Ezekiel 47:16

16 Hamath [to] Berothath [to] Sibraim, which [is] between the boundary of Damascus and the boundary of Hamath, [on to] Hazer Hatticon, which [is] on the boundary of Hauran.

Ezekiel 47:16 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 47:16

Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim
The line of the northern border should be drawn on by Hamath, the same with Antiochia in Syria, since called Epiphania, as Jerom observes, from Antiochus Epiphanies; and go on by Berothah, a city of Hadadezer king of Zobah, ( 2 Samuel 8:8 ) , the same with the Barothena of Ptolemy ^F17, placed by him in Syria; and from thence the line would be carried on to Sibraim, a city in Arabia Deserta: which is between the border of Damascus;
the chief city in Syria: and the border of Hamath; before mentioned. Calmet ^F18 imagines it to be that which Ishmael Abulfeda calls Hovvarin; which he says is a village of the country of Ems or Hamath, to the southeast of the city. Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran;
this seems to be explanative of Sibraim, which lay between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; and therefore is called the middle town or village, as "Hazarhatticon" signifies; and lay by the coast of Hauran, which Jerom calls a town of Damascus, with which it is mentioned, ( Ezekiel 47:18 ) , from whence the country adjacent is called Auranitis, as this place is here by the Septuagint. The Targum calls Hazar the fish pool of the Agbeans; but for what reason, and what is meant by it, I know not.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 Geograph. l. 5. c. 19.
F18 Dictionary, in the word "Sibraim".

Ezekiel 47:16 In-Context

14 And you must take possession of it, each [one] [a share] like his brother, [of this land] which {I swore} to give it to your fathers, and [so] this land shall fall to you as an inheritance.

15 And this [is] the boundary of the land: {On the north side}, from the great sea [by] the way of Hethlon {until you come to Zedad},

16 Hamath [to] Berothath [to] Sibraim, which [is] between the boundary of Damascus and the boundary of Hamath, [on to] Hazer Hatticon, which [is] on the boundary of Hauran.

17 And [so] [the] boundary will be from the sea to Hazar Enan [at] the boundary of Damascus northwards and the boundary of Hamath [to the north], and this [is the boundary on the] side of [the] north.

18 {And the eastern boundary} [will be] between Hauran and Damascus, and from between Gilead and the land of Israel [along] the Jordan [River] from [the] boundary on the eastern sea to Tamar. And {this is the border on the east}.

Footnotes

• [a] Or "Lebo-Hamath to Zeded" (cf. NRSV, NJPS)
• [b] Or "are"