Mountain that is currently identified with Jebel Eslamiyeh (Har `Eval), located in the district of Samaria. It faces Mount Gerizim, from which it is separated by a beautiful narrow valley, the Shechem Valley (Nablus Valley), in which the city of Nablus is protected, near ancient Shechem. There is only vegetation, such as vines and olive trees, on the lower slopes, while the higher parts are quite barren and rocky. Like other mountains in Samaria, Ebal has a limestone core with an outer layer of chalk. It is to the NE. from Mount Gerizim and rises to more than 900 m. above the level of the Mediterranean. Mounts Gerizim and Ebal are to the west of the Jordan River. (De 11:29, 30)
Looking N. from the top of Ebal, you can see most of Galilee and also Mount Hermon. Towards the S. the mountainous region of Jerusalem can be seen and towards the O., the plain of Sharon and the Mediterranean Sea. Looking up to the E. you can see as far as Hauran, on the other side of the Jordan. On one occasion Abram (Abraham) camped in the valley between these two mountains, near the big trees of Moreh. (Ge 12:6.)
Moses told the Israelites that when Jehovah brought them into the land they were to possess, they would “have to give the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the invocation of evil on Mount Ebal.” (De 11:29, 30) He also told them to select large rough stones, whitewash them with lime, and set them up on Mount Ebal. In addition, they had to build an altar on which to offer sacrifices to Jehovah. Moses also said: “You must write on the stones all the words of this law, making them very clear.” (Deut 27:1-8.)
When Israel crossed the Jordan, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali “stood up for the invocation of evil on Mount Ebal,” and the other tribes did so “to bless the people on Mount Ebal.” Gerizim† . Next, the blessings that would come to those who obeyed God’s law were listed, as well as the curses that would come to those who broke it. (De 27:12-14) When the curses for disobedience were pronounced, all the people had to say “Amen!”, that is, “So be it!” to show their agreement with the Lord. fact that practitioners of iniquity deserved to be condemned. (Deut 27:15-26)
After Israel’s victory at Ai, Joshua followed Moses’ instructions and built an altar to Jehovah on Mount Ebal. He wrote on stones (perhaps those of the altar itself, but not necessarily) † œa copy of the law of Moses which he had written before the children of Israel †. Later, in front of the congregation of Israel (with its alien residents) assembled as Moses had commanded, Joshua “read aloud all the words of the law, the blessing and the malediction, according to all that is written in the book of the law† . Half of the congregation was standing in front of Mount Ebal and the other half in front of Mount Gerizim, and the ark of the covenant and the Levites were between the two groups. (Jos 8:30-35) The slopes of Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim provided excellent acoustics for the occasion. It is noteworthy that all of these events took place in the vicinity of the geographical center of the Land of Promise, near where Jehovah had promised this land to Abram (Abraham), the ancestor of Israel. (Ge 12:6, 7)
According to Jewish tradition, the Levites who stood between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim faced Mount Gerizim when pronouncing one of the blessings, to which the assembled people replied “Amen!” They are then said to have turned towards Mount Ebal to pronounce one of the curses, to which those gathered on that side said “Amen!” However, the Scriptures do not detail the exact procedure followed on that remarkable occasion.
At Deuteronomy 27:4, the Samaritan Pentateuch says that the stones were to be erected on Mount Gerizim. However, according to the Masoretic Text, the Latin Vulgate, the Syriac Peshitta and the Greek Septuagint, the reading is †œEbal† . Joshua 8:30-32 indicates that it was on Mount Ebal that Joshua erected the stones on which “a copy of the law of Moses” was written. (See GUERIZIM, MOUNT.)
View from Mount Gerizim looking towards Mount Ebal
Source: Dictionary of the Bible
The highest, and the one that is located more to the N, of two mountains that dominate Shechem, present-day Nablus. It is located N of the Shechem valley, 427 m above the valley, and 938 m above sea level. The space between Ebal and its neighbor Gerizim, to the S of the valley, provides a natural amphitheater with wonderful acoustic properties. At the end of his speech in Dt. 5–11 Moses points to the two mountains on the western horizon beyond Gilgal and More (Shechem), announcing that when they have entered the promised land Gerizim will receive a blessing and Ebal a curse .
After the laws of Deut. 12–26 the story continues, with Moses giving them detailed instructions. First, they had to erect large stones on the Mt. Ebal, covered with cement, and the law should be inscribed on them. The practice of writing on the surface of coated stones, previously known in Egypt, is now attested in Palestine as well, in ss. VIII BC at Tell Deir Alla (J. Hoftijzer, BA 39, 1976, pp. 11; for the date, cf. pp. 87). Then an altar of rough stones was to be erected, on which they were to offer sacrifices (Dt. 27.1–8). The Samaritan Pentateuch (* Texts and versions, 1. V) has “Gerizim” instead of “Ebal” in vv. 4; the textual variant seems to be related in some way to the existence of a Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim, but there is no certainty as to which reading is the closest to the original. Another possibility is that the Samaritan reading is due to unease felt at a later period over the offering of sacrifices (vv. 6–7) on the “mount of curse” (cf. 11.29).
In a later speech (Dt. 27.9–28.68) Moses arranged for six tribes to stand on Gerizim to pronounce a blessing on obedience, and for six to stand on Ebal and curse disobedience (27.9–13). Following this the Levites were to pronounce curses on the tribes for sins against God or man, many of which could be done in secret (27:15-26). By responding with an “amen” the people openly condemned such practices. After his victories in central Palestine, Joshua gathered the people to Shechem, where these ceremonies were duly performed (Josh. 8:30–35).
The rituals described have been taken as evidence that Deuteronomy is a document in treaty form (MG Kline, The Treatry of the Great King, 1963, chap(s). 2, esp. pp. 33–34) of the supposition of that in early times there was a periodic festival to renew the covenant at Shechem (G. von Rad, The Problem of the Hexateuch and Other Essays, English trans. 1966, pp. 37–38). Whatever the merit of these specific theories, Deut. 27 certainly contains early material of great importance for the early history of Israelite religion.
Bibliography. °G. Adam Smith, °GHTS; M. Noth, The World of the Old Testament, 1976.
G. Adam Smith, The Historical Geography of the Holy Land25, 1931, chap(s). 6 (“The View from Mt Ebal”); RJ Coggins, Samaritans and Jews, 1975, pp. 73, 155.
GTM, G.I.D.
Douglas, J. (2000). New Biblical Dictionary: First Edition. Miami: United Bible Societies.
Source: New Bible Dictionary