Bible Encyclopedia: Riblah

Jump to: Hitchcock's • Smith's • ATS • ISBE • Easton's • Concordance • Thesaurus • Hebrew • Library • Subtopics • Terms

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

RIBLAH

rib'-la (ribhlah; Rheblatha, with variants):

(1) Riblah in the land of Hamath first appears in history in 608 B.C. Here Pharaoh-necoh, after defeating Josiah at Megiddo and destroying Kadytis or Kadesh on the Orontes, fixed his headquarters, and while in camp he deposed Jehoahaz and cast him into chains, fixed the tribute of Judah, and appointed Jehoiakim king (2 Kings 23:31-35). In 588 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar, at war with Egypt and the Syrian states, also established his headquarters at Riblah, and from it he directed the subjugation of Jerusalem. When it fell, Zedekiah was carried prisoner to Riblah, and there, after his sons and his nobles had been slain in his presence, his eyes were put out, and he was taken as a prisoner to Babylon (2 Kings 25:6, 20 Jeremiah 39:5-7; Jeremiah 52:8-11). Riblah then disappears from history, but the site exists today in the village of Ribleh, 35 miles Northeast of Baalbek, and the situation is the finest that could have been chosen by the Egyptian or Babylonian kings for their headquarters in Syria. An army camped there had abundance of water in the control of the copious springs that go to form the Orontes. The Egyptians coming from the South had behind them the command of the rich corn and forage lands of Coele-Syria, while the Babylonian army from the North was equally fortunate in the rich plains extending to Hamath and the Euphrates. Lebanon, close by, with its forests, its hunting grounds and its snows, ministered to the needs and luxuries of the leaders. Riblah commanded the great trade and war route between Egypt and Mesopotamia, and, besides, it was at the dividing-point of many minor routes. It was in a position to attack with facility Phoenicia, Damascus or Palestine, or to defend itself against attack from those places, while a few miles to the South the mountains on each side close in forming a pass where a mighty host might easily be resisted by a few. In every way Riblah was the strategical point between North and South Syria. Riblah should probably be read for Diblah in Ezekiel 6:14, while in Numbers 34:11 it does not really appear. See 2.

(2) A place named as on the ideal eastern boundary of Israel in Numbers 34:11, but omitted in Ezekiel 47:15-18. The Massoretic Text reads "Hariblah"; but the Septuagint probably preserves the true vocalization, according to which we should translate "to Harbel." It is said to be to the east of `Ain, and that, as the designation of a district, can only mean Merj `Ayun, so that we should seek it in the neighborhood of Hermon, one of whose spurs Furrer found to be named Jebel `Arbel.

W. M. Christie

Strong's Hebrew

7247. Riblah -- a city in Hamath, also one on NE border of Isr.
... 7246, 7247. Riblah. 7248 . a city in Hamath, also one on NE border of Isr.
Transliteration: Riblah Phonetic Spelling: (rib-law') Short Definition: Riblah. ...
/hebrew/7247.htm - 6k

1689. Diblah -- a place in Aram (Syria) or Northern Israel
... NASB Word Usage Diblah (1). Diblath. Probably an orthographical error for Riblah;
Diblah, a place in Syria -- Diblath. see HEBREW Riblah. 1688, 1689. ...
/hebrew/1689.htm - 6k

Library

The Sad Fate of a Guilty Nation
... plains of Jericho. Then they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon,
who was then at Riblah in the land of Hamath. And the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the sad fate of a.htm

'As Sodom'
... in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.9. Then they took
the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/as sodom.htm

The End
... him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.6. So they
took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the end.htm

How the King of Babylon Took Jerusalem and Burnt the Temple and ...
... They were indeed only generals of the king of Babylon, to whom Nebuchadnezzar committed
the care of the siege, for he abode himself in the city of Riblah. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 how the king.htm

The Last Agony
... after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and when they had taken
him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the last agony.htm

Pamias. Paneas, the Spring of Jordan.
... which issue little Jordan," &c. Riblah (that we may note this by the way)
by the Targumists is rendered Daphne. They, upon Numbers 34 ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 67 pamias paneas the.htm

From Megiddo to Carchemish, 608-605.
... In three months Necoh had the youth in bonds at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, that
he might not reign in Jerusalem, and afterwards took him to Egypt. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/1 from megiddo to carchemish.htm

What is to be Said of the Sea of Apamia.
... into Ain; note also, in the word Bozor, 2 Peter 2:15, Ain changed into Shin.) Jonathan
reads it Apamia, with Aleph: for "From Shepham to Riblah," he renders ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 68 what is to.htm

Zedekiah
... his few attendants deserted him in his flight, he was caught at last down by the
fords of the Jordan, carried prisoner to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah away up in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/zedekiah.htm

To the End and After
... He was overtaken on the plains of Jericho, his escort scattered and himself carried
to Nebuchadrezzar's head-quarters at Riblah on the Orontes. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/lecture vi to the end.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Riblah

quarrel; greatness to him

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Riblah

(fertility), One of the landmarks on the eastern boundary of the land of Israel, as specified by Moses. (Numbers 34:11) It seems hardly possible, without entirely disarranging the specification or the boundary, that the Riblah in question can be the same with the following.

Riblah in the land of Hamath, a place on the great road between Palestine and Babylonia, at which the kings of Babylonia were accustomed to remain while directing the operations of their armies in Palestine and Phoenicia. Here Nebuchadnezzer waited while the sieges of Jerusalem and of Tyre were being conducted by his lieutenants. (Jeremiah 39:5,6; 62:9,10,26,27; 2 Kings 25:6,20,21) In like manner Pharaoh-necho after his victory over the Babylonians at Carchemish, returned to Riblah and summoned Jehoahaz from Jerusalem before him. (2 Kings 23:33) This Riblah still retains its ancient name, on the right (east) bank of the el-Asy (Orontes) upon the great road which connects Baalbek and Hums , about 36 miles northeast of the former end 20 miles southwest of the latter place.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Riblah

A city of Syria, in the country of Hamath, at the north-east extremity of Canaan, Numbers 34:11. Its site is probably found in the modern village Ribleh, on the river Orontes, at the northern end of the great valley of Lebanon, El-Bukaa.. Through this valley, by way of Hamath and Riblah, was the readiest access to Palestine from the north. At Riblah king Jehoahaz was taken and deposed by Pharaoh- necho; here also Nebuchadnezzar established his headquarters when warring against Judah, 2 Kings 23:33; 25:6,20,21; Jeremiah 39:5; 52:10.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Fruitful, an ancient town on the northern frontier of Palestine, 35 miles north-east of Baalbec, and 10 or 12 south of Lake Homs, on the eastern bank of the Orontes, in a wide and fertile plain. Here Nebuchadnezzar had his head-quarters in his campaign against Jerusalem, and here also Necho fixed his camp after he had routed Josiah's army at Megiddo (2 Kings 23:29-35; 25:6, 20, 21; Jeremiah 39:5; 52:10). It was on the great caravan road from Palestine to Carchemish, on the Euphrates. It is described (Numbers 34:11) as "on the eastern side of Ain." A place still called el Ain, i.e., "the fountain", is found in such a position about 10 miles distant. (see JERUSALEM.)

Thesaurus

Riblah (12 Occurrences)
... position about 10 miles distant. (see JERUSALEM.). Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia. RIBLAH. rib'-la (ribhlah; Rheblatha, with variants ...
/r/riblah.htm - 14k

Ain (6 Occurrences)
... Thomson and after him Robinson make Ain the same as `Ain el-`Asy, the chief source
of the Orontes, some fifteen miles Southwest of Riblah, which, in turn, is ...
/a/ain.htm - 9k

Pharaoh-necoh (3 Occurrences)
... Not having met an enemy there, he seems to have turned back and established
himself for a time at Riblah in Syria. To Riblah he ...
/p/pharaoh-necoh.htm - 12k

Zephaniah (11 Occurrences)
... He, along with some other captive Jews, was put to death by the king of
Babylon "at Riblah in the land of Hamath" (2 Kings 25:21). ...
/z/zephaniah.htm - 32k

Sentence (53 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 25:6 Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon
to Riblah; and they gave judgment on him. (See NAS RSV NIV). ...
/s/sentence.htm - 24k

Nebuzar-adan (14 Occurrences)
... (DBY WBS). 2 Kings 25:20 And Nebuzar-adan the captain of the body-guard took them
and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah; (DBY WBS). ...
/n/nebuzar-adan.htm - 11k

Nebu'zarad'an (14 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). 2 Kings 25:20 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them,
and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah. (See RSV). ...
/n/nebu'zarad'an.htm - 10k

Pharaohnecoh
... Not having met an enemy there, he seems to have turned back and established
himself for a time at Riblah in Syria. To Riblah he ...
/p/pharaohnecoh.htm - 11k

Shepham (2 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary A treeless place, Numbers 34:10, 11: "The coast shall
go down from Shepham to Riblah.". Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. SHEPHAM. ...
/s/shepham.htm - 7k

Slaughtereth (13 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 39:6 And the king of Babylon slaughtereth the sons of Zedekiah, in Riblah,
before his eyes, yea, all the freemen of Judah hath the king of Babylon ...
/s/slaughtereth.htm - 10k

Bible Concordance

Riblah (12 Occurrences)

Numbers 34:11 and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down, and shall reach to the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 23:33 Pharaoh Necoh put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of one hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 25:6 Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment on him.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 25:20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 25:21 The king of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 39:5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment on him.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 39:6 Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon killed all the nobles of Judah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 52:9 Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment on him.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 52:10 The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he killed also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 52:26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 52:27 The king of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 6:14 And my hand will be stretched out against them, making the land waste and unpeopled, from the waste land to Riblah, through all their living-places: and they will be certain that I am the Lord.
(BBE RSV)

Subtopics

Riblah

Riblah: A Border Town of the Promised Land

Riblah: Headquarters of Nebuchadnezzar During the Siege of Jerusalem

Riblah: King Jehoahaz Overthrown In, by Pharaoh

Related Terms

Ain (6 Occurrences)

Pharaoh-necoh (3 Occurrences)

Zephaniah (11 Occurrences)

Sentence (53 Occurrences)

Nebuzar-adan (14 Occurrences)

Nebu'zarad'an (14 Occurrences)