Ebez
Ebez is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Ain el Habus. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Ebez is mentioned only once in Scripture, in Joshua 19:20, as one of the towns in the territorial allotment assigned to the tribe of Issachar: "Rabbith, Kishion, Abez." (The name appears as "Abez" in some translations and "Ebez" in others, reflecting variations in Hebrew manuscript traditions.) The town was situated in the lower Galilee region of the Jezreel Valley, in the fertile territory that Issachar received as its inheritance. Like many of the towns listed in Joshua's tribal allotments, Ebez receives no narrative elaboration in Scripture; it exists as a name on a divinely ordered list, each town representing a portion of the Promised Land distributed in careful accordance with God's covenant promise to the patriarchs. The territory of Issachar was bounded by Manasseh to the south, Zebulun and Naphtali to the north, and the Jordan River to the east — a rich agricultural zone that the blessing of Jacob had described as restful: "Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens" (Genesis 49:14–15). Ebez's inclusion in this allotment locates it within this agricultural heartland, a small but real component of Israel's inheritance in the land God had sworn to give their ancestors.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Ebez is tentatively identified with Ain el-Habus, a site in the lower Galilee region of northern Israel. The identification is based primarily on phonological resemblance between the ancient name and the modern Arabic toponym, a common methodology in biblical site identification when direct archaeological evidence is lacking. No systematic excavations have been reported at this specific location. The broader lower Galilee and Jezreel Valley region has been extensively surveyed, with Iron Age I and II sites documented throughout the area that correspond to the period of Israelite tribal settlement described in Joshua. The Jezreel Valley itself was one of the most agriculturally productive regions of ancient Canaan, consistent with its assignment to the tribe of Issachar.
Verse Appearances (1)
Josh
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →