Original Word: חַוְרָן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Chavran
Pronunciation: khav-rawn'
Phonetic Spelling: (khav-rawn')
KJV: Hauran
NASB: Hauran
Word Origin: [apparently from H2357 (חָרַר - turn pale) (in the sense of H2352 (חוּר חוּר - Hole))]

1. cavernous
2. Chavran, a region East of the Jordan

Hauran

Apparently from chavar (in the sense of chuwr); cavernous; Chavran, a region East of the Jordan -- Hauran.

see HEBREW chavar

see HEBREW chuwr

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a district S.E. of Mount Hermon
NASB Translation
Hauran (2).

חַוְרָן proper name, of a territory (meaning unknown; conjectures are: — black-land (as basaltic region); supported by black, dialect of Yemen, Maltzan^{ZMG 1874, 230, and tokens of immigration} from Yemen into Haurân, Wetzst in De^{Job 2:598; ZKW 1884, 120}; land of caves, Thes Hi-Sm, Porter^{Dict. Bib., and} hollow, GASm^{Geogr. 552}, who compare Hebrew הור hole; but this probably from III. חרר, and Arabic , hollow, different from ) — district southeast from Mt. Hermon, extending between Jaulan and Lejah, toward Syrian desert; only גְּבוּל חַוְרָ֑ן Ezekiel 47:16 compare מִבֵּין חַוְשָרן וּמִבֵּין דַּמֶּשֶׂק Ezekiel 47:18; Ezekiel 47:18; = Assyrian –aurani Dl^{Pa 294}; ᵐ5 Αυρανιτις, and so Jos^{Ant. xiv. 10}, 1 etc., Arabic . On this district see Wetzst^{Hauran, (1860) and in} De^{Job 2. 597ff.} Bd^{Pal 195 ff.} Schumacher^{Across the Jordan, 1889; ZPV xii. 1889, 225 ff. (with map)} GASm^{Geogr. 552 f. 609 ff}.

Location and Physical Features

Hauran lies east of the Sea of Galilee, stretching from the Yarmuk River in the north-west toward the fringes of the Arabian Desert in the south-east. A volcanic plateau of dark basalt, it rises gradually to the highlands of Jebel Druze. Its rich, well-watered soil has made the region a perpetual granary; even today wheat fields, vineyards and orchards blanket the plain. Ancient highways—most notably the King’s Highway—threaded its length, linking Damascus with the Red Sea and Egypt, so that Hauran served as a strategic corridor for commerce and armies alike.

Old Testament References

Hauran appears twice, both in Ezekiel’s climactic vision of Israel’s restoration:
• Ezekiel 47:16 describes “Hazar Hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.”
• Ezekiel 47:18 states, “The eastern boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the Dead Sea”.

These verses place Hauran on the eastern frontier of the land that will be apportioned to the restored tribes.

Role in Ezekiel’s Vision of Restoration

Ezekiel 40–48 presents a temple, priesthood and land division that look beyond the Babylonian exile to a future era of peace under the direct rule of the Lord. Hauran marks the north-eastern corner of that inheritance, its fertile fields symbolising abundance, and its inclusion signalling that God’s promises encompass territories once dominated by foreign powers. In the prophet’s geography every corner of the land—west to the Mediterranean and east to Hauran—is reassigned under divine authority, underscoring the completeness of Israel’s renewal (Ezekiel 47:13-14).

The mention of Hauran also links the final allotment with earlier covenant language. When the Lord first pledged land to Abraham He spoke of territory reaching to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18), and the prophets later predicted a future expansion (e.g., Isaiah 26:15). By naming border regions like Hauran, Ezekiel shows that those long-standing promises will be honored in detail.

Historical Trajectory

• Bronze and Iron Ages: Archaeological surveys have uncovered fortified settlements, dolmens and basalt house foundations that demonstrate continuous occupation from at least the Early Bronze Age forward. That continuity fits the biblical portrayal of a land long coveted for its agriculture and pasture.
• Hellenistic and Roman Eras: Under the Seleucids the region was called Auranitis. Rome incorporated it into the Nabataean kingdom and then into the tetrarchy of Philip (Luke 3:1). The capital, Bosra, became a major legionary base and later a Christian metropolis with one of the earliest known basilicas.
• Byzantine through Islamic Periods: Hauran remained a breadbasket; Byzantine officials recorded grain shipments to support Constantinople. Arab rulers preserved the agricultural system, and early Islamic geographers praised the same black, moisture-retaining soil that impressed Ezekiel’s contemporaries.

Theological Reflections

1. Covenant Fidelity: By explicitly drawing the boundary “between Hauran and Damascus” the Spirit confirms that no promise of God is too remote or too detailed to be fulfilled (Joshua 21:45).
2. Eschatological Hope: Hauran, once vulnerable to invasion, becomes a secure frontier in the Messianic age, prefiguring the ultimate peace secured in Jesus Christ, “in whom every promise is Yes and Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
3. Missionary Implications: The trade routes that once carried caravans through Hauran later ferried the gospel into Arabia, Syria and beyond. Luke’s reference to the neighboring Trachonitis in Luke 3:1 reminds readers that John the Baptist and Jesus ministered within reach of these eastern districts, demonstrating God’s heart for all nations.

Contemporary Importance for Biblical Geography and Teaching

Modern pilgrims seldom cross into this part of Syria, yet maps and satellite imagery confirm the basaltic landscape and surviving Roman roads noted in ancient accounts. Understanding where Hauran sits clarifies numerous biblical passages that speak of Bashan, Gilead and the “bread of the mighty” (Psalm 68:15). In classroom or pulpit, tracing Ezekiel’s border from the Sea of Galilee to Hauran and on to the Dead Sea helps believers visualise the faithfulness of God across both space and time.

חַוְרָ֣ן חַוְרָֽן׃ חורן חורן׃ chavRan ḥaw·rān ḥawrānInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts