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Mount Tabor

Galilee (tribal border)

Mountain in Galilee (tribal border) · today Mount Tabor, Lower Galilee

The rounded mountain over the Jezreel Valley where Barak gathered Israel against Sisera.

Location

Overview

Mount Tabor is a distinctive, dome-shaped mountain rising over the north-eastern Jezreel Valley, at the meeting of the tribes of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali.

Deborah and Barak

At the prophetess Deborah's word, Barak gathered ten thousand men to Mount Tabor; then "Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him," and the LORD routed Sisera and his chariots (Judges 4:6, 14).

A mountain of memory

Tabor became a landmark of the north, named with Hermon as mountains that "rejoice in thy name" (Psalm 89:12), and a measure of greatness in the prophets (Jeremiah 46:18).

A place of later devotion

By long Christian tradition Mount Tabor is also remembered as a possible site of the Transfiguration, though the Gospels name only "an high mountain."

Events Here

1200 BC

Barak gathers Israel on Mount Tabor against Sisera

Judges 4:14

Scripture References

10 verses
Joshua1 verse

Joshua 19:22

And the coast reacheth to Tabor, and Shahazimah, and Bethshemesh; and the outgoings of their border were at Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages.

Judges4 verses

Judges 4:6

And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

Judges 4:12

And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.

Judges 4:14

And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

Judges 8:18

Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. resembled: Heb. according to the form, etc

1 Samuel1 verse

1 Samuel 10:3

Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:

1 Chronicles1 verse

1 Chronicles 6:77

Unto the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with her suburbs, Tabor with her suburbs:

Psalms1 verse

Psalms 89:12

The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.

Jeremiah1 verse

Jeremiah 46:18

As I live, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.

Hosea1 verse

Hosea 5:1

Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.

Archaeology & History

Mount Tabor (575 m) stands isolated and rounded above the plain, a natural rallying point and landmark visible for miles. Its commanding position over the Jezreel Valley explains its role as Barak's mustering ground, and churches have crowned its summit since Byzantine times.

People who appear here

Barak3×
Sisera2×
Deborah1×

Frequently asked about Mount Tabor

Where is Mount Tabor today?

Today, Mount Tabor corresponds to Mount Tabor, Lower Galilee.

What happened at Mount Tabor in the Bible?

Key biblical events at Mount Tabor include barak gathers israel on mount tabor against sisera.

Where is Mount Tabor first mentioned in the Bible?

Mount Tabor is first mentioned in Joshua 19:22.

How often is Mount Tabor mentioned in the Bible?

Mount Tabor is mentioned in 10 verses across 7 books: Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, Psalms, Jeremiah, Hosea.

What happened at Mount Tabor?

Barak gathered ten thousand Israelites there at Deborah’s command, then descended to defeat Sisera’s army in the Jezreel Valley (Judges 4).

Is Mount Tabor the Mount of Transfiguration?

By a long Christian tradition, yes, though the Gospels do not name the mountain — they say only "an high mountain apart."