Mount Gerizim

About Mount Gerizim Written by AI

Mount Gerizim is a mountain located in Samaria, near the ancient city of Shechem. It is mentioned in the Bible as a place of significant events and religious importance. In Deu.11.29 and 27:12, Moses instructed the Israelites that when they crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land, they were to pronounce blessings from Mount Gerizim and curses from Mount Ebal. This event took place under Joshua's leadership, as recorded in Joshua 8:33, where half of the tribes stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as the blessings and curses were read aloud. Mount Gerizim is also associated with the parable of Jotham, son of Gideon, as recorded in Judges 9:7. After his brother Abimelech killed their seventy brothers and was made king by the men of Shechem, Jotham stood on top of Mount Gerizim and told a parable about the trees anointing a king over themselves. The parable was a warning against Abimelech's treachery and the folly of the men of Shechem in supporting him. In later history, Mount Gerizim became a sacred site for the Samaritans, who built a temple there in the 5th century BC. They believed that Mount Gerizim, rather than Jerusalem, was the chosen place for worship. This led to tensions between the Samaritans and the Jews, as evident in the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (Jhn.4.20-21). Today, Mount Gerizim, along with Mount Ebal, continues to be an important religious and archaeological site, with ruins of the Samaritan temple and other ancient structures still visible.

Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.

Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897

A mountain of Samaria, about 3,000 feet above the Mediterranean. It was on the left of the valley containing the ancient town of Shechem (q.v.), on the way to Jerusalem. It stood over against Mount Ebal, the summits of these mountains being distant from each other about 2 miles (Deut. 27; Josh. 8:30-35). On the slopes of this mountain the tribes descended from the handmaids of Leah and Rachel, together with the tribe of Reuben, were gathered together, and gave the responses to the blessing pronounced as the reward of obedience, when Joshua in the valley below read the whole law in the hearing of all the people; as those gathered on Ebal responded with a loud Amen to the rehearsal of the curses pronounced on the disobedient. It was probably at this time that the coffin containing the embalmed body of Joseph was laid in the “parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor” (Gen. 33:19; 50:25).

Josephus relates (Ant. 11:8, 2-4) that Sanballat built a temple for the Samaritans on this mountain, and instituted a priesthood, as rivals to those of the Jews at Jerusalem. This temple was destroyed after it had stood two hundred years. It was afterwards rebuilt by Herod the Great. There is a Samaritan tradition that it was the scene of the incident recorded in Gen. 22. There are many ruins on this mountain, some of which are evidently of Christian buildings. To this mountain the woman of Sychar referred in John 4:20. For centuries Gerizim was the centre of political outbreaks. The Samaritans (q.v.), a small but united body, still linger here, and keep up their ancient ceremonial worship.

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.