AHAVA ə hā’ və Heb. אַהֲוָ֔א, a place name of a canal and the surrounding area in Babylon, mentioned only in Ezra 8:15, 21 (which may be a gloss derived from the other two citations), and 31. No such location has ever been found and there is little evidence to support the supposition of the older commentators that it was a city. It was the gathering place for the Israelites returning to Jerusalem with Ezra.