(Pharʹpar).

One of the two “rivers of Damascus” that Naaman considered superior to “all the waters of Israel.” (2Ki 5:12) The fact that Naaman mentioned the Pharpar second may indicate that it was the smaller stream. This river is usually linked with the Nahr el-ʼAʽwaj. Besides the Nahr Barada (identified with the Abanah), it is the only independent stream in the Damascus area. But the volume of the ʼAʽwaj is about one quarter that of the Barada. The smaller streams that unite to form the ʼAʽwaj take their rise on the eastern slopes of Mount Hermon and merge about 30 km (19 mi) SW of Damascus. From this point the river winds its way through a deep rocky channel until finally losing itself in a swamp to the SE of Damascus. The airline distance spanned by this river (including its sources) is about 64 km (40 mi).

The major objection raised to the above identification is that the ʼAʽwaj is not actually a ‘river of Damascus,’ since it flows about 15 km (9.5 mi) and more to the S of that city. For this reason some favor identifying the Pharpar with the Nahr Taura, a branch of the Nahr Barada. However, Naaman’s reference to Damascus could have included the Plain of Damascus through which the Nahr el-ʼAʽwaj courses.