En Eglaim
En Eglaim is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Mutraba. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
En Eglaim appears in a single remarkable prophetic passage in Ezekiel 47:10, within the prophet's vision of the life-giving river flowing from the restored temple. In this eschatological scene, the sacred river transforms the Dead Sea into fresh water, and En Eglaim is named alongside En-gedi as a location along the western shore of the Dead Sea where fishermen will spread their nets. The transformation is staggering: the most desolate and lifeless body of water in the world becomes a teeming fishery, a sign of the radical renewal God will bring to his creation. En Eglaim's placement at the northern end of the Dead Sea region, in contrast to En-gedi further south, brackets the entire western shoreline in this vision of restoration. Though mentioned only here, En Eglaim thus carries enormous theological freight as a landmark of God's promised cosmic renewal, where even the saltiest and most barren waters will teem with life under the influence of the divine presence flowing from the new temple.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
En Eglaim is generally identified with a location near the northern end of the Dead Sea, possibly corresponding to modern Ain Feshkha (also called Enot Tzukim), a cluster of freshwater springs along the western shore north of Qumran. The Ain Feshkha springs are the most significant natural freshwater source on the western Dead Sea shore and represent an oasis amid an otherwise barren landscape. The area near Qumran has been extensively excavated, revealing the settlement of the Essene community from roughly 150 BC to AD 68. Ancient agricultural installations and a tannery near Ain Feshkha suggest organized economic activity in antiquity. The springs themselves remain active today and support a nature reserve.
Verse Appearances (1)
Ezek
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →