For
week of April 15 - 21, 2013
Galilee:
[E] circuit. Solomon rewarded Hiram for certain services rendered
him by the gift of an upland plain among the mountains of Naphtali.
Hiram was dissatisfied with the gift, and called it "the
land of Cabul" (q.v.). The Jews called it Galil. It continued
long to be occupied by the original inhabitants, and hence came
to be called "Galilee of the Gentiles" (Matthew 4:15),
and also "Upper Galilee," to distinguish it from the
extensive addition afterwards made to it toward the south, which
was usually called "Lower Galilee." In the time of our
Lord, Galilee embraced more than one-third of Western Palestine,
extending "from Dan on the north, at the base of Mount Hermon,
to the ridges of Carmel and Gilboa on the south, and from the
Jordan valley on the east away across the splendid plains of Jezreel
and Acre to the shores of the Mediterranean on the west."
Palestine was divided into three provinces, Judea, Samaria, and
Galilee, which comprehended the whole northern section of the
country (Acts 9:31), and was the largest of the three.
It was the scene of some of the most memorable events of Jewish
history. Galilee also was the home of our Lord during at least
thirty years of his life. The first three Gospels are chiefly
taken up with our Lord's public ministry in this province. "The
entire province is encircled with a halo of holy associations
connected with the life, works, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth."
"It is noteworthy that of his thirty-two beautiful parables,
no less than ninteen were spoken in Galilee. And it is no less
remarkable that of his entire thirty-three great miracles, twenty-five
were wrought in this province. His first miracle was wrought at
the wedding in Cana of Galilee, and his last, after his resurrection,
on the shore of Galilee's sea. In Galilee our Lord delivered the
Sermon on The Mount, and the discourses on 'The Bread of Life,'
on 'Purity,' on 'Forgiveness,' and on 'Humility.' In Galilee he
called his first disciples; and there occurred the sublime scene
of the Transfiguration" (Porter's Through Samaria).
When the Sanhedrin were about to proceed with some plan for the
condemnation of our Lord (John 7:45-52), Nicodemus interposed
in his behalf. (Compare Deuteronomy 1:16,17; 17:8.) They replied,
"Art thou also of Galilee?.... Out of Galilee ariseth no
prophet." This saying of theirs was "not historically
true, for two prophets at least had arisen from Galilee, Jonah
of Gath-hepher, and the greatest of all the prophets, Elijah of
Thisbe, and perhaps also Nahum and Hosea. Their contempt for Galilee
made them lose sight of historical accuracy" (Alford, Com.).
[S] (circuit). This name, which in the Roman age was applied to a
large province, seems to have been originally confined to a little
"circuit" of country round Kedesh-Naphtali, in which
were situated the twenty towns given by Solomon to Hiram king
of Tyre as payment for his work in conveying timber from Lebanon
to Jerusalem. (Joshua 20:7; 1 Kings 9:11) In the time of
our Lord all Palestine was divided into three provinces, Judea,
Samaria and Galilee. (Luke 17:11; Acts 9:31) Joseph. B.J. iii.
3. The latter included the whole northern section of the country,
including the ancient territories of Issachar, Zebulun, Asher
and Naphtali. On the west it was bounded by the territory of Ptolemais,
which probably included the whole plain of Akka to the foot of
Carmel. The southern border ran along the base of Carmel and of
the hills of Samaria to Mount Gilboa, and then descended the valley
of Jezreel by Scythopolis to the Jordan. The river Jordan, the
Sea of Galilee, and the upper Jordan to the fountain at Dan, formed
the eastern border; and the northern ran from Dan westward across
the mountain ridge till it touched the territory of the Phoenicians.
Galilee was divided into two sections, "Lower" and "Upper."
Lower Galilee included the great plain of Esdraelon with its offshoots,
which ran down to the Jordan and the Lake of Tiberias, and the
whole of the hill country adjoining it on the north to the foot
of the mountain range. It was thus one of the richest and most
beautiful sections of Pales-tine. Upper Galilee embraced the whole
mountain range lying between the upper Jordan and Phoenicia. To
this region the name "Galilee of the Gentiles" is given
in the Old and New Testaments. (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:16) Galilee
was the scene of the greater part of our Lord’s private
life and public acts. It is a remarkable fact that the first three
Gospels are chiefly taken up with our Lord’s ministrations
in this province, while the Gospel of John dwells more upon those
in Judea. (Galilee in the time of Christ . --From Rev. Selah Merrill’s
late book (1881) with this title, we glean the following facts:
Size . --It is estimated that of the 1000 square miles in Palestine
west of the Jordan, nearly one-third, almost 2000 square miles,
belongs to Galilee. Population --The population is between 2,000,000
and 3,000,000. Dr. Merrill argues for the general correctness
of Josephus’ estimates, who says there were 204 cities and
villages in Galilee, the smallest of which numbered 15,000 inhabitants.
Character of the country . Galilee was a region of great natural
fertility. Such is the fertility of the soil that it rejects no
plant, for the air is so genial that it suits every variety. The
walnut, which delights above other trees in a wintry climate,
grows here luxuriantly together with the palm tree, which is flourished
by heat. It not only possesses the extraordinary virtue of nourishing
fruits of opposite climes, but also maintains a continual supply
of them. Here were found all the productions which made Italy
rich and beautiful. Forests covered its mountains and hills, while
its uplands, gentle slopes and broader valleys were rich in pasture,
meadows, cultivated fields, vineyards, olive groves and fruit
trees of every kind. Character of the Galileans .--They were thoroughly
a Jewish people. With few exceptions they were wealthy and in
general an influential class. If one should say the Jews were
bigoted in religion, he should remember at the same time that
in regard to social, commercial and political relations none were
more cosmopolitan in either sentiment or practice than they. The
Galileans had many manufactures, fisheries, some commerce, but
were chiefly an agricultural people. They were eminent for patriotism
and courage, as were their ancestors, with great respect for law
and order.--ED.)
[H] (gal' ih lee) Place name meaning, “circle” or “region.” The northern part of Palestine above the hill country of Ephraim and the hill country of Judah (Joshua 20:7). The Septuagint or early Greek translation referred to a king of the nations of Galilee in Joshua 12:23, though the Hebrew reads, “Gilgal.” Many scholars see the Greek as original (NRSV, REB). This would indicate a leader of a coalition of city-states whom Joshua defeated. Kedesh in Galilee was a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7) and a city for the Levites (Joshua 21:32). Solomon paid Hiram of Tyre twenty cities of Galilee for the building materials Hiram supplied for the Temple and royal palace (1 Kings 9:11), but the cities did not please Hiram, who called them Cabul, meaning, “like nothing” (1 Kings 9:12-13). Apparently, Galilee and Tyre bordered on each other. The cities may have been border villages whose ownership the two kings disputed. The Assyrians took the north under Tiglath-pileser in 733 (2 Kings 15:29) and divided it into three districts—the western coast or “the way of the sea” with capital at Dor, Galilee with capital at Megiddo, and beyond Jordan or Gilead (Isaiah 9:1).
The term “Galilee” apparently was used prior to Israel's conquest, being mentioned in Egyptian records. It was used in Israel but not as a political designation. The tribes of Naphtali, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dan occupied the territory which covered approximately the forty-five-mile stretch between the Litani River in Lebanon and the Valley of Jezreel in Israel north to south and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River west to east.
In the time of Jesus' Galilee, Herod Antipas governed Galilee and Perea. Jesus devoted most of His earthly ministry to Galilee, being known as the Galilean (Matthew 26:69). After the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, Galilee became the major center of Judaism, the Mishnah and Talmud being collected and written there.
Additional
references:
Mount of Olives:
[H] The two and a half mile-long mountain ridge that towers over the eastern side of Jerusalem, or more precisely, the middle of the three peaks forming the ridge. Heavily covered with olive trees, the ridge juts out in a north-south direction (like a spur) from the range of mountains running down the center of the region. Both the central Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus, the peak on its northern side, rise over two hundred feet above the Temple mount across the Kidron Valley. It provided a lookout base and signaling point for armies defending Jerusalem.
David crossed the Mount of Olives when fleeing Absalom (2 Samuel 15:30 ). Ezekiel saw the cherubim chariot land there (Ezekiel 11:23 ). Zechariah described how the Mount of Olives would move to form a huge valley on the Day of the Lord (Zechariah 14:3-5 ). Many crucial events in Jesus' life occurred on the Mount of Olives. (See, for example, Matthew 26:30 ; Mark 11:1-2 ; Luke 4:5 ; Luke 22:39-46 ; Acts 1:9-12 ).
Additional
references:
Solomon's Porch:
[ISBE] a
part of Herod's temple; actually a "portico" rather
than a porch.
Additional
references:
|
