Location
Overview
The river Chebar was a great canal of Babylonia, beside which a community of Jewish exiles from Judah was settled. There the priest Ezekiel received his prophetic visions.
The heavens opened
"As I was among the captives by the river of Chebar... the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God" (Ezekiel 1:1). There Ezekiel beheld the four living creatures, the wheels, and "the likeness of the glory of the LORD" (Ezekiel 1:28).
Among the exiles
"Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat" (Ezekiel 3:15) — the prophet sharing the life of his fellow exiles.
The glory returns
The visions by the Chebar frame Ezekiel's whole message — the glory of God departing the doomed temple, yet promising one day to return (Ezekiel 10:15–22; 43:3).
Events Here
Ezekiel sees the visions of God by the river Chebar
Scripture References
8 versesEzekiel8 verses
Ezekiel 1:1
Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. captives: Heb. captivity
Ezekiel 1:3
The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. Ezekiel: Heb. Jehezkel
Ezekiel 3:15
Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
Ezekiel 3:23
Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
Ezekiel 10:15
And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.
Ezekiel 10:20
This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.
Ezekiel 10:22
And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.
Ezekiel 43:3
And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. when: or, when I came to prophesy that the city should be destroyed
Archaeology & History
The Chebar is generally identified with a large canal (the "nāru Kabari" of cuneiform texts) off the Euphrates near the city of Nippur in southern Mesopotamia, where Babylonian records confirm Judean exiles were settled. It was an irrigation channel rather than a natural river — the watery Babylonian landscape of Ezekiel's visions.
People who appear here
Frequently asked about River Chebar
Where is River Chebar today?
Today, River Chebar corresponds to A canal of the Euphrates near Nippur (probable).
What happened at River Chebar in the Bible?
Key biblical events at River Chebar include ezekiel sees the visions of god by the river chebar.
Where is River Chebar first mentioned in the Bible?
River Chebar is first mentioned in Ezekiel 1:1.
How often is River Chebar mentioned in the Bible?
River Chebar is mentioned in 8 verses across 1 book: Ezekiel.
What happened by the river Chebar?
There, among the Jewish exiles in Babylonia, the prophet Ezekiel saw his great visions of God — the living creatures, the wheels, and the glory of the LORD.
Was the Chebar a real river?
It was a large irrigation canal of the Euphrates in Babylonia, near Nippur, beside which exiles from Judah were settled.