Elath

Biblical Text

Elath is a town on the Red Sea coast that appears several times in the Old Testament. In some passages the Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong) renders the name "Eloth."

• Deuteronomy 2:8: As Israel passed through the wilderness, the people went around Seir, where the descendants of Esau lived, and traveled by way of the Arabah, passing by Elath and Ezion-geber.
• 1 Kings 9:26: Solomon built ships "in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom." The same account appears in 2 Chronicles 8:17.
• 2 Kings 14:22: After King Amaziah died, Azariah, that is, Uzziah, built Elath and restored it to Judah. 2 Chronicles 26:2 records the same event.
• 2 Kings 16:6: In the time of Ahaz, Rezin king of Aram (Syria) took Elath and drove out the people of Judah.

Background

Elath is thought to have been located in the southern part of the land of Edom, near the northern tip of what is today the Gulf of Aqaba. The modern cities of Aqaba in Jordan and Eilat in Israel lie in this area, and the name Eilat is itself derived from the biblical Elath. Scholars differ, however, on the exact site of the ancient town and on its relationship to nearby Ezion-geber.

The Hebrew name is commonly explained as related to a word for a large tree, such as the terebinth or the palm.

The site was a gateway to the Red Sea and a hub on trade routes connecting with Arabia. Control of Elath therefore served as an indicator of the balance of power between Judah and Edom. According to 2 Kings, Edom broke free from Judah in the time of Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20–22). Amaziah later struck Edom (2 Kings 14:7), and his son Uzziah recovered Elath.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Elath appears as a place name in historical records rather than as a theological symbol. In the time of Solomon it reflects the prosperity of maritime trade; in the time of Uzziah, the recovery of Judah's national strength; and in the time of Ahaz, national decline and the loss of territory. It does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretive Issues

• Aram or Edom?: In the Hebrew text of 2 Kings 16:6, "Aram" (ארם) and "Edom" (אדם) differ by a single letter. The marginal reading (qere) of the Masoretic Text identifies the people who came to Elath and settled there as "Edomites." The Korean Revised Version renders the word "Arameans," whereas many English translations render it "Edomites." Some interpreters also hold that Rezin restored Elath not to Aram but to Edom.
• Relationship to El-paran: Some identify El-paran in Genesis 14:6 with Elath or with a site near it, but this has not been established.
• Azariah and Uzziah: 2 Kings usually calls this king "Azariah," while 2 Chronicles calls him "Uzziah." The two names are understood to refer to the same person.