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Mount Ebal

mountainOld TestamentSamaria5 verses
Country IsraelCoordinates 32.234, 35.273

Mount Ebal is a mountain mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Samaria in modern-day Israel. It appears across 5 verses in Scripture.

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Authority Records
Archaeological Data
Occupation Phases
Early Bronze Age II3050 BCE – 2850 BCE
Middle Bronze Age II-III1750 BCE – 1550 BCE
Late Bronze Age1550 BCE – 1150 BCE
Late Bronze Age II1400 BCE – 1200 BCE
Iron Age I1150 BCE – 980 BCE
Iron Age IIa-b980 BCE – 720 BCE
Iron Age II980 BCE – 539 BCE
Iron Age III (Persian)539 BCE – 333 BCE
Hellenistic333 BCE – 63 BCE
Early Roman63 BCE – 70 CE
Roman63 BCE – 324 CE
Late Roman70 CE – 324 CE
Byzantine324 CE – 638 CE
UnitoAssyrianGovernance, Villages to Empires Dataset (CC BY 4.0), doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732

Biblical History

Mount Ebal holds profound significance in Israel's covenant history. Moses commanded the Israelites that upon entering the Promised Land, they were to place the curses of the Law on Mount Ebal and the blessings on neighboring Mount Gerizim (Deuteronomy 11:29). In Deuteronomy 27:4-8, Moses instructed them to build an altar of uncut stones on Mount Ebal, coat them with plaster, and inscribe the words of the Law upon them. Joshua faithfully carried out these instructions after the conquest of Ai, building the altar and conducting a solemn covenant renewal ceremony with all Israel assembled between the two mountains (Joshua 8:30-35). Half the tribes stood before Mount Gerizim for blessing and half before Mount Ebal for cursing, as the Law was read aloud. This dramatic ceremony ratified Israel's covenant relationship with God in the very heart of the Promised Land. Mount Ebal's association with cursing reflects the sobering consequences of disobedience, balancing the promises of blessing proclaimed from Gerizim.

Archaeological & Historical Notes

Mount Ebal rises to approximately 940 meters (3,084 feet) north of modern Nablus in the West Bank. In 1980, archaeologist Adam Zertal discovered a large stone structure on the mountain's northeast slope, dating to the Iron Age I period (circa 1200 BC). Zertal identified this structure as Joshua's altar, noting its dimensions, the presence of animal bones (predominantly young male cattle, sheep, and goats consistent with burnt offerings), and layers of ash. The identification remains controversial; other scholars interpret the structure as a watchtower or farmstead. A small lead tablet discovered nearby by Scott Stripling in 2019, bearing what some scholars read as an early Hebrew curse inscription, has generated significant academic discussion regarding the site's cultic function.

Verse Appearances (5)

References

  1. Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
  2. OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
  3. Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
  4. Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
  5. Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
  6. Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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