Jenny L. Hassell Genesis 16 Alone in the wilderness after fleeing from Sarai’s mistreatment, Hagar stops by a spring for a place to rest and regroup. At the well, she is found by an Angel of the Lord who calls her by name. The angel tells her she is pregnant and will have a son called Ishmael and … Read more
Genesis 21, 26 After Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, Abraham’s servants dig a well (claim an area of land). Abimelech’s people claim it, and what starts as a simple dispute turns into an all-out confrontation. In the end, a covenant is made. Abraham sets apart seven lambs as a witness, and Abimelech recognizes the … Read more
Exodus 2 Moses arrives in Midian on the run from Pharoah…and sits down at a well. Jethro’s daughters come to draw water, but shepherds push them aside. Moses steps in, drives them off, and helps water the flock. That choice to defend the women changes the trajectory of Moses fortune. The daughters return home early, … Read more
Genesis 24 In Scripture, wells were natural meeting places, and this one outside the city of Nahor becomes the setting where two paths cross at exactly the right time. Rebekah meets Abraham’s servant on a normal visit to a well to draw water. It doesn’t look like much at first. She’s just running an errand…and … Read more
Many important events in Scripture happen on mountains. Here are some of the most significant. Mount Sinai/Horeb Mount Zion Mount of Olives Mount Carmel Mount Tabor Mount Hermon Mount Ararat Mount Moriah Mount Nebo Mount Gerizim Mount Ebal Now that you’ve finished your Mountainous Geography of the Bible 101 mini-course, please take your Final Exam. … Read more
Mount Gerizim rises just south of the ancient city of Shechem (modern Nablus). Across the valley to the north stands Mount Ebal. The two ridges face each other across the narrow valley where Israel once gathered. In the Bible, Mount Gerizim became known as the “mountain of blessings”. When Israel entered the Promised Land, the … Read more
Mount Ebal sits just north of the ancient city of Shechem (modern Nablus) in the hill country of Samaria. Across the valley to the south stands Mount Gerizim. In the Bible, Mount Ebal is where Israel gathered after entering the Promised Land. Moses had commanded that an altar be built there and that the covenant … Read more
This one is also in the Not A Mountain Club. Mount Nebo is a ridge in modern-day Jordan overlooking the Jordan Valley and the land of Israel. According to the Bible, this is the place where Moses stood and viewed the Promised Land before his death. From the summit, God showed Moses the land Israel … Read more
Mount Hermon is the tallest mountain in Israel and sits along the border of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. Because of its high elevation, its peaks are often snow-covered. In the Bible, Mount Herman marks the norther boundary of the land promised to Israel (Deuteronomy 3:8-9). The mountain is also mentioned in Psalm 133, which compares … Read more
Another “not really a mountain” situation. Mount Carmel is actually a limestone ridge that runs along the Mediterranean coast in northern Israel. In the Bible, it is most famous as the place where the prophet Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal during the reign of King Ahab (1 Kings 18). When the prophet of Baal … Read more