Tabor
“Height or mound”
Summary
Tabor was a distinctive dome-shaped mountain in lower Galilee, famous for its beauty and symmetry, which served as a landmark and gathering place in Israelite history.
☩Description and Location
Mount Tabor rises abruptly from the northeastern arm of the plain of Esdraelon, standing almost entirely isolated except on the west where a narrow ridge connects it with the hills of Nazareth. The mountain presents a beautiful, symmetrical appearance, rounded like a hemisphere when viewed from a distance. It rises approximately 1,865 feet above sea level and lies about six to eight miles east of Nazareth. The summit consists of an irregular platform half a mile long by three-quarters wide, commanding panoramic views encompassing the Sea of Galilee, Mount Hermon, Mount Carmel, and the mountains of Gilead.
☩Biblical History
The book of Joshua names Tabor as the boundary between Issachar and Zebulun. Barak, at Deborah's command, assembled ten thousand men on Tabor and descended into the plain to defeat Sisera at the Kishon. The brothers of Gideon were murdered on Tabor by Zebah and Zalmunna. Hosea refers to the mountain in the context of Israel's idolatrous worship, suggesting that snares had been spread there to entice worshipers from going to Jerusalem.
☩Transfiguration Tradition
An early Christian tradition, dating from the fourth century, identified Mount Tabor as the site of Christ's Transfiguration. Three churches were built on its summit in the sixth century, corresponding to the three tabernacles Peter proposed building. However, modern scholars generally reject this identification, noting that Tabor was inhabited and fortified during Jesus' time, inconsistent with the solitude 'apart' described in the Gospels. The preceding events near Caesarea Philippi and references to snow suggest Mount Hermon as the more likely location.
Related Verses12 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Tabor," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Tabor," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Tabor, Mount," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Tabor," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).