River Chebar
Ask about River Chebar
The river Chebar was a waterway in Babylonia beside which many of the exiles from Judah were settled after King Jehoiachin was taken captive in 597 BC. There, in the fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity, the heavens were opened to the priest Ezekiel, and he saw visions of God: the four living creatures, the wheels full of eyes, and the throne of the LORD's glory. Ezekiel later went to the exiles at Tel-abib by the river of Chebar and sat where they sat, astonished among them seven days. The Chebar shows that God's presence was not confined to the temple in Jerusalem; He met His people far from home, beside a canal in a foreign land.
Details
- Region
- Mesopotamia
- Modern Location
- Southern Iraq. Usually identified with the Kabari canal (naru kabari) near ancient Nippur, known from Babylonian records.
Journey Paths
Key Passages
The Heavens Opened by the Chebar
Ezekiel 1:1-3
Among the captives, Ezekiel sees visions of God in the land of the Chaldeans.
1ow it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
Ezekiel Sits Among the Exiles
Ezekiel 3:15
The prophet joins the captives at Tel-abib and shares their silence for seven days.
15hen I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
The Same Living Creature
Ezekiel 10:15
Ezekiel recognizes the cherubim of the temple vision as the creatures he saw by the Chebar.
15nd the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.
Explore Related
Did You Know?
Ezekiel's first vision by the Chebar is dated to the fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity, about 593 BC.
Babylonian business records from Nippur mention a 'Kabari' canal, usually taken to be the biblical Chebar.
Ezekiel names the exiles' settlement by the Chebar as Tel-abib.