Ezion-Geber

Three sites have been identified with Ezion-Geber. Some identify the city with Elath. References mentioning both names point to two places (Deuteronomy 2:8; 1 Kings 9:26; 2 Chronicles 8:17 ). Others locate Ezion-Geber at Tell el-Kheleifeh, a site about 500 yards from the coast. This site may represent a satellite city used to store grain, to protect the trade route, or to serve as a stopping place for caravans. Frequent flooding of the Wadi Ytem may have washed away archeological evidence necessary for identification of Ezion-Geber. Still others connect Ezion-Geber with a site on the island of Jezira Fara'un about 300 yards from the shore at Eilat. This site seems an unlikely stopping place during the wilderness wandering.