Dictionary Article

Mountain (modern Jebel et-Tor) from which the blessings were to be pronounced, just as the cursings were to come from Mt Ebal (Dt 11:29). The two mountains designated by God were opposite each other, and the setting was a memorable one with six tribes positioned on Mt Gerizim and six on Mt Ebal, the Levites standing in the valley between—reciting the blessings and the cursings (Dt 27:11–28:68 OET DEU 27:11–26 · OET DEU 28:1–68; Jos 8:33-35). The mountain is near Shechem, about 10 miles (16.1 kilometers) southeast of the city of Samaria, and it is referred to by the woman of Samaria in John 4:20-23 as the mountain where “our fathers worshiped.” Abraham, indeed, had built an altar in this area (Gn 12:6-7; 33:18-20), and it had been the revered site for Samaritan worship for centuries. Jesus responds to the woman by pointing out that the physical locality of worship (whether Gerizim or Jerusalem) is not important—the spirtual reality is. One must worship in spirit and in truth.

Show passage in OET: DEU 11:29

OET-RV DEU 11:29

29 Whenever your god Yahweh brings you into the land that you’re entering to take possession of, you must pronounce the blessing from Mt. Gerizim, and the curse from Mt. Eyval.

OET-LV DEU 11:29

29 And_it _was if/because he_will _bring _you YHWH god _of_your into the_earth/land where you are_about _to _go to_(to) to_take_possession _of _it and_you(ms)_will _give DOM the_blessing on the _mountain _of Gərizīm and_DOM the_curse on the _mountain _of ˊĒyⱱāl.

Show passage in OET: JOS 8:33–35

OET-RV JOS 8:33

33 Then all of Yisrael and their elders and officials and judges were standing some on each side of the box containing Yahweh’s agreement, facing the priests and the Levites who carried the box. Any resident foreigners were also there. Half of the people stood on the Mt. Gerizim side, and half on the Mt. Eyval side of the valley, just like the way that Yahweh’s servant Mosheh had originally commanded for blessing the people.

OET-RV JOS 8:34

34 Then Yehoshua read all the law, including the blessings and the curses, as per everything that’s written in the book of the law.

OET-RV JOS 8:35

35 He read out every single word that Mosheh had written, in front of the entire assembly of Yisrael, including the women, children, and foreigners living among them.

OET-LV JOS 8:33

33 And_all Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) and_its _of_elders and_officials and_judges _of_its were_standing from_this and_from_this of_box before the_priests the_Lēviyyiy who_carried _of (of)_the _box _of the _covenant _of YHWH as_sojourner as_native of _it _of_half was_to the _front of _the _mountain _of of _Gərizīm and _(the)_half_of_it was_to the _front of _the _mountain _of of _ˊĒyⱱāl just_as Mosheh the _servant _of YHWH he _had _commanded to_bless DOM the_people Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) at_time.

OET-LV JOS 8:34

34 And_after thus he _read _aloud DOM all _of the _words/messages _of the _law the_blessing and_the_curse according_to _every _of (the)_thing_written in_the _book _of the _law.

OET-LV JOS 8:35

35 Not it _was anything from_all that Mosheh he _had _commanded which not Yəhōshūˊa/(Joshua) he _read _aloud before all _of the _assembly _of Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) and_the_women and_the _little_one[s] and_the_sojourner[s] who_were_going in_midst _of_their.

Show passage in OET: JHN 4:20–23

OET-RV JHN 4:20

20 “Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you Yehudim (Jews) claim that people should only worship there in Yerushalem (Jerusalem).”

OET-RV JHN 4:21

21 Then Yeshua told her, “You need to believe that I was sent from God, woman, because a day is coming when everyone will be worshipping him neither on this mountain, nor in Yerushalem.

OET-RV JHN 4:22

22 You people in Shomron (Samaria) don’t even know who you worship, but we do, because people will be saved by means of us Yehudim.

OET-RV JHN 4:23

23 But a time is coming, starting even now, when the true worshippers will be worshipping the father in spirit and truth, because those are the ones that he is wanting to worship him.

OET-LV JHN 4:20

20 The fathers of _us prostrated on the this mountain, and you _all are _saying that in Hierousalaʸm/(Yərūshālayim) is the place where it _is _fitting to _be _prostrating.

OET-LV JHN 4:21

21 The Yaʸsous is _saying to _her:
Be _believing in _me, woman, because an_hour is _coming, when neither on the this mountain, nor in Hierousalaʸm, ˓will˒_you _all _be _worshipping before _the father.

OET-LV JHN 4:22

22 You _all are _prostrating what you _all _have_ not _known, we are _prostrating what we _have _known, because the salvation is of the Youdaiōns.

OET-LV JHN 4:23

23 But an_hour is _coming and now is, when the true worshippers will _be _worshipping before _the father in spirit and truth, because/for the father also is _seeking such, the ones prostrating before _him.

Show passage in OET: GEN 12:6–7

OET-RV GEN 12:6

6 they continued travelling as far as the city of Shekem, to Moreh’s oak tree. (The Kena’anim (Canaanites) were still living in that region at that time.)

OET-RV GEN 12:7

7 Then Yahweh came to Avram and told him, “I’ll give this land to your descendants.” So Avram built an altar there and made a burnt offering to Yahweh, who had appeared to him.

OET-LV GEN 12:6

6 And_ ʼAⱱrām _he/it _passed _through on _the_earth to the _place _of Shəkem to the _great _tree _of Mōreh and_the_Kənaˊₐnīte then on _the_earth.

OET-LV GEN 12:7

7 And_ YHWH _he _appeared to ʼAⱱrām and_he/it _said to_offspring _of_your I _will _give DOM the_earth/land (the)_this and_he/it _built there an _altar to/for_YHWH who_had_appeared to_him/it.

Show passage in OET: GEN 33:18–20

OET-RV GEN 33:18

18 Then Ya’akov (Jacob), having come from Padan -Aram, arrived peacefully at the city of Shekem in the Kena’an (Canaan) region, and he camped outside the city.

OET-RV GEN 33:19

19 In due course, he bought the portion of the field where he’d pitched his tents from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shekem, for a hundred pieces of silver.

OET-RV GEN 33:20

20 He set up an altar there and he named it ‘El Elohe Yisrael’ (Israel) (which means ‘God, the god of Yisrael’).

OET-LV GEN 33:18

18 And_ Yaˊₐqoⱱ _he _came safe the _city _of Shəkem which in_land of _Kənaˊan/(Canaan) when_came_he from_Paddan- aram and_he _camped with the _face _of the_city.

OET-LV GEN 33:19

19 And_he _bought DOM the _portion _of the_field where he _had _pitched there tent _of_his from_the _hand _of the _sons _of Ḩₐmōr the _father _of Shəkem for_a _hundred piece[s]_of _money.

OET-LV GEN 33:20

20 And_he _set _up there an _altar and_he/it _called to_him/it ʼĒl Elohey _of Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel).

Jump to OET DEU 11:29 section.

Jump to OET JOS 8:33–35 section.

Jump to OET JHN 4:20–23 section.

Jump to OET GEN 12:6–7 section.

Jump to OET GEN 33:18–20 section.

It was in this area that the bones of Joseph were buried (Jos 24:32) and that Joshua called upon the people to renew their allegiance to the God of their fathers (vv 25-27). Josephus records in his Antiquities (11.8.2-4) Sanballat’s promise to Manasseh to preserve for him the honor of the priesthood and also to build a temple on Mt Gerizim like that at Jerusalem. It was apparently destroyed later by the Maccabean forces under Hyrcanus (Antiquities 13.9.1). The Samaritans still worship at Nablus, which lies at the foot of Mt Gerizim, but are a diminishing community precariously held together.

Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary