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ZOBAH

(Heb. ṣôḇâ; Aram. ṣôḇāʾ)

Aram-zobah, a powerful Aramean state along the upper Orontes River in the Beqaʿ Valley of Lebanon. It was mentioned among the enemies of Saul of Israel (1 Sam. 14:47). During the reign of David Hadad-ezer was the king of Aram-zobah by way of a dynastic union with another Aramean state, Beth-rehob. This Aramean king ruled over a vast territory in the Damascus area, had vassals in northern Transjordan (2 Sam. 10:6; 1 Chr. 19:6), was influential as far as Ammon in the south and Hamath in the north (2 Sam. 8:9-10), and expanded beyond the Euphrates (8:3; 10:16; 1 Chr. 19:16). Hadad-ezer was ultimately defeated by David. Soon thereafter, Aram-zobah was replaced by another Aramean dynasty from Damascus (2 Sam. 8:5; 10:16-19).

The “king of Aram” who seized two Euphrates cities from Assyria at the beginning of the 10th century b.c. may have been Hadad-ezer of Aram.

Bibliography. A. Malamat, “Aspects of the Foreign Policies of David and Solomon,” JNES 22 (1963): 1-17; “The Kingdom of David and Solomon in Its Contact with Egypt and Aram Naharaim,” BA 21 (1958): 96-102, repr. in BAR 2, ed. D. N. Freedman and E. F. Campbell (Garden City, 1964), 89-98; B. Mazar, “The Aramean Empire and Its Relations with Israel,” BA 25 (1962): 97-120, repr. in BAR 2, ed. Freedman and Campbell (Garden City, 1964), 127-51; W. T. Pitard, Ancient Damascus (Winona Lake, 1987).

Mark W. Chavalas

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

ZOBAH

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)