HEVILA (Hebrew Hāwllāh, probably from hōl "sand"; Septuagint Ewēlā), - A region (v. EDEN) rich in gold, aromatic gum, and precious stones, through which flowed the river Phison (Gen. 2, 11). The name is recalled as a descendant of Chus the Hamite (Gen. 10, 7; 1 Chron. 1, 9) and of Jectan the Semite (Gen. 10, 29; 1 Chron. 1, 23), and in the formula "from H. to Sur" (Gen. 25, 18; 1 Sam. 15, 7).
It is uncertain whether a distinction should be made between an African and an Asiatic Hevila. Generally, Hevila is considered a district inhabited by Chusites and Jectanites in southern Arabia due to its association in texts with Azarmaveth-Hadramavt. Others prefer the region of Hāwlān in northern Yemen because of a certain similarity in name. The war of Saul against the Amalecites suggests that the Arabian desert extended far to the north of el-Jamīmah and may also have borne the name of Hevila.