Hebrew word · H6100

עֶצְיוֹן גֶּ֫בֶר

gaver

Ezion-geber

A port at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, 'beside Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom' (1 Kings 9:26). The meaning of the name is uncertain.

Appears 14 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Ezion-geber = "backbone of a man"

the last station during the exodus of the Israelites before they came to the wilderness of Zin; located near Elath at the head of the Gulf of Akaba

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Kings 22:48

Range of meaning

A port at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, 'beside Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom' (1 Kings 9:26). The meaning of the name is uncertain. Its site is debated: Tell el-Kheleifeh, which Nelson Glueck excavated in 1938–40 and identified as the port, though later reassessment has questioned this, or the island of Jezirat Fara'un (Coral Island), which has a natural sheltered harbour.

Against the English

English versions simply transliterate it. Readers need to know that it was a Red Sea port in Edomite territory. Judah could use it only while it controlled Edom.

Used elsewhere in the period

Numbers 33:35–36; Deuteronomy 2:8; 1 Kings 9:26; 2 Chronicles 8:17; 20:36. Later control of the region shifted: Edom revolted under Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20–22), Uzziah rebuilt Elath (2 Kings 14:22), and Edom later recovered Elath (2 Kings 16:6).

From the study of 2 Chronicles 8:17

Range of meaning

A proper name for a harbour at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba. It first appears as a stop on Israel's wilderness journey (Num 33:35–36; Deut 2:8). The meaning of the name is uncertain. Geber means 'man, strong man', and ʿeṣyôn has been linked, without certainty, to a word for 'backbone' or for wood or trees.

Against the English

English versions all transliterate the name, so nothing is lost in translation. What English readers lack is the geography: this is Israel's only route by sea to the south, toward Arabia, East Africa and beyond.

Used elsewhere in the period

Num 33:35–36; Deut 2:8; 1 Kgs 9:26; 22:48 (Jehoshaphat's ships wrecked there; also 2 Chr 20:36–37). Archaeology: Nelson Glueck excavated Tell el-Kheleifeh (1938–40), identified it as Ezion-geber and called it 'Solomon's copper refinery'. Gary Pratico's reassessment (1993) found no remains clearly from Solomon's time, and the 'refinery' turned out to be a storehouse or fort. Alexander Flinder and others have proposed the harbour on Jezirat Faraun (Coral Island) further south. Some think the site lies under modern Aqaba.

Where it appears

Numbers · 4

  1. Numbers 33:35 בְּעֶצְי֥וֹן גָּֽבֶר׃ at Ezion, Geber

    They set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.

  2. Numbers 33:36 מֵעֶצְי֣וֹן גָּ֑בֶר from Ezion, Geber

    They set out from Ezion-geber and camped at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.

Deuteronomy · 2

  1. Deuteronomy 2:8 וּמֵעֶצְיֹ֣ן גָּ֑בֶר ס and from Ezion, Geber

    So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber, and traveled along the road of the Wilderness of Moab.

1 Kings · 4

  1. 1 Kings 9:26 בְּעֶצְיֽוֹן־ גֶּ֨בֶר at Ezion, Geber

    King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.

  2. 1 Kings 22:48 בְּעֶצְי֥וֹן גָּֽבֶר׃ at Ezion, Geber

    Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

    Here: 'At Ezion-', the first half of the port's name, with 'at/in'. The ships were destroyed in their home port.

2 Chronicles · 4

  1. 2 Chronicles 8:17 לְעֶצְיֽוֹן־ גֶּ֧בֶר to Ezion, Geber

    Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the coast of Edom.

    Here: 'To' plus the first half of the place name Ezion-geber. This was a harbour at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, the northern tip of the Red Sea's eastern arm.

  2. 2 Chronicles 20:36 בְּעֶצְי֥וֹן גָּֽבֶר׃ in Ezion, Geber

    They agreed to make ships to go to Tarshish, and these were built in Ezion-geber.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.