Difference between revisions of "Habor"

<p> [[Habor]] (''Hâ'Bôr'' ). Perhaps ''Rich In Vegetation.'' A river of Gozan, &nbsp;2 Kings 17:6; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 5:26; probably identical with the modern ''Khabour,'' the ''Aborrhas'' and ''Chaboras'' of ancient writers, and a branch of the Euphrates. </p>

<p> (Heb. Chabor', חָבוֹר, if of Shemitic origin, from חָבִר, to ''Join,'' meaning the ''United'' stream; if of Persic derivation, from ''Khubpadr= Εὔκρημνος,'' with [[Beautiful]] banks [Furst, ''Lex. S.V.'' ]; Sept. Ἀβώρ and ᾿Χαβώρ), a river, and apparently also a district of Assyria, to which considerable interest is attached in connection, with the first captivity. We read in 1 Chronicles 5, 26, that [[Tilgathpilneser]] carried away "the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan." About seventeen years later, Shalmaneser, the successor of the former monarch, "took Samaia, and cared [[Israel]] away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in fabor, the river of Gozan" (A.V., "by the river Gozan," &nbsp;2 Kings 17:6; &nbsp;2 Kings 18:11). There are two rivers still bearing this name, and geographers are not agreed as to which Is here referred to. (See [[Captivity]]). </p> <p> '''1.''' A river called ''Khabur'' rises in the central highlands of Kurdistan. flows in a south-westerly direction, and falls into the [[Tigris]] about seventy miles above Mosul (Layard, ''Nineveh And Babylon,'' p. 56; Schultens, ''Index Geogr. In Vitain Saladizi,'' s.v.). Many suppose this to be the Habor of [[Scripture]] for the following reasons: </p> <p> '''1.''' It is within [[Assyria]] proper, which [[Ptolemy]] says was bounded on the west-by the Tigris (6, 1). </p> <p> '''2.''' It is affirmed that the Assyrian monarch would place his captives in a central part of his kingdom, such as this is, and not in the outskirts (Keil on &nbsp;2 Kings 17:4-6). </p> <p> '''3.''' Habor is termed "a river of Gozan" (חָבוֹר נְהִר גּוֹזָן ); and [[Gozan]] is supposed to signify "pasture," and to be identical with the word ''Zozan,'' now applied by the [[Nestorians]] to the pasture-lands in the highlands of Assyria, where the Khabur takes its rise (Grant, ''The Nestorian Christians,'' p. 124). </p> <p> '''4.''' Ptolemy mentions a mountain called ''Chabor ('' Χαβώρας) which divides Assyria from Media (6, 1); and Bochart says the river Chabor has its source in that mountain ''(Opera,'' 1, 194, 242, 362). Some have supposed that the modern Nestorians are the descendants of the captive [[Jews]] (Grant, ''1.'' c.). (See Gozan). </p> <p> '''2.''' The other and much more celebrated river, ''Khabur,'' is that famous affluent of the Euphrates, which is called ''Aborrhas ('' Ἀβόῤῥας) by [[Strabo]] (16, 1, 27) and [[Procopius]] ''(Bell. Pers.'' 2, 5); ''Aburas (Ἀβούρας)'' by Isidore of [[Charax]] (p. 4); ''Abora'' (Ἀβώρα ) by [[Zosimus]] (3, 12); and ''Chaboras'' by Ptolemy ''(Χάβώρας,'' 5, 18) and Pliny ''(Fl. N. 30,'' 3). "It rises about lat. 363 40', long 40' flows only a little south of east to its junction near Kaukab with the Jerujer or river of Nisibis, which comes down from Mons Masius. Both of these branches are formed by the union of a number of streams. Neither of them is fordable for some distance above their junction; and below it they constitute a river of such magnitude as to be navigable for a considerable distance by steamers. The course of the Khabur below Kaukab is tortuous [through rich meads covered with flowers, having a general direction about S.S.W. to its junction with the Euphrates at Karkesia, the ancient Circesium]. The entire length of the stream is not less than 200 miles" (Rawlinson, [[Ancient]] Monarchies, 1, 236; see Ainsworth, Travels in the Track of the Ten Thousand, p. 79; Layard, [[Nineveh]] and Babylon, p. 304). Ritter (Erdkü nde, 10, 248), [[Gesenius]] (Thesaurus), Layard, Rawlinson, and others, maintain that this is the ancient Habor. There can be no doubt that Assyria proper was confined to the country lying along the banks of the Upper Tigris, and stretching eastward to Media. But its territory gradually expanded so as to include [[Babylonia]] (Heroaotus, 3, 92), [[Mesopotamia]] (Pliny, H. N. 6, 26), and even the country westward to the confines of Iilicia and [[Phoenicia]] (Strabo, 16). At the time of the captivity the power of Assyria was at its height. The [[Jewish]] captives were as secure on the banks of the western as of the eastern Habor. The ruins of Assyrian towns are scattered over the whole of northern Mesopotamia. "On the banks of the lower Khabur are the remains of a royal palace, besides many other traces of the tract through which it runs having been permanently occupied by the Assyrian people. Even near Seruj, in the country between [[Haran]] and the Euphrates, some evidence has been found not only of conquest, but of occupation" (Rawlinson, Ancient Monarchies, 1, 247; see Chesney, Euphrates Expedition, i, 114; Layard, Ain. and Bab. p. 275, 279-300, 312). There can be no doubt that the Khabur was in Assyria, and near the center of the kingdom, at the time of the captivity. Further, Ptolemy mentions a province in Mesopotamia called Gauzanitis (5, 18). It lay around the Khabur, and was doubtless identical with Gozan, hence the phrase "Habor, the river of Gozan" (&nbsp;2 Kings 17:6), Chalcitis, which appears to be identical with Ialah, mentioned in the same passage, adjoined Gauzanitis. It is a remarkable fact that down as late as the 12th century there were large Jewish communities on the banks of the Khabfir (Benjamin of Tudela, in Early Travels in Pal. p. 92 sq.). The district along the banks probably took its name from the river, as would seem from a comparison with &nbsp;1 Chronicles 5:26., Ptolemy mentions a town called ''Chabor'' (5. 18). The Khablr occurs under that name in an Assyrian inscription of the 9th century before our era (Layard, ''Nin. And Bab.'' p. 354) (See [[Cuneiform]] Inscriptions). </p> <p> It seems doubtful whether Habor was identical with the river Chebar (כַּבָר ), on which Ezekiel saw his visions. The latter was perhaps farther south in Babylnia (&nbsp;Ezekiel 1:3, etc.). (See [[Chebar]]). </p>

<p> ''''' hā´bor ''''' ( חבור , <i> ''''' ḥābhōr ''''' </i> ; Ἁβώρ , <i> ''''' Habō̇r ''''' </i> , Ἁβιώρ , <i> ''''' Habiō̇r ''''' </i> ; Isidor of Charax, <i> ''''' Aburas ''''' </i> ( Ἀβουράς ), Zosias, <i> ''''' Aboras ''''' </i> ): </p> <p> Is described in &nbsp;2 Kings 17:6; &nbsp;2 Kings 18:11 (compare &nbsp; 1 Chronicles 5:26 ) as "the river of Gozan." It is the Arabic <i> '''''Khabur''''' </i> , and flows in a southerly direction from several sources in the mountains of <i> '''''Karaj Dāgh''''' </i> ( <i> '''''Mons Masius''''' </i> ), which, in the 37th parallel, flanks the valley of the Tigris on the West. The river ultimately joins the Euphrates after receiving its chief tributary, the <i> '''''Jaghjagha Su''''' </i> ( <i> '''''Mygdonius''''' </i> ), at Circesium ( <i> '''''Kirkisiyeh''''' </i> ). </p> <p> The meaning of its name is doubtful, but Delitzsch has suggested a Sumerian etymology, namely, <i> ''''' h̬abur ''''' </i> , "the fish-waterway," or it may be connected with "mother <i> ''''' H̬ubur ''''' </i> ," a descriptive title of ''''' Tiāmat ''''' (see [[Merodach]]; [[Rahab]] ). </p> <p> Layard found several interesting Assyrian remains in the district, including man-headed bulls bearing the name of ''''' Mušeš ''''' - ''''' Ninip ''''' , possibly an Assyrian governor. Tiglath-pileser I (circa 1120 bc) boasts of having killed 10 mighty elephants in Haran and on the banks of the Habor; and ''''' Aššur ''''' - ''''' naṣir ''''' - ''''' apli ''''' (circa 880 bc), after conquering ''''' H̬aršit ''''' (''''' H̬arrit ''''' , ''''' H̬armis ''''' ), subjugated the tract around <i> ''''' piate ša nâr H̬abur ''''' </i> , "the mouths of the Habor." According to 2 Ki and 1 Chronicles, [[Shalmaneser]] 4 and [[Sargon]] transported the exiled Israelites thither. Philological considerations exclude the identification of the Chebar of &nbsp; Ezekiel 13 , etc., with the Habor. </p>