Lexical Summary Ebets: Ebets Original Word: אֶבֶץ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Abez From an unused root probably meaning to gleam; conspicuous; Ebets, a place in Palestine -- Abez. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition a city in Issachar NASB Translation Ebez (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [אֶ֫בֶץ] proper name, of a location city in Issachar, אָ֑בֶץ Joshua 19:20. Topical Lexicon Geographic Setting Ebez occupied a place inside the fertile Jezreel Valley region assigned to the tribe of Issachar. Though its precise ruins have not yet been confirmed, proposals cluster it among the modest tells scattered between Mount Tabor and the Kishon drainage. The surrounding terrain is marked by rich black soil, gentle rolling hills, and access to the north-south trade artery that later became the Roman Via Maris. Biblical Context Joshua 19:20 lists Ebez in the third allotment given to Issachar: “Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez”. The catalog of towns (Joshua 19:17-23) follows the casting of lots at Shiloh, where “Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD” (Joshua 18:10). The mention of Ebez is therefore inseparable from the broader narrative of the promised land finally resting in the hands of the covenant people (Joshua 21:43-45). Tribal Inheritance and Covenant Significance 1. Proof of fulfilled promise: Every small town underscored the precision with which God honored His oath to Abraham (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 15:18-21). Historical and Archaeological Considerations • Proposed identifications range from Khirbet eʿIbzeh near modern Afula to Tell Abu Zabura; none are conclusive. Theological Themes Promise and Permanence: Ebez exemplifies the reliability of God’s meticulous record-keeping. What the human writer mentions once, the divine Architect never forgets (Isaiah 49:16). Hidden yet known: Like other lesser-known towns (e.g., “Hammoth Dor,” “Eltekeh”), Ebez teaches that obscurity in the biblical narrative does not equate to insignificance in God’s economy (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). Inheritance foreshadowing eternity: Territorial rest in Canaan prefigures the believer’s imperishable inheritance “kept in heaven” (1 Peter 1:4). Ministry Application • Faithfulness in small assignments: Ebez’s brevity in Scripture challenges ministries to esteem unnoticed places and ordinary tasks, reflecting the Lord who “knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19). Christological Echoes Matthew traces Jesus’ ministry repeatedly through the Jezreel region (Matthew 4:13-16). Every Issacharian village, including obscure Ebez, lay beneath the shadow of the coming Light. The earthly geography of Israel foreshadowed the day when Messiah would traverse Galilee “healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). Related Passages for Study Numbers 34 (land boundaries) Deuteronomy 19:8-10 (extension of inheritance) Joshua 21:43-45 (promise fulfilled) Psalm 16:5-6 (“the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places”) Hebrews 4:8-11 (rest that remains) Forms and Transliterations וָאָֽבֶץ׃ ואבץ׃ vaAvetz wā’āḇeṣ wā·’ā·ḇeṣLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 19:20 HEB: וְהָֽרַבִּ֥ית וְקִשְׁי֖וֹן וָאָֽבֶץ׃ NAS: and Rabbith and Kishion and Ebez, KJV: And Rabbith, and Kishion, and Abez, INT: and Rabbith and Kishion and Ebez 1 Occurrence |
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