Elath, an Edomite port on the Red Sea, was fortified by Judah during the reigns of Solomon and Uzziah.
Also known as Eloth
Elath, also spelled Eloth, was a seaport located at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea. It was originally part of the territory of Edom (Deu.2.8) but came under Israelite control during the reign of Solomon. Solomon used Elath as a port for his fleet of ships that sailed to Ophir for gold (1Ki.9.26, 2Ch.8.17).
After the division of the kingdom, Elath remained under Judean control. King Uzziah of Judah rebuilt and fortified Elath, restoring it to Judah (2Ki.14.22, 2Ch.26.2). However, during the reign of Ahaz, the Edomites regained control of Elath and drove out the Judeans (2Ki.16.6). The city later fell under Assyrian and Babylonian control. Today, Elath is identified with the modern Israeli city of Eilat.
Approximate location: 29.529, 35.006 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Grove; trees, (Deut. 2:8), also in plural form Eloth (1 Kings 9:26, etc.); called by the Greeks and Romans Elana; a city of Idumea, on the east, i.e., the Elanitic, gulf, or the Gulf of Akabah, of the Red Sea. It is first mentioned in Deut. 2:8. It is also mentioned along with Ezion-geber in 1 Kings 9:26. It was within the limits of Solomon’s dominion, but afterwards revolted. It was, however, recovered and held for a time under king Uzziah (2 Kings 14:22). Now the ruin Aila.
a hind; strength; an oak
E'LATH, OR E'LOTH (trees), a seaport-town of Edom, at the northern end of the eastern arm of the Red Sea. Deut 2:8; 2 Chr 8:17. It is usually associated in Scripture with Ezion-geber. The children of Israel passed by it; it was a part of David's conquest, Deut 2:8; 2 Sam 8:14; was a place of importance in Solomon's time, 1 Kgs 9:26, 1 Kgs 9:28; was recaptured by the Edomites, 2 Kgs 8:20; was retaken by Uzziah, 2 Kgs 14:22; 2 Chr 26:2, who rebuilt it; was afterward taken by the king of Damascus, 2 Kgs 16:6, and later by Assyria. 2 Kgs 16:7-9. Stanley thinks that Elath was on the site of modern Akaba, and Robinson placed it on a mound near Akaba. Palm-groves still exist there.
E'LATH, OR E'LOTH (trees), a seaport-town of Edom, at the northern end of the eastern arm of the Red Sea. Deut 2:8; 2 Chr 8:17. It is usually associated in Scripture with Ezion-geber. The children of Israel passed by it; it was a part of David's conquest, Deut 2:8; 2 Sam 8:14; was a place of importance in Solomon's time, 1 Kgs 9:26, 1 Kgs 9:28; was recaptured by the Edomites, 2 Kgs 8:20; was retaken by Uzziah, 2 Kgs 14:22; 2 Chr 26:2, who rebuilt it; was afterward taken by the king of Damascus, 2 Kgs 16:6, and later by Assyria. 2 Kgs 16:7-9. Stanley thinks that Elath was on the site of modern Akaba, and Robinson placed it on a mound near Akaba. Palm-groves still exist there.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
6 verses in 4 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0359
So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber, and traveled along the road of the Wilderness of Moab.
King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.
Azariah was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah rested with his fathers.
At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram, drove out the men of Judah, and sent the Edomites into Elath, where they live to this day.
Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the coast of Edom.
Uzziah was the one who rebuilt Eloth and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah rested with his fathers.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.