אַהֲוָא
a.ha.va
Ahava
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Ahava: A Biblical Place Name Based on the lexical data provided, אַהֲוָא (Ahava) is a proper noun appearing three times in the Hebrew Bible. The lemma is classified as a place name rather than a common noun with semantic range, indicating it refers to a specific geographic location rather than a concept with variable meanings. The limited occurrence of Ahava—only three biblical attestations—suggests it was a localized or historically significant site rather than a major population center frequently mentioned in scriptural narratives. Without access to the specific passages where it appears, the lexical entry alone cannot determine its exact geographic coordinates or historical importance, though its inclusion in the biblical canon indicates it held some relevance to the communities that compiled these texts. As a proper noun, Ahava functions differently from common words in biblical language; it serves as a fixed reference point rather than a term whose meaning developed or varied across different contexts. The three occurrences represent the complete biblical record of this location's mention, making it a relatively obscure geographic reference in comparison to major biblical cities and regions.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences across the text
I gathered them together to the river that runs to Ahava; and there we encamped three days: and I looked around at the people and the priests, and found there were none of the sons of Levi.
Ezra 8:21Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a straight way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our possessions.
Ezra 8:31Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the bandit by the way.