Edomite living at the time of the Patriarchs
Ebal was a son of Shobal and a descendant of Seir the Horite, mentioned in the genealogies of Esau's family.
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Ebal is mentioned in the genealogies of Esau's family in Gen.36.23 and 1Ch.1.40. He is listed as one of the sons of Shobal, who was a descendant of Seir the Horite.
The Horites were the original inhabitants of Mount Seir, the region south of the Dead Sea, before Esau's descendants settled there (Deu.2.12). Seir the Horite, Ebal's ancestor, is mentioned as one of the chiefs of the Horites (Gen.36.20-21).
The inclusion of Ebal and other Horite names in Esau's genealogy suggests that there was intermarriage between Esau's descendants and the Horites. This intermingling of the two groups is further evidenced by the fact that Esau's grandson, Zepho, is also named as a descendant of Seir the Horite (Gen.36.11, 15).
Apart from being listed in these genealogies, no further information is provided about Ebal or his specific role in the biblical narrative. His mention serves to trace the origins and relationships of the people living in the region of Edom during the time of the patriarchs.
It is worth noting that there is another Ebal mentioned in the Bible, which is a mountain in the land of Canaan (Deu.11.29; 27.4, 13). However, this mountain is not related to the Ebal mentioned in the genealogies of Esau's family.
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Stony. (1.) A mountain 3,076 feet above the level of the sea, and 1,200 feet above the level of the valley, on the north side of which stood the city of Shechem (q.v.). On this mountain six of the tribes (Deut. 27:12, 13) were appointed to take their stand and respond according to a prescribed form to the imprecations uttered in the valley, where the law was read by the Levites (11:29; 29:4, 13). This mountain was also the site of the first great altar erected to Jehovah (Deut. 27:5-8; Josh. 8:30-35). After this the name of Ebal does not again occur in Jewish history. (See GERIZIM.) (2.) A descendant of Eber (1 Chr. 1:22), called also Obal (Gen. 10:28). (3.) A descendant of Seir the Horite (Gen. 36:23).
E'BAL (stone). 1. A descendant of Seir the Horite. Gen 36:23; 1 Chr 1:40. A descendant of Eber, 1 Chr 1:22; called Obal in Gen 10:28,
E'BAL (stone, stony), one of the two mountains upon which Israel stood pronouncing blessings and cursings. Deut 11:29; Josh 8:30-35. Ebal and Gerizim are opposite each other, nearly meeting at their bases, but are a mile and a half apart at their summits. Mount Ebal, the northern peak, is rocky and bare; it rises 3070 feet above the sea and 1200 feet above the level of the valley, which forms a natural amphitheatre. From repeated experiments it has been found that the voice can be heard distinctly from the top of one mountain to the other and in the valley between. In the valley lay ancient Shechem, now Nablus. The summit of Ebal is a plateau of some extent, reaching its greatest height toward the west, from which there is an extensive view of the country from Hermon on the north to the heights of Bethel on the south, and from the plain of the sea on the west to the Hauran plateau on the east. Conder suggests that the site of Joshua's altar may be represented by the modern sacred place called Amad-ed-Dia, "monument of the faith," on the top of Ebal. See Gerizim and Shechem.
E'BAL (stone, stony), one of the two mountains upon which Israel stood pronouncing blessings and cursings. Deut 11:29; Josh 8:30-35. Ebal and Gerizim are opposite each other, nearly meeting at their bases, but are a mile and a half apart at their summits. Mount Ebal, the northern peak, is rocky and bare; it rises 3070 feet above the sea and 1200 feet above the level of the valley, which forms a natural amphitheatre. From repeated experiments it has been found that the voice can be heard distinctly from the top of one mountain to the other and in the valley between. In the valley lay ancient Shechem, now Nablus. The summit of Ebal is a plateau of some extent, reaching its greatest height toward the west, from which there is an extensive view of the country from Hermon on the north to the heights of Bethel on the south, and from the plain of the sea on the west to the Hauran plateau on the east. Conder suggests that the site of Joshua's altar may be represented by the modern sacred place called Amad-ed-Dia, "monument of the faith," on the top of Ebal. See Gerizim and Shechem.
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.
2 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H5858
These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah.
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.