Mount Gerizim, a mountain in Samaria, was designated as the site for pronouncing blessings and was the location of Jotham's parable to the men of Shechem.
Also known as Mount Gerizim
Mount Gerizim is a mountain located in Samaria, near the ancient city of Shechem. It is mentioned in the Bible as a place of significant events and religious importance.
In Deu.11.29 and 27:12, Moses instructed the Israelites that when they crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land, they were to pronounce blessings from Mount Gerizim and curses from Mount Ebal. This event took place under Joshua's leadership, as recorded in Joshua 8:33, where half of the tribes stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as the blessings and curses were read aloud.
Mount Gerizim is also associated with the parable of Jotham, son of Gideon, as recorded in Judges 9:7. After his brother Abimelech killed their seventy brothers and was made king by the men of Shechem, Jotham stood on top of Mount Gerizim and told a parable about the trees anointing a king over themselves. The parable was a warning against Abimelech's treachery and the folly of the men of Shechem in supporting him.
In later history, Mount Gerizim became a sacred site for the Samaritans, who built a temple there in the 5th century BC. They believed that Mount Gerizim, rather than Jerusalem, was the chosen place for worship. This led to tensions between the Samaritans and the Jews, as evident in the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (Jhn.4.20-21).
Today, Mount Gerizim, along with Mount Ebal, continues to be an important religious and archaeological site, with ruins of the Samaritan temple and other ancient structures still visible.
Approximate location: 32.200, 35.273 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
GER'IZIM, MOUNT, a mountain in Ephraim, near Shechem, from which the blessings were pronounced, as the curses were from Mount Ebal, Deut 11:29; Deut 27:1-13; Josh 8:30-33, Gerizim is 2855 feet above the level of the sea, and about 800 feet above Nablus (Shechem). It is separated from Ebal by a narrow valley. Six tribes were placed on Gerizim, and six on Ebal, Deut 27:12-13, the ark probably in the valley between them, and Joshua read the blessings and cursings successively. Josh 8:33, Josh 8:35. The Levites on either side re-echoed them, and the people responded "Amen!" Deut 27:14-15. Gerizim was the scene of the first recorded parable — that of the trees and brambles. Jud 9:7-21. It was the site of the Samaritan temple, and referred to by the woman at the well. John 4:20. Samaritan tradition asserts that it is the place where Abraham offered Isaac, but this is not sustained by the best authorities. It is now Jebel et Tur. See Moriah. Present Condition. — The mountain is composed chiefly of limestone. It has a large plateau on its summit, covered with ruins of cisterns, paved platforms, and on one side those of a castle. The whole mountain-top bears traces of having once been covered with houses. The small remnant of the Samaritan sect at Nablus performs annually the paschal sacrifice on the top of Gerizim according, to the prescription of the book of Exodus 12. It is the only spot on earth where this Jewish festival is perpetuated in its primitive style. Dean Stanley and other travellers have visited the scene, and point out the striking resemblance to the Mosaic prescription. The amphitheatre formed by these two mounts, Gerizim and Ebal, is most suitable for assembling a vast body of people within the hearing of the human voice, and where all could see what was being…
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.
4 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1630
When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
“When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
All Israel, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded earlier, to bless the people of Israel.
When this was reported to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried out: “Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem, and may God listen to you.
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.