Ezekiel 47:17

The verse repeats and sums up Ezekiel 47:15, with special reference to the countries lying on the N. of the northern border of Israel. In Ezekiel 47:17 Hazar Enon is named as the extremity of the Northern boundary, in Ezekiel 47:16 Hazar hattikon (the middle Hazar). The places must be identical, whether hattikon be a misreading or not. LXX. reads Saunan, Cod. Alex. Eunan, and in Ezekiel 48:1; Numbers 34:9, Enon here is spelled Enan. In Ezekiel 47:16 the place is said to be on the border of Hauran. Ezekiel 47:17 may read: "and so the border shall be from the sea to Hazar Enon on the border of Damascus, and north northwards the border of Hamath: this is the north side" (reading thisas Ezekiel 47:20 and possibly with omission of andbefore "border of Hamath," words wanting in LXX.). The boundary is first stated generally as going from the sea to Hazar Enan, and then in the contrary direction north, Hamath being the country to the N. It is not certain that Hauran is the district now so called, but it is probable. Wetzstein (Del. Psalms iii. 439, Eaton's Trans.), identifies the village of Haḍar at the East foot of Hermon with Hazar Enan. In all likelihood the end of the boundary line is hereabouts; in Deuteronomy 3:8 Hermon is the northernmost point of conquest, and Ezek. would probably follow this. The northern boundary followed an easterly course from the sea, Hamath lying on the N., then a southerly course having Damascus on the E., till it terminated at Hazar Enon between Damascus and Hauran. But at what point of the sea it started, and in what latitude the line to the east ran is obscure. The identifications of Hethlon with Heitela and of Zedad with Sadad would give the latitude of Emesa (Homs), which is very far north; see Porter, Five Years in Damascus, 11. 354 seq. and map. More likely the prophet fancied the starting-point on the W. to be about Tyre.