Eleutherus
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(1 Macc. 11:7) — a river in Syria, which, according to Strabo, separated Syria from Phoenicia and formed the northern boundary of Coele-Syria. According to the testimony of Pliny, the river Eleutherus at a certain season of the year abounded in turtles (9:10). There can be no doubt that the river Eleutherus is identical with the present-day river Nahr al-Kabir, or “great river.”