Ezion Gaber(ezion geber)
“Backbone of a man, or counsel of a man”
Summary
Ezion-geber (also spelled Ezion-gaber) was a port city on the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, serving as the last Israelite encampment before Kadesh and later as Solomon's naval base for Red Sea trade.
☩Wilderness Station
Ezion-geber served as the final encampment of the Israelites before they reached the wilderness of Zin during their wilderness wanderings (Num 33:35-36). Moses references their passing by Ezion-geber in connection with their circuit of Edom (Deut 2:8). Its location on the Gulf of Aqaba (the eastern arm of the Red Sea) placed it at a strategic juncture between the wilderness and the sea route to distant lands.
☩Solomon's Naval Base
King Solomon 'made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom' (1 Kings 9:26; 2 Chron 8:17). This fleet, manned with the help of Hiram's experienced Phoenician sailors, brought gold from Ophir (1 Kings 9:28) and exotic goods including 'gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks' on its three-year voyages (1 Kings 10:22). Jehoshaphat later attempted to revive this trade, but his ships 'were broken at Ezion-geber' (1 Kings 22:48).