Bible Dictionaries
Ellasar

Holman Bible Dictionary

(ehl lay' ssahr) Babylonian place name of unknown meaning. The capital city of King Arioch, who joined the eastern coalition against Sodom and Gomorrah, resulting in Abraham's involvement in war (Genesis 14:1 ). Identification with Larsa in Babylon was based on a false identification of Arioch. The Mari texts mention Ilanzura between Carchemish and Harran. Other scholars suggest Ellasar is an abbreviation for Til-Asurri on the Euphrates River. Others suggest it is located on the southern coast of the Black Sea near Pontus in Asia Minor. Thus the question of exact identification still remains open.