Chinnereth, also known as the Sea of Galilee or the Sea of Tiberias, is a freshwater lake in northern Israel where Jesus conducted much of his ministry.
Also known as Sea of Chinnereth · Sea of Galilee,Kinnereth · Chinneroth · Sea of Chinneroth · Sea of Galilee · Galilee Sea · Tiberias Sea · Sea of Tiberias
Chinnereth, Chinneroth, the Sea of Galilee, and the Sea of Tiberias are different names used in the Bible to refer to the largest freshwater lake in Israel. The lake is located in the Jordan Rift Valley, fed by the Jordan River, and is approximately 13 miles (21 kilometers) long and 8 miles (13 kilometers) wide.
In the Old Testament, the lake is referred to as the Sea of Chinnereth (Numbers 34:11; Joshua 13:27) or Chinneroth (Joshua 12:3), likely named after a nearby town. The name "Chinnereth" may be derived from the Hebrew word for "harp," possibly referring to the shape of the lake.
In the New Testament, the lake is most commonly known as the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18; Mrk.1.16; Jhn.6.1) and is the setting for many events in Jesus' life and ministry. Jesus called his first disciples, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, while they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18-22). He also calmed a storm on the lake (Mrk.4.35-41), walked on its waters (Jhn.6.16-21), and appeared to his disciples on its shores after his resurrection (Jhn.21.1-14).
The lake is also referred to as the Sea of Tiberias (Jhn.6.1; 21:1), named after the city of Tiberias, which was founded on its western shore during the reign of Herod Antipas (circa 20 CE). The city was named in honor of the Roman Emperor Tiberius.
The Sea of Galilee was an important source of livelihood for the people in the region, with fishing being a major industry. Several of Jesus' disciples, including Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were fishermen on the lake (Luke 5:1-11). The lake's shores were also dotted with numerous towns and villages, such as Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Magdala, which feature prominently in the Gospels.
Approximate location: 32.807, 35.589 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Lyre, the singular form of the word (Deut. 3:17; Josh. 19:35), which is also used in the plural form, Chinneroth, the name of a fenced city which stood near the shore of the lake of Galilee, a little to the south of Tiberias. The town seems to have given its name to a district, as appears from 1 Kings 15:20, where the plural form of the word is used. The Sea of Chinnereth (Num. 34:11; Josh. 13:27), or of Chinneroth (Josh. 12: 3), was the “lake of Gennesaret” or “sea of Tiberias” (Deut. 3:17; Josh. 11:2). Chinnereth was probably an ancient Canaanitish name adopted by the Israelites into their language.
(circuit), accurately Cinnareth, a fortified city in the tribe of Naphtali, (Joshua 19:35) only, of which no trace is found in later writers, and no remains by travellers.
CHIN'NERETH, or CHIN'NEROTH . Josh 11:2. A fenced city of Naphtali, on the lake, or sea, of the same name; afterward called Gennesar, and about 3 miles north-west of Tiberias, according to Furst.
CHIN'NERETH, SEA OF . See Galilee, Sea of.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
10 verses in 6 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H3672
then go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Chinnereth.
The Jordan River in the Arabah bordered it from Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) with the slopes of Pisgah to the east.
as well as the Arabah east of the Sea of Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), eastward through Beth-jeshimoth, and southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
and in the valley, Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, with the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon (the territory on the east side of the Jordan up to the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth).
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down.
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
Then Jesus left the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.
After this, Jesus crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias).
Later, by the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus again revealed Himself to the disciples. He made Himself known in this way:
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.