Lexical Summary
Nbow: Nebo
Original Word:נְבוֹ
Part of Speech:proper name, of a location; proper name, of a divinity
Transliteration:Nbow
Pronunciation:naw-voh'
Phonetic Spelling:(neb-o')
KJV: Nebo
Word Origin:[probably of foreign derivation]
1. Nebo, the name of a Babylonian deity, also of a mountain in Moab, and of a place in Israel
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Nebo
Probably of foreign derivation; Nebo, the name of a Babylonian deity, also of a mountain in Moab, and of a place in Palestine -- Nebo.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. (probably connection, at least for
, with (Babylonian) godNebo, Nabû, compare II. and BaeRel. 15. 89, 259; yet not certain, NöZMG xiii. 1888, 470 compare Arabic
the height, etc.): ; —
Numbers 32:3,38 (where assigned to Reuben; both J E = MI14)Isaiah 15:2;Jeremiah 48:1,22;1 Chronicles 5:8; probably on or near Mt. Nebo (see below), compare BuhlGeogr. 266 f. TristrMoab 338.
,Ezra 2:29 =Nehemiah 7:34 (the men of the other N., so distinguished — si vera l., compare Ryle — from
?),Ezra 10:43; — this in Judah perhaps = q. v.
Numbers 33:47;Deuteronomy 32:49 (),Deuteronomy 34:1 (id.; all P), six miles west of Heshbon according to Onomastica (ed. Lag283). Probably = modernNebâ at northeast corner of Dead Sea, SurveyE. Pal. i. 198 ff. GASmGeogr. 562 ff. BuhlGeogr. 266 f. TristrMoab 318, 338 MerrillEast of Jordan, 242 ff. — compare .
II. (loan-word in Hebrew, compare Phoenician proper name, masculine ; = AssyrianNabû, SchrCOT Glossary andIsaiah 46:1 JastrRel. Babylonian 124 ff. JenKosmol. pass. TieleAss. u. Babylonian Geach. 532 f. SayRel. Bab 112 ff. (compare Palmyrene proper name , VogPalm. No. 73), and this perhaps √nabû,call, name, see ); — Babylonian godIsaiah 46:1.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewNebo (Strong’s Hebrew 5015) appears in four distinct yet interconnected settings:
1. The mountain from which Moses viewed the promised land.
2. A Transjordanian town allotted to Reuben, later absorbed into Moab.
3. A family town for returning exiles after the Babylonian captivity.
4. A Babylonian deity whose downfall prefigures the collapse of idolatry.
Together these references span Pentateuchal history, prophetic oracles, post-exilic restoration, and polemic against pagan worship, weaving a multifaceted witness to the covenant faithfulness of the LORD.
Mount Nebo: Vantage Point of Covenant Fulfillment and Discipline
Deuteronomy 32:49 records the divine command: “Go up Mount Nebo… and see the land that I am giving the Israelites as a possession”. From this summit Moses beheld the breadth of promise—from Gilead to the Negev—before dying “according to the word of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 34:5). The scene marries grace and judgment: grace, as Israel’s inheritance lies in plain view; judgment, as Moses is barred from entry for his earlier sin (Numbers 20:12). Yet even here the LORD buries His servant (Deuteronomy 34:6), reaffirming personal care. In Christian preaching Mount Nebo often illustrates the tension between present discipline and future hope, feeding themes of perseverance and eschatological vision (Hebrews 11:13).
Town of Nebo: Reubenite Settlement and Moabite Stronghold
Numbers 32:3 lists Nebo among the fortified towns requested by the tribes of Reuben and Gad. Rebuilt and renamed “Kenath” by the sons of Machir (Numbers 32:38) and inhabited by “Bela son of Azaz… who lived in Aroer and Nebo and Baal Meon” (1 Chronicles 5:8), the settlement anchored Reuben’s eastern frontier. Centuries later Isaiah prophesies over Moab: “Dibon has gone up to the temple, to its high places, to weep; over Nebo and Medeba Moab wails” (Isaiah 15:2). Jeremiah amplifies the lament: “Concerning Moab: ‘Woe to Nebo, for it is devastated!’” (Jeremiah 48:1). The shift from Israelite possession to Moabite idol-center and finally to prophetic ruin underscores the moral geography of covenant obedience and apostasy. For teachers, the trajectory of Nebo serves as a geographical parable: what once lay within Israel’s boundaries can be lost through compromise, yet remains subject to the LORD’s sovereign rule.
Nebo in the Return from Exile: Token of Restoration
BothEzra 2:29 andNehemiah 7:33 record that “the men of Nebo” (one hundred fifty-two in Ezra; one hundred fifty-eight in Nehemiah) returned with Zerubbabel. Though small, their inclusion demonstrates the meticulous fulfillment of Jeremiah’s promise of return (Jeremiah 29:10). Every family mattered, every hometown counted. Pastors may draw on this passage to affirm individual worth within the corporate redemption accomplished in Christ.
Nebo as Babylonian Deity: Idol Brought Low
Isaiah 46:1 sets Bel and Nebo side by side: “Bel bows down; Nebo stoops low… their images are consigned to beasts and cattle.” Nebo (Akkadian Nabu) was patron of writing and wisdom in Babylon; statues of the god were paraded at New Year festivals. The prophetic scene depicts those idols ignominiously carted away, unable to save themselves, much less their worshipers. The argument culminates inIsaiah 46:9: “For I am God, and there is no other.” The downfall of Nebo buttresses the exclusive glory of the LORD and anticipates Christ’s triumph over “the elemental spirits of the world” (Colossians 2:15).
Theological and Ministry Insights
• Vision and Discipline: Mount Nebo reminds leaders that even corrective discipline does not cancel covenant promise; the LORD’s plan advances despite human failure.
• Territorial Stewardship: The rise and fall of the town Nebo illustrate that land, like talent or ministry, must be held in faithful obedience or it will be forfeited.
• Remnant Hope: The modest headcount returning from Nebo reassures modern congregations that God honors seemingly insignificant communities.
• Supremacy of God: The humiliation of the idol Nebo equips believers to confront contemporary idols—whether intellectual, economic, or technological—with confidence in God’s unrivaled sovereignty.
Key References
Numbers 32:3;Numbers 32:38;Numbers 33:47
Deuteronomy 32:49;Deuteronomy 34:1
1 Chronicles 5:8
Ezra 2:29;Nehemiah 7:33
Isaiah 15:2;Isaiah 46:1
Jeremiah 48:1;Jeremiah 48:22
Forms and Transliterations
וּנְב֖וֹ ונבו נְב֑וֹ נְב֔וֹ נְב֖וֹ נְב֗וֹ נְב֛וֹ נְב֞וֹ נְבֽוֹ׃ נְבוֹ֙ נבו נבו׃ nə·ḇōw nəḇōw neVo ū·nə·ḇōw ūnəḇōw uneVo
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