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EZION-GEBER

(Heb. ʿeṣyôn geḇer)

A town in Edom on the Gulf of Aqabah, listed as a resting place along the route taken in the Exodus (Num. 33:35-36). David may have captured this village when he subdued Edom (2 Sam. 8:13-14). Solomon built a fleet of ships here (1 Kgs. 9:26 = 2 Chr. 8:17; cf. 10:22). With the death of Solomon the region reverted to Edomite control. Ezion-geber was conquered by Jehoshaphat of Judah, who also built ships there, but these were destroyed (1 Kgs. 22:48; 2 Chr. 20:36) as divine retribution for his alliance with Ahaziah (v. 37). Amaziah defeated the Edomites (2 Kgs. 14:7), and his son Uzziah rebuilt the site (v. 22).

Many archaeologists, following Nelson Glueck, contend that Ezion-geber was located at modern Tell el-Kheleifeh (147884) on the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqabah, ca. 457 m. (550 yds.) from the shore. The Bible locates it “near Eloth (or ‘Elath’)” on the shore of the Red Sea (1 Kgs. 9:26). Although Ezion-geber and Elath are traditionally viewed as distinct settlements, many scholars regard them as different names for the same site.

The chief feature of Tell el-Kheleifeh is a series of walls with holes that Glueck took to be flues and air channels. These walls had endured such intense heat that they became kiln baked. Further they bore traces of sulphur and various other metals. Initially then, Glueck concluded that he had found the remains of a refinery specifically designed to make use of the winds from the Gulf to super-heat the fires in a copper smelter. Later, he completely revised his findings to suggest that the holes actually supported wooden crossbeams that had been destroyed by fire, and identified the structure as a storehouse and granary. Destruction of this and other buildings may be linked to the invasion of the Egyptians under Shishak ca. 925 (cf. 2 Chr. 12:4).

A more recent suggestion for location has centered on the island of Jezîrat Farʾôn/Coral Island, which appears to offer a natural harbor for ships.

Watson E. Mills

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

EZION-GEBER

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)