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Jewish Quarter was captured, and its Jewish inhabitants were expelled or evacuated during the fighting.
Jordan subsequently controlled East Jerusalem and the Old City until 1967.
When I consider this history alongside the Tanakh, I find myself returning again and again to the biblical importance of Jerusalem.
The psalmist declares:
“If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill!”
— Psalm 137:5
And:
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May they prosper who love you.’”
— Psalm 122:6
Jerusalem is remembered in Scripture with extraordinary emotional intensity.
It is a city of worship, memory, promise, sorrow, destruction, restoration, and hope.
The Land and the Nations
The history surrounding Transjordan and Israel also brings another biblical theme into focus: the nations and the land.
The Tanakh repeatedly describes the land of Israel in relation to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God says to Abram:
“Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.”
— Genesis 13:14–15
The biblical narrative then continues through Isaac and Jacob.
God tells Jacob:
“The land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.”
— Genesis 28:13
The land therefore occupies a central place in the covenantal narrative.
At the same time, the Tanakh contains numerous passages concerning neighboring nations and their territories.
That means I must be careful not to reduce the biblical picture to a simplistic statement that every modern political boundary corresponds perfectly to an ancient biblical boundary.
Modern states, mandates, kingdoms, and borders belong to complicated historical circumstances.
But the biblical claim concerning the land itself remains unmistakably important.
The Jordan River and the Biblical Landscape
Modern discussions frequently speak about Israel and Jordan as though their present-day boundary were an ancient and permanent division.
But when I read the Tanakh, I find a much more complicated geographical story.
The Israelites themselves crossed the Jordan River when entering the land.
Joshua records:
“So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people...”
— Joshua 3:14
The Jordan was therefore a geographical feature within the biblical narrative—not necessarily an eternal political dividing line between two modern nations.
The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh actually received territory east of the Jordan.
“And Moses gave to them, to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh...”
— Joshua 13:8
This is an important reminder when examining the geography of the region.
The biblical world cannot simply be mapped onto twentieth- and twenty-first-century political borders.
What Does the Tanakh Say About Foreign Armies?
When I look at Glubb Pasha's military career through the Tanakh, I also encounter an uncomfortable biblical reality:
The Scriptures frequently describe foreign armies entering the land.
Sometimes Israel is victorious.
Sometimes Israel is defeated.
Sometimes God delivers Israel.
Sometimes God allows foreign powers to discipline Israel.
The prophets repeatedly interpret military events in relationship to the sovereignty and judgment of God.
Isaiah says:
“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.”
— Isaiah 10:5
Yet the same passage demonstrates that Assyria itself does not escape God's judgment.
“Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, ‘I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria.’”
— Isaiah 10:12
That pattern fascinates me.
A nation may become an instrument within history, yet that nation remains accountable to God.
Human Military Power Is Not Ultimate
The story of Glubb Pasha could easily become a story about military genius.
A British officer.
An Arab army.
Training.
Discipline.
Weapons.
Strategy.
Jerusalem.
Battles.
Victory and defeat.
But the Tanakh repeatedly warns me against believing that military strength is ultimately decisive.
The psalmist writes:
“A king is not saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.”
— Psalm 33:16
And:
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
— Psalm 20:7
This does not mean armies are irrelevant.
The Tanakh contains countless accounts of armies and warfare.
Rather, Scripture places military power underneath divine sovereignty.
Human beings prepare.
Generals command.
Soldiers fight.
Nations make alliances.
But God remains God.
The Unexpected Irony of Glubb's Story
There is an extraordinary irony in Glubb Pasha's story.
A British officer helped develop and command an Arab military force.
That force subsequently fought the emerging State of Israel.
And yet the biblical Scriptures had already described Jerusalem as a place toward which nations would ultimately be drawn.
Zechariah declares:
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples.”
— Zechariah 12:2
The next verse intensifies the imagery:
“And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples.”
— Zechariah 12:3
When I look at the modern history of Jerusalem, those words are difficult to ignore.
The city has repeatedly become a point of extraordinary political, military, religious, and emotional tension.
Glubb Pasha's Legacy
John Bagot Glubb eventually left his position after political tensions between Jordan and Britain culminated in his dismissal in 1956.
He returned to Britain and continued writing and speaking about the Middle East.
His legacy remains controversial.
To some, he was an exceptionally capable military organizer who helped create a professional Arab army.
To others, his position illustrates the continued influence of British imperial power in the affairs of Arab states.
Both aspects are important to understand.
He was simultaneously:
- a British officer;
- a military administrator;
- a commander;
- an adviser;
- an influential figure in Transjordan;
- and a central participant in the military history surrounding Israel's establishment.
His story cannot be understood adequately by treating him simply as a detached British soldier.
He became deeply involved in the political and military history of the region.
What I Take Away From the Story
When I study Glubb Pasha, I am reminded that history is often far more complicated than the simple labels we give it.
British.
Arab.
Jewish.
Jordanian.
Israeli.
Imperial.
Nationalist.
Military.
Political.
Each word describes something real, but none of them tells the whole story.
The Tanakh forces me to look deeper.
It reminds me that behind the rise and fall of kingdoms lies the sovereignty of God.
“The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.”
— Psalm 103:19
It reminds me that nations are accountable for what they do.
“For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish,
And those nations shall be utterly ruined.”
— Isaiah 60:12
And it reminds me that Jerusalem remains deeply significant within God's purposes.
“For the LORD has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His dwelling place.”
— Psalm 132:13
From Glubb Pasha to the Bigger Biblical Story
John Bagot Glubb was one man.
He was not the author of the entire Arab-Israeli conflict.
He did not create every political circumstance that surrounded the creation of Israel.
He did not single-handedly create the Arab Legion.
And he certainly did not control the outcome of history.
But he occupied an important position at a pivotal moment.
He helped develop and command the Arab Legion of Transjordan.
That Legion fought in the 1948 war.
It captured the Old City of Jerusalem.
And Glubb's name consequently became permanently connected with one of the most consequential chapters in the modern history of Jerusalem.
For me, the deepest lesson comes from remembering that Scripture repeatedly places human history beneath the authority of God.
“I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.”
— Job 42:2
The generals of history come and go.
Empires rise and fall.
Borders change.
Armies are created and dismantled.
Political alliances appear and disappear.
But the Scriptures remain.
And when I look at the complicated history of John Bagot Glubb and the Arab Legion, I find myself returning to the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure.’”
— Isaiah 46:9–10
That is ultimately where I believe the story belongs.
Not merely with Glubb Pasha.
Not merely with the Arab Legion.
Not merely with Britain, Transjordan, Israel, or Jerusalem.
But within the larger biblical story of God, nations, Jerusalem, Israel, the land, judgment, sovereignty, and redemption.
And that story is far larger than any general, army, empire, or political boundary.
