region of gold, a place in the desert of Sinai, on the western shore of the Elanitic gulf (De 1:1). It is now called Dehab.

(De 1:1) ("where gold is abundant"): an early stage of Israel's march after Sinai. Marks of former mining abound in the Arabian peninsula, and have led to recent discoveries. Dahal is probably too far out of the way on the W. of the gulf of Akaba to be the ancient Dizahab.

The writer of De 1:1 thought of this as a town on the further side of the Jordan, in the 'Arabah, on the border of Moab, 'over against Suph,' and as belonging to a group of places which he names. Unfortunately the mention of them does not make the matter clear. The site of Suph is unknown. So is that of Paran. The proposed identification of Tophel with et-Tafile, S.S.E. of the Dead Sea, fails on phonetic grounds. If 'Ain el-Huderah, between Jebel Musa and 'Akabah, represents a Hazeroth, and if Laban = Libnah (Nu 33:20), not far from 'Ain el-Huderah, these are at too great a distance from the 'Arabah. The same is to be said of Burckhardt's suggestion that Mina ed-Dhahab, between the Ras Muhammad and 'Akabah, is the place of which we are in search. Most probably the text is corrupt. At Nu 21:14 we find Suphah (De 1:1 Samuph) in conjunction with Vaheb (see RV); and Vaheb, in the original, is almost the same as Zahab, which, indeed, the Septuagint reads. There seems to be some relationship between the two passages, but neither of them has so far been satisfactorily explained. At Ge 36:39 we have Mezahab (= 'waters of gold'): this gives a better sense than Dizahab, and may be the proper form of the name.

The Versions do not help us. The Septuagint has Katachrysea (= 'rich in gold'). The Vulgate (ubi auri est plurimum) takes the word as descriptive of the district, 'where is gold in abundance.' The Targums see in it an allusion to the golden calf. And we may add that Ibn Ezra thought it was an unusual designation of a place which commonly went by another name.

J. Taylor.

Diza'hab

Place in the wilderness near where Moses rehearsed the law. De 1:1. Identified with Dahab on the west shore of the Gulf of Akaba, about 28 30' N, 34 29' E.

Diz'ahab

(region of gold), a place in the Arabian desert, mentioned

De 1:1

is identified with Dahab, a cape on the western shore of the Gulf of Akabah.