Hebrew word · H7247

רִבְלָה

berivlah

Riblah

A place name: Riblah on the Orontes river, in the Beqaa–Homs corridor of Syria (modern Ribleh, near the Lebanon–Syria border). It sat on the main north–south military road and had water and pasture for a large army.

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

Riblah = "fertility"

a town in the land of Hamath on the great road between Babylon and Palestine

Also named: div.lah (דִּבְלָה "Riblah" H1689)

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 Jeremiah 39:5

Range of meaning

A place name: Riblah on the Orontes river, in the Beqaa–Homs corridor of Syria (modern Ribleh, near the Lebanon–Syria border). It sat on the main north–south military road and had water and pasture for a large army.

Against the English

English readers usually have no idea where it is or why it matters. The Hebrew adds 'in the land of Hamath' to place it.

Used elsewhere in the period

In 609 BCE Pharaoh Neco used Riblah as his base and deposed and imprisoned Judah's king Jehoahaz there (2 Kgs 23:33). Nebuchadnezzar later used it as his field headquarters for the western campaigns (2 Kgs 25:6, 20–21; Jer 52:9–10, 26–27).

From the study of 2 Kings 23:33

Range of meaning

A place name: Riblah on the upper Orontes, generally identified with modern Ribla in western Syria, south of Homs, near the Lebanese border.

Against the English

English versions all transliterate it. The Greek Septuagint reads "Deblatha" here. In Hebrew script the letters for d and r look alike and were easily confused.

Used elsewhere in the period

Nebuchadnezzar later used Riblah as his headquarters. Zedekiah was judged and blinded there, and Judah's leading officials were executed there (2 Kgs 25:6–7, 20–21; Jer 39:5–6; 52:9–10, 26–27). It had water, pasture and a road junction, which made it a natural camp for armies going between Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Where it appears

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 34:11 הָרִבְלָ֖ה <the> Riblah

    then go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Chinnereth.

2 Kings · 4

  1. 2 Kings 23:33 בְרִבְלָה֙ at Riblah

    And Pharaoh Neco imprisoned Jehoahaz at Riblah in the land of Hamath so that he could not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

    Here: "At Riblah." This was a strategic camp on the Orontes River in Syria, far north of Jerusalem. The Judean king had to come to the overlord's field headquarters, not the other way round.

  2. 2 Kings 25:6 רִבְלָ֑תָה Riblah towards

    The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.

  3. 2 Kings 25:20 רִבְלָֽתָה׃ Riblah towards

    Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

  4. 2 Kings 25:21 בְּרִבְלָ֖ה at Riblah

    There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.

Jeremiah · 6

  1. Jeremiah 39:5 רִבְלָ֖תָה Riblah towards

    But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They seized him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him.

    Here: 'To Riblah': the ending -ah means 'toward'. Riblah, on the Orontes river in Syria, was the Babylonian army's field headquarters, far north of Judah.

  2. Jeremiah 39:6 בְּרִבְלָ֖ה at Riblah

    There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the nobles of Judah.

  3. Jeremiah 52:9 רִבְלָ֖תָה Riblah towards

    The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on Zedekiah.

  4. Jeremiah 52:10 בְּרִבְלָֽתָה׃ at Riblah <towards>

    There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the officials of Judah.

  5. Jeremiah 52:26 רִבְלָֽתָה׃ Riblah towards

    Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

  6. Jeremiah 52:27 בְּרִבְלָ֖ה at Riblah

    There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.

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