Hermon
“Sacred or devoted; or from Arabic, meaning peak”
Summary
Hermon is the majestic snow-capped mountain at the northeastern boundary of Israel, the highest peak in the region at over 9,000 feet, whose dew symbolizes God's refreshing blessing and whose vicinity was likely the scene of Christ's Transfiguration.
☩Geography and Names
Hermon is the culminating point of the Anti-Lebanon range, rising to over 9,000 feet and standing at its southern end. It bounded the Amorite kingdom of Og on the north and the territory of East Manasseh. The Sidonians called it Sirion (meaning 'breastplate,' from its glittering snowy appearance), the Amorites called it Shenir (same meaning), and it was also called Sion, meaning 'the lofty.' The plural 'Hermons' in Psalm 42:6 refers to its three peaks, situated like the angles of a triangle about a quarter mile from each other. Today it is called Jebel es-Sheikh ('the chief mountain') or Jebel eth-Thelj ('snowy mountain').
☩The Dew of Hermon
The 'dew of Hermon' is used in Scripture as a proverbial expression for abundant, refreshing blessing. The snow on the summit condenses vapors floating in the higher atmosphere, causing light clouds to hover around it and abundant dew to descend while the surrounding country is parched and cloudless. One of its peaks is actually called Abu-Nedy, meaning 'father of dew.' Psalm 133 compares the blessing of brotherly unity to 'the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion'—comparing not literal transfer of dew, but the quality of refreshment that brotherly love brings.
☩Religious Significance
Hermon was anciently encompassed by a circle of temples, all facing the summit. Ruins on the highest peak include a circular wall of massive stones surrounding a rock with a rude excavation, probably remains of a Syro-Phoenician temple. This suggests Hermon was the great sanctuary of Baal, perhaps to the old Syrians what Jerusalem was to the Jews. The name Baal-Hermon occurs in Scripture, and Jerome mentions 'a famous temple on its summit held in worship by the heathen opposite Paneas and Lebanon.' Joshua mentions Hivites 'under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.'
☩Possible Site of the Transfiguration
Many scholars suggest that one of Hermon's southern spurs, rather than the traditional Mount Tabor, was the scene of the Transfiguration. Jesus traveled from Bethsaida to the region of Caesarea Philippi—which lies at Hermon's southern base—where Peter made his great confession. Six days later He led His disciples 'into a high mountain apart' and was transfigured before them. Hermon's privacy and proximity to Caesarea Philippi make it a more suitable location than Tabor, which in that era had a fortified city on its summit. The ascent would not have been to the snow-covered summit but to one of the elevated platforms on the southern slope.
☩A Landmark of Promise
Hermon was the great natural landmark visible from almost every prominent point in Palestine. From the plains of Moab beside the Dead Sea, from the heights of Nebo, from every prominent spot in Moab, Gilead, and Bashan, it appeared as a pale blue, snow-capped peak on the northern horizon. The Psalmist, viewing Hermon and Tabor from the plain of Esdraelon, wrote: 'The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.' Hermon marked the northern limit of what God had promised and what Israel had conquered.
Related Verses15 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Hermon," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.Philip Schaff and Johann Herzog (ed.), "HERMON," in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. V (Funk and Wagnalls, 1908–1914).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Hermon," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.James Hastings (ed.), "Hermon," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).