Place Old Testament
Riblah
Also known as Riblah =ESV; Diblah =NIV; Diblath =KJV
Riblah was a city in Hamath where the Babylonians set up their headquarters during their campaigns against Judah (2Ki. 23:33; 25:6, 20-21; Jer. 39:5-6; 52:9-10, 26-27). Mentioned in 11 verses across 3 books, first at 2 Kings 23:33.
Why it matters. Babylonian headquarters during the conquest of Judah
- Primary passages
- Location
- 34.432, 36.545 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Riblah
Riblah, located in the land of Hamath, was a city in ancient Syria where the Babylonians established their headquarters during their military campaigns against the kingdom of Judah. Pharaoh Necho of Egypt put Jehoahaz, king of Judah, in chains at Riblah (2Ki. 23:33). Later, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, captured Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, and brought him to Riblah, where he executed Zedekiah's sons before his eyes and then blinded him (2Ki. 25:6-7; Jer. 39:5-7; 52:9-11). The Babylonian army also brought other captured Judean officials to Riblah, where they were put to death (2Ki. 25:20-21; Jer. 52:26-27). Riblah's location on the Orontes River made it a strategic base for military operations. The exact site is identified with modern-day Ribleh in Syria, about 35 miles northeast of Baalbek, Lebanon.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 11 verses across 3 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.