7247. Riblah

Lexical Summary

Riblah: Riblah

Original Word: רִבְלָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Riblah
Pronunciation: RIB-lah
Phonetic Spelling: (rib-law')
KJV: Riblah
NASB: Riblah
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to be fruitful]

1. fertile
2. Riblah, a place in Syria

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Riblah

From an unused root meaning to be fruitful; fertile; Riblah, a place in Syria -- Riblah.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a city in Hamath, also one on N.E. border of Isr.
NASB Translation
Riblah (11).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

רִבְלָה proper name, of a location 1. ׳ו in land of Hamath 2 Kings 23:33; 2 Kings 25:21 = Jeremiah 52:27; Jeremiah 39:6; with ה locative, רִבְ֫לָתָךְ 2 Kings 25:6,20 = Jeremiah 52:26, also ('in land of Hamath') Jeremiah 39:5; Jeremiah 52:9; בְּרִבְלָ֑תָה Jeremiah 52:10; read רִבְדָמל֫תָה also Ezekiel 6:14 (for ᵑ0 ׳דִּב, see [ דִּבְלָה]); ᵐ5 usually Δεβλαθα (also Ezekiel 6:14); modern Ribla on Orontes, Rob^{BR ii. 507}; iii. 543 ff. Bd^{Pal 3. 405.}

2 (מִשְּׁפָם) הָרִבְלָה Numbers 34:11, on northeast border of land of Israel, certainly not so far north as

1, but site unknown; ᵐ5 ἀπὀ σεπφαμαρ Βηλα, whence Di and others conjecture הַרְבֵּ֫לָךְ, but not Harmel, 8 miles southwest from ׳ו

1 (Wetzst^{ZAW iii (1883), 274 f.}), see Dr^{Hast. DB}.

רַבמָֿ֑ג, רַבסָֿרִיס see II. רַב.

I. רבע (√ of following; see [ רָבַע], רֶ֫בַע, רֹ֫בַע etc., below; also in ling. cognate).

Topical Lexicon

Geographical Setting

Riblah was a strategic town in the land of Hamath, located on the eastern bank of the Orontes River (modern Nahr el-Asi) in present-day western Syria. Guarded by fertile plains and ample water, it lay astride the main north–south military and trade route connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia. Its position made it an ideal staging ground for imperial armies and a convenient administrative center for foreign powers exerting control over the Levant.

Biblical Occurrences

• Border marker for the Promised Land (Numbers 34:11)
• Pharaoh Neco detained King Jehoahaz there (2 Kings 23:33)
• Nebuchadnezzar judged King Zedekiah and the nobles of Judah there (2 Kings 25:6, 2 Kings 25:20-21; Jeremiah 39:5-6; Jeremiah 52:9-10, 52:26-27)

Selected verses:

“Pharaoh Neco put him in chains at Riblah in the land of Hamath, so that he might not reign in Jerusalem.” (2 Kings 23:33)

“They captured the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where a sentence was pronounced against him.” (2 Kings 25:6)

“At Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes.” (Jeremiah 39:6)

Historical Background

1. Egyptian Control: Around 609 BC Pharaoh Neco II marched north to aid the waning Assyrian empire. After defeating King Josiah at Megiddo, he installed Jehoahaz as a puppet but quickly removed him, imprisoning him at Riblah (2 Kings 23:33).
2. Babylonian Headquarters: Two decades later Nebuchadnezzar II turned Riblah into his western military headquarters during his final campaigns against Judah (588–586 BC). Here he tried, sentenced, and executed Judah’s leadership, blinded Zedekiah, and orchestrated the deportations that ended the Davidic monarchy (2 Kings 25:6-21; Jeremiah 52:9-27).
3. Border Landmark: Long before these events, Riblah had been fixed by divine command as part of Israel’s northern boundary (Numbers 34:11), underscoring its enduring geopolitical importance.

Prophetic and Theological Significance

• Fulfillment of Prophecy: Jeremiah foretold that Zedekiah would see the king of Babylon “with his own eyes” yet be taken to Babylon blind (compare Jeremiah 32:4–5 with 39:6-7). The grim events at Riblah precisely matched the prophecy, validating the inerrancy of God’s word.
• Covenant Accountability: Riblah became the courtroom where covenant violations were judged. The city stands as a sobering reminder that no earthly alliance (Egypt in Jehoahaz’s day, Babylon in Zedekiah’s) can shield God’s people when they reject His statutes.
• Boundary Faithfulness: Its mention in Numbers 34 anchors God’s promise of land with clear, fixed borders. Later judgments at the same site highlight that privilege never cancels responsibility; the land grant did not exempt Israel from obedience.

Ministry Insights

1. God’s Word Proven True: Teachers and preachers can point to Riblah as tangible evidence that historical and geographical details in Scripture align with real events, reinforcing trust in the Bible’s reliability.
2. Leadership Accountability: Both Jehoahaz and Zedekiah were judged at Riblah for covenant unfaithfulness, illustrating that leaders bear heightened responsibility for guiding God’s people.
3. The Danger of Compromise: Judah’s kings sought security through political maneuvering, yet the place they expected to find relief became the place of their downfall. Reliance on worldly powers rather than the Lord leads to judgment.
4. Hope Beyond Judgment: Even as Riblah witnessed devastating discipline, the prophets simultaneously proclaimed future restoration (Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 37). Divine judgment is never God’s last word to His covenant people.

Lessons for Today

• Remember the fixed boundaries of God’s moral law; compromise invites discipline.
• Trust the detailed accuracy of Scripture; every prophecy will stand.
• Pray for leaders, recognizing the weighty accountability that accompanies authority.
• Proclaim both the warning and the hope embedded in redemptive history, using places like Riblah to illustrate the seriousness of sin and the certainty of God’s promises.

Forms and Transliterations

בְּרִבְלָ֖ה בְּרִבְלָֽתָה׃ בְרִבְלָה֙ ברבלה ברבלתה׃ הָרִבְלָ֖ה הרבלה רִבְלָ֑תָה רִבְלָ֖תָה רִבְלָֽתָה׃ רבלתה רבלתה׃ bə·riḇ·lā·ṯāh bə·riḇ·lāh ḇə·riḇ·lāh bəriḇlāh ḇəriḇlāh bəriḇlāṯāh berivLah berivLatah hā·riḇ·lāh hāriḇlāh harivLah riḇ·lā·ṯāh riḇlāṯāh rivLatah verivLah

Englishman's Concordance

Numbers 34:11
HEB: הַגְּבֻ֧ל מִשְּׁפָ֛ם הָרִבְלָ֖ה מִקֶּ֣דֶם לָעָ֑יִן
NAS: from Shepham to Riblah on the east
KJV: from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side
INT: and the border Shepham to Riblah the east of Ain

2 Kings 23:33
HEB: פַרְעֹ֨ה נְכֹ֤ה בְרִבְלָה֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חֲמָ֔ת
NAS: imprisoned him at Riblah in the land
KJV: put him in bands at Riblah in the land
INT: imprisoned Pharaoh Riblah the land of Hamath

2 Kings 25:6
HEB: מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶ֖ל רִבְלָ֑תָה וַיְדַבְּר֥וּ אִתּ֖וֹ
NAS: of Babylon at Riblah, and he passed sentence
KJV: of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave
INT: the king of Babylon Riblah passed for

2 Kings 25:20
HEB: מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶ֖ל רִבְלָֽתָה׃
NAS: them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
KJV: them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:
INT: to the king of Babylon Riblah

2 Kings 25:21
HEB: בָּבֶ֧ל וַיְמִיתֵ֛ם בְּרִבְלָ֖ה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חֲמָ֑ת
NAS: them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land
KJV: them, and slew them at Riblah in the land
INT: of Babylon and put Riblah the land of Hamath

Jeremiah 39:5
HEB: מֶֽלֶךְ־ בָּבֶ֛ל רִבְלָ֖תָה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חֲמָ֑ת
NAS: of Babylon at Riblah in the land
KJV: of Babylon to Riblah in the land
INT: king of Babylon Riblah the land of Hamath

Jeremiah 39:6
HEB: בְּנֵ֧י צִדְקִיָּ֛הוּ בְּרִבְלָ֖ה לְעֵינָ֑יו וְאֵת֙
NAS: before his eyes at Riblah; the king
KJV: of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes:
INT: the sons of Zedekiah Riblah his eyes all

Jeremiah 52:9
HEB: מֶ֧לֶךְ בָּבֶ֛ל רִבְלָ֖תָה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חֲמָ֑ת
NAS: of Babylon at Riblah in the land
KJV: of Babylon to Riblah in the land
INT: the king of Babylon Riblah the land of Hamath

Jeremiah 52:10
HEB: יְהוּדָ֖ה שָׁחַ֥ט בְּרִבְלָֽתָה׃
NAS: the princes of Judah in Riblah.
KJV: of Judah in Riblah.
INT: of Judah slaughtered Riblah

Jeremiah 52:26
HEB: מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶ֖ל רִבְלָֽתָה׃
NAS: them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
KJV: them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.
INT: the king of Babylon Riblah

Jeremiah 52:27
HEB: בָּבֶ֧ל וַיְמִתֵ֛ם בְּרִבְלָ֖ה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חֲמָ֑ת
NAS: and put them to death at Riblah in the land
KJV: them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land
INT: of Babylon and put Riblah the land of Hamath

11 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7247
11 Occurrences

bə·riḇ·lāh — 3 Occ.
bə·riḇ·lā·ṯāh — 1 Occ.
hā·riḇ·lāh — 1 Occ.
riḇ·lā·ṯāh — 5 Occ.
ḇə·riḇ·lāh — 1 Occ.