ASIONGABER (Heb. Esjōn-gēbher “grove of Gēbher [a man’s name?]”). - A city in Edomite territory on the Red Sea, at the head of the Gulf of Elath, Elath (v.), which is present-day el-'Aqabah. There the Israelites encamped during the Exodus (Num. 33, 35; Deut. 2, 8). Salomone built there a harbor and a merchant fleet; a century later Josafat built there a new fleet bound for Ophir, but it was destroyed in the harbor of A. by a storm (I Reg. 9, 26 ff.; 22, 48 f.; II Par. 8, 17; 9, 21; 20, 35-37). Already under Joram (849-842 B.C.), rebellious Edom deprived the kingdom of Giuda (cf. II Reg. 8, 20-22; II Par. 21, 8-10) of its much-desired outlet to the sea. Thereafter, the Bible no longer speaks of A., but rather of Elath, retaken from Edom by Ozia (789-38 B.C.).
It was identified in 1934 by F. Frank with Tell el-Heléfi, 500 m. from the present coastline, 3.5 km. northeast of el-'Aqabah. From 1938 to 1940, three excavation campaigns were conducted there, directed by Nelson Glueck.
These excavations show that A. was founded as an industrial and commercial center in the time of Salomone and fortified with walls 2.50 to 3 m. thick and 8 m. high; it was equipped with metallurgical installations, especially for working copper. It was perhaps destroyed by Sesac (Šošenk) around 950 B.C., then rebuilt (A. II) in the ninth century. After a fire, it was reconstructed on a new plan (A. III) in the eighth century, probably by Ozia. Again destroyed by fire, it rose again (seventh century) probably through the work of the Edomites: this fourth layer (A. IV) lasted until the Persian or Hellenistic period (fifth or fourth century B.C.).