Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HILL COUNTRY

A general designation for those parts of Palestine, and the areas east of the Jordan River, that are not flat, but of less elevation than a mountain. The hill country was especially fertile (Deut. 11:11), and Moses asked that God allow him to cross over the Jordan, in order to see the “good hill country” of central Palestine (3:25). The hill country was settled by numerous peoples, including Jebusites (Josh. 11:3), Anakim (v. 21), and Amorites (Deut. 1:7; Num. 13:29). During the Conquest, Joshua instructed the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh to clear the forest of the hill country, to provide room for settlements (Josh. 17:14-18).

Within Palestine, the hill country comprised the central mountain range, a ridge of hills that ran down the center of the country from the Galilee in the north, to the southern coastal plain and the Shephelah. Any portion of this ridge could be designated hill country, which may be divided, from north to south, into four regions: Galilee, Ephraim, Judah, and the Negeb.

The Galilee ranged in elevation from more than 915 m. (3000 ft.) in the north, to below 610 m. (2000 ft.) in the south. In antiquity the region was heavily forested, and divided by a nearly vertical slope of almost 455-610 m. (1500-2000 ft.) that hindered travel. During the time of Joshua, much of this hill country remained unconquered (Josh. 13:6). Its largest settlement was “Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali” (Josh. 20:7), overlooking the north Jordan Valley.

The “hill country of Ephraim” (1 Kgs. 4:8) consisted of a mountain plateau, rising to over 915 m. (3000 ft.) in its southern portion. These hills were settled by Joshua with great difficulty, because of their dense forests (Josh. 17:14-18). Northern Ephraim was lower and less fertile than the Galilean hill country and was easily traversed by accessible roads in all directions. The hill country of Ephraim was heavily developed, with major cities situated at principal road junctions, including Shechem, Tirzah, and Dothan.

The hill country of Judea (Josh. 11:21; Luke 1:39) contained the major cities of Jerusalem and Hebron. The region descended sharply in the east, more than 915 m. (3000 ft.), where it met the Judean Desert. Its southern portion contained chasms and caves that provided convenient hiding places (1 Sam. 23:14). In the NT Jesus’ ministry began in the “hill country of Judea” (Luke 1:65).

The region of the Negeb declined abruptly, S of Hebron, to 455-550 m. (1500-1800 ft.), and consisted of low hills (also called the Shephelah, “Lowland”).

Bibliography. Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, 1979).

Kenneth Atkinson

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HILL COUNTRY

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)