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.