Ahava

Ahava (meaning essence or being) was a river or canal in Babylonia beside which Ezra assembled the returning Jewish exiles before their journey to Jerusalem. Ezra 8:15 records that he gathered the people there for three days, and it was at Ahava that he discovered there were no Levites among the assembled company — a lack he remedied by sending for representatives of that priestly tribe from Casiphia. The assembly at the river Ahava also became the occasion for a fast and a prayer for divine protection during the journey, since Ezra had assured the king that God's hand was on all who sought him.

The exact location of the river Ahava is unknown, but it was evidently near a settlement of the same name and functioned as a staging point for the caravan that would eventually carry the gold, silver, and sacred vessels from Babylon to the restored temple in Jerusalem. The episode is one of the most detailed accounts in Ezra of the logistics and spirituality of the return from exile.