Riblah

Biblical Text

Riblah appears mainly in the accounts of the fall of the kingdom of Judah.

• 2 Kings 23:33: Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, imprisoned Jehoahaz, king of Judah, at Riblah in the land of Hamath and removed him from the throne.
• 2 Kings 25:6-7; Jeremiah 39:5-7; Jeremiah 52:9-11: When Jerusalem fell, Zedekiah fled but was captured in the plains of Jericho. He was brought to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who was then at Riblah, and was interrogated there. The king of Babylon killed Zedekiah's sons before his eyes, put out his eyes, bound him in bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. The Book of Jeremiah adds that the nobles and officials of Judah were also put to death at Riblah at that time.
• 2 Kings 25:18-21; Jeremiah 52:24-27: Nebuzaradan, the captain of the Babylonian guard, took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, the three keepers of the temple door, and officials of the city to Riblah, where the king of Babylon executed them. The passage closes with the words, "So Judah was carried away out of their land."
• Numbers 34:11: The name Riblah also appears in the description of the eastern boundary of the Promised Land. Scholars are divided over whether this is the same place as Riblah in the land of Hamath.

Background

Riblah was a town in the land of Hamath, in what is now western Syria. Many scholars locate it near the village of Ribleh on the Orontes River, though its exact site has not been established. The area lay on the route between Egypt and Mesopotamia and reportedly had ample water and pasture, making it well suited for encamping a large army. For this reason, Neco of Egypt and later Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon each made it their command headquarters. The king of Babylon did not personally direct the siege of Jerusalem but remained at Riblah, where he received reports and rendered judgments. The fall of Jerusalem is dated to either 587 or 586 BC; both dates are in common use.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Riblah is recorded as the place where the Judean dynasty and the temple leadership came to their end. For this reason it is regarded as the symbolic site where the Babylonian exile actually began. Many commentators connect the events at Riblah with the fulfillment of prophecy. Jeremiah foretold that Zedekiah would see the king of Babylon face to face (Jeremiah 34:3), and Ezekiel foretold that he would be brought to Babylon yet would not see that land (Ezekiel 12:13). Because Zedekiah saw the king of Babylon in person at Riblah and was then blinded, both prophecies are understood to have been fulfilled together. The New Testament does not mention Riblah. However, the exile that began there appears in the genealogy of Matthew 1:11-12 as a marker dividing its periods: "about the time they were carried away to Babylon."

Interpretive Questions

• Ezekiel 6:14: Some scholars regard "Diblath" in the Hebrew text as a scribal error and emend it to read Riblah. Others retain the text as it stands.
• Zedekiah's end: Those executed at Riblah were Zedekiah's sons and the officials. According to the text, Zedekiah himself did not die at Riblah; he was taken to Babylon and kept in prison until the day of his death (Jeremiah 52:11).
• Distinction from Libnah: Libnah in Judah, the hometown of Hamutal, mother of Jehoahaz and Zedekiah (2 Kings 23:31; 24:18), has a name similar to Riblah but is a different place.