Mount Tabor

F6 on the Map

Jebel et-Tur. A mountain in lower Galilee which rises 1,529 feet above the plain which is already 400 feet above sea level and located about six miles E of Nazareth. Shaped like an inverted bowl, this symmetrical mound of limestone on the northeastern part of the plain of Esdraelon was a place of special attention in ancient times. It lay at the boundaries of the territories of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtal. (Josh 19:23). The tribes of Israel gathered here for battle against the Canaanites during the period of the Judges. Barak, at the command of Deborah, gathered his forces on Tabor and descended thence with "ten thousand men" into the plain, conquering Sisera on the banks of the Kishon (Judg 4:6-15). Here also the brothers of Gideon were slain by Zebah and Zalmunna (Judg 8:18-19).

The northern slope is covered with oak trees and syringa. Usually people would ascend it on the W side, near the ctiy of Debaritta.

During the early Hellenistic period the Ptolemies built a royal fortress here. Later it was conquered by the Hasmonean Alexander Jannaeus. In the time of Christ the summit is said to have been crowned by a fortified town, and the ruins still exist there today.

Some believe this to be the place of the transfiguration of Jesus. Churches have been built on this location commemorating the event since the times of the early Church. It is difficult to see how such a scene as that of Christ's transfiguration could have taken place there, and the NT certainly points to some part of Mount Hermon as the place.

Josh. 19:22; Judg. 4:6, 12, 14; Ps. 89:12; Jer. 46:18.