5882. En Eglayim
Lexical Summary
En Eglayim: En Eglayim

Original Word: עֵין עֶגְלַיִם
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: `Eyn `Eglayim
Pronunciation: ān eg-lah'-yim
Phonetic Spelling: (ane eg-lah'-yim)
KJV: En-eglaim
NASB: Eneglaim
Word Origin: [H5869 (עַיִן - eyes) and the dual of H5695 (עֵגֶל - calf)]

1. fountain of two calves
2. En-Eglajim, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
En-eglaim

ayin and the dual of egel; fountain of two calves; En-Eglajim, a place in Palestine -- En-eglaim.

see HEBREW ayin

see HEBREW egel

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from ayin and egel
Definition
"spring of two calves," a place on the Dead Sea
NASB Translation
Eneglaim (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
עֵין עֶגְלַ֫יִם proper name, of a location on Dead Sea Ezekiel 47:10, Εναγαλειμ.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

En-eglaim is mentioned once in Scripture, in Ezekiel 47:10, where it marks the northern limit of a thriving fishing industry along the transformed waters of the Dead Sea in Ezekiel’s temple-river vision. As a spring on the eastern shore, likely near the modern Wadi Mujib (Arnon) or farther north, En-eglaim forms a prophetic counterpart to En-gedi on the western shore. Its appearance in this eschatological context links it to themes of renewal, abundance, and the extension of divine blessing from the sanctuary to the ends of the land.

Geographic Setting

• Situated on or near the eastern shore of the Dead Sea, opposite En-gedi.
• Associated with Moab’s ancient frontier (Numbers 21:13; Isaiah 15:8), suggesting a location at or just north of the Arnon Gorge.
• The name preserves the idea of a natural spring, highlighting the transformation of a region characterized by hyper-saline waters into one teeming with life.

Biblical Context

Ezekiel 47 describes a river issuing from the threshold of the millennial temple, deepening as it flows eastward:

“Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures and a great many fish… Fishermen will stand by it from En-gedi to En-eglaim to spread their nets” (Ezekiel 47:9-10).

Key elements:

1. The water originates at the temple, emphasizing God as the fountainhead of life.
2. The river miraculously freshens the Salt Sea, reversing the curse on that barren basin.
3. En-eglaim’s placement anchors the breadth of this blessing geographically and symbolically—life reaches the outermost edge.

Historical Significance

Because En-eglaim appears only in a prophetic context, it serves less as a record of past events and more as an anchor for Israel’s future hope. Its identification with an actual spring strengthens the realism of Ezekiel’s vision, assuring exiles that God’s promise involves concrete land and water, not mere metaphor.

Theological Significance

1. Restoration. En-eglaim embodies the promise that no place is beyond redemption. The Dead Sea—once a symbol of judgment (Genesis 19:24-25)—is pictured teeming with life.
2. Mission. Fishermen “from En-gedi to En-eglaim” suggest universal outreach, anticipating the call to become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19) as the gospel spreads from Jerusalem to the nations.
3. Sanctification of Creation. The spring illustrates God’s intent to renew the material world, foreshadowing the “new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1).

Prophetic Import

Ezekiel’s river correlates with other future-oriented texts:
Zechariah 14:8—“living water” flows from Jerusalem.
Revelation 22:1-2—a river of life through the New Jerusalem.

En-eglaim thus participates in a consistent prophetic tapestry depicting eschatological blessing radiating from God’s dwelling.

Archaeology and Scholarship

Proposed identifications include:

1. ‑ ‘Ain el-Feshkha, slightly north of En-gedi (unlikely because it is west of the sea).
2. ‑ ‘Ain el-Ghamr or ‑ ‘Ain el-Jura, east-side springs near the Arnon delta.
3. ‑ Numeira or Safi regions, reflecting settlement remnants from Bronze-Age Moab.

While definitive proof remains elusive, the consensus favors an east-bank location reinforcing the symmetrical pairing with En-gedi.

Practical Ministry Application

• Hope for the Hopeless. En-eglaim encourages ministry in “dead” places—broken communities, stagnant churches, or hardened hearts—confident that divine life can break in.
• Balance of Word and Spirit. The river’s source (temple) and eventual impact (fishermen) illustrate the union of worship and mission.
• Environmental Care. By forecasting ecological restoration, the text motivates stewardship of creation as an anticipation of God’s future renewal.

Related Scriptures and Themes

Genesis 2:10-14—the primordial river.
Psalm 46:4—“There is a river whose streams delight the city of God.”
Isaiah 35:1-7—desert blossoming like the rose.
John 7:37-39—rivers of living water flowing from believers.

Summary

En-eglaim, though mentioned only once, plays a pivotal role in Ezekiel’s vision of life flowing from the sanctuary to heal the land. Anchoring the eastern extent of the revitalized sea, it offers a powerful image of God’s redemptive reach—assuring believers that His restorative purposes encompass every arid corner of creation and every soul willing to receive the living water.

Forms and Transliterations
עֶגְלַ֔יִם עגלים ‘eḡ·la·yim ‘eḡlayim egLayim
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Englishman's Concordance
Ezekiel 47:10
HEB: וְעַד־ עֵ֣ין עֶגְלַ֔יִם מִשְׁט֥וֹחַ לַֽחֲרָמִ֖ים
NAS: it; from Engedi to Eneglaim there will be a place for the spreading
KJV: upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a [place] to spread forth
INT: Engedi against to Eneglaim place of nets

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 5882
1 Occurrence


‘eḡ·la·yim — 1 Occ.

5881
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