Kishon
“Winding, or crooked”
Summary
The principal river of central Palestine, famous as the site where Deborah and Barak defeated Sisera's army and where Elijah slew the prophets of Baal.
☩Geography and Course
The Kishon (also spelled Kison) was the most important river in central Palestine, draining the great plain of Esdraelon and flowing into the Mediterranean Sea near the foot of Mount Carmel. The name means "winding" or "crooked," describing the river's meandering course through the plain. In its upper reaches, the Kishon is merely a winter torrent, dry during much of the year, but in the lower portion near Carmel it becomes a perennial stream fed by springs. The river formed part of the boundary between the tribes of Manasseh and Zebulun.
☩Deborah's Victory
The Kishon was the scene of one of Israel's most celebrated victories. When Sisera, commander of the army of Jabin king of Canaan, brought his 900 iron chariots against Israel, God gave victory to the forces of Deborah and Barak. A sudden storm caused the Kishon to overflow its banks, turning the plain into a bog that disabled Sisera's chariots. Deborah's song celebrates how "the river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon," as the fleeing soldiers were caught in the flood waters. The Psalmist later invoked this victory, praying that God would do to Israel's enemies "as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook Kishon."
☩Elijah and the Prophets of Baal
At the Kishon, Elijah slew the 450 prophets of Baal after the dramatic contest on Mount Carmel. After fire from heaven consumed Elijah's sacrifice and the people acknowledged the Lord as God, Elijah commanded them to seize the false prophets and bring them down to the brook Kishon, where they were executed. The location at the base of Carmel would have been near the place traditionally identified as el-Muhrakka ("the place of burning"), where the contest took place.
Related Verses6 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Kishon," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Kishon," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Kishon," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Kishon," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).