What is the significance of Mount Ebal in the Bible?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, located in central Israel, form the Valley of Shechem, a site of significant biblical events where the Israelites renewed their covenant with God. The Israelites were instructed to pronounce blessings for obedience on Gerizim and curses for disobedience on Ebal, with the valley amplifying their responses, as detailed in Deuteronomy and Joshua. This imagery highlights the importance of living in accordance with God's law, symbolizing how obedience leads to a fulfilling life (Gerizim's fertility) and disobedience leads to a barren existence (Ebal's barrenness). The historical significance, visual contrast, and acoustic amplification made Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim and the valley between them a powerful place for Israel to renew its commitment to the Lord and His law before entering the Promised Land just as God commanded.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Mount Ebal is one of a pair of twin mountains on the West Bank of the Jordan River in central Israel. The other twin mountain is Mount Gerizim. With Mount Ebal to the north and Mount Gerizim in the south, they form the Valley of Shechem between. Shechem (modern day Nablus) played an important role throughout Israel's history. Abraham built an altar to God there (Genesis 12:6–7). Jacob not only built another altar there (Genesis 33:18–20), but also dug a well (John 4:6, 12). Joseph's bones were buried there (Joshua 24:32).
• God instructed the Israelites that upon entering the Promised Land of Canaan, they were to write the law of Moses on stones that they would set up on Mount Ebal, build an altar there, and offer burnt offerings and peace offerings there with rejoicing (Deuteronomy 27:2–8). They were to pronounce the blessings for obedience to the Law on Mount Gerizim and the curses for disobedience to the Law on Mount Ebal as the Israelites, split into two groups, responded "Amen" to each blessing or curse (Deuteronomy 11:29; 27:9–26). The valley acted as a natural amphitheater, amplifying the voices of the priests pronouncing the blessings and curses and the voices of the Israelites responding to each one. In this way, the whole nation could participate in the renewal of the Mosaic covenant with each person hearing every pronouncement and adding their agreement in the form of an "amen."
• After the battles of Jericho and Ai, Joshua and the Israelites faithfully obeyed these commands as recorded in Joshua 8:30–35. "There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them" (Joshua 8:35).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Mount Ebal is not mentioned in the New Testament.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Mount Ebal, with its rocky and barren surface and Mount Gerizim with its lush and fertile landscape provided a visual contrast for the Israelites. As they heard the curses and blessings pronounced, they saw how obedience to God's law could bring abundance in their lives while disobedience would lead to an empty, barren life devoid of good things. Just as the Israelites saw how obedience to God's law could bring abundance, we can see how living for the Lord brings a life of fulfillment and blessings, symbolized by Gerizim's fertility. Conversely, straying from these principles leads to a life that resembles Ebal's barrenness. This imagery causes us to reflect on our choices and to cultivate a life walking with the Lord and rich in meaning, integrity, and purpose.

UNDERSTAND

• Mount Ebal, located in central Israel, forms the Valley of Shechem with its twin, Mount Gerizim.
• God commanded the Israelites to write the Law on stones, build an altar, and pronounce curses for disobedience from Mount Ebal.
• The Valley of Shechem served as a natural amphitheater for the Israelites to renew their covenant with God where all could hear the pronouncement of blessings and curses.

REFLECT

• How do the contrasting images of Mount Ebal's barrenness and Mount Gerizim's fertility resonate with your personal experiences of obedience and disobedience in your own life?
• How can you identify moments where your choices have led to either a "barren" or "fertile" outcome, similar to the symbolic representations of Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim?
• What do you learn about God in the way He called the people to understand the consequences of disobeying the law He gave?

ENGAGE

• Mount Ebal is the highest mountain in the region standing at 3,080 feet above sea level, a good 200 feet higher than Mount Gerizim. It is composed mainly of limestone causing rugged surface formations and many caverns and caves. Furthermore, clouds tend to release their precipitation on the northern face of Mount Ebal making it rocky and barren on the side facing the Valley of Shechem. Mount Gerizim, by contrast, is lush and fertile in the Valley of Shechem as water runs down its face bringing life to the valley below.
• How can the imagery of Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim help us understand the consequences of our collective actions within our communities?
• Discuss how modern-day practices or rituals can serve as reminders to stay committed to our core values, similar to how the Israelites used the pronouncements on Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim to renew their covenant with God.