Mountains in the Bible

• “The high mountains are for the wild goats”Ps 104:18
  The verses

  Ps 104:18The high mountains are for the wild goats, the cliffs a refuge for the rock badgers.
• Mountains surround JerusalemPs 125:2
  The verses

  Ps 125:2As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore.
• A land whose hills are ready to be mined for copperDeut 8:9
  The verses

  Deut 8:9a land where you will eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper.
• The miner strikes the flint and overturns mountains at their baseJob 28:9
  The verses

  Job 28:9The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base.
• A mountain erodes and crumblesJob 14:18
  The verses

  Job 14:18But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and a rock is dislodged from its place,
• Lebanon’s peaks: Amana, Senir, Hermon, the dens of lions and leopardsSong 4:8
  The verses

  Song 4:8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.
• Solomon had 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains1 Kgs 5:15
  The verses

  1 Kgs 5:15Solomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains,
• Against Midian, Israel made shelters in the mountains and cavesJudg 6:2
  The verses

  Judg 6:2and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.
• A banner raised on a bare hilltop was a signalIsa 13:2, Isa 18:3
  The verses

  Isa 13:2Raise a banner on a barren hilltop; call aloud to them. Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.

  Isa 18:3All you people of the world and dwellers of the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it; when a ram’s horn sounds, you will hear it.
• “Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains”Matt 24:16
  The verses

  Matt 24:16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
• Hilltop shrines under shady treesHos 4:13, Deut 12:2
  The verses

  Hos 4:13They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.

  Deut 12:2Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

Mountains in the stories

• The ark came to rest on the mountains of AraratGen 8:4
  The verses

  Gen 8:4On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
• The mountaintops appeared on the first day of the tenth monthGen 8:5
  The verses

  Gen 8:5And the waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.
• Abraham was sent to a mountain in the land of MoriahGen 22:2
  The verses

  Gen 22:2“Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
• Moses came with the flock to Horeb, the mountain of GodExod 3:1
  The verses

  Exod 3:1Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
• A boundary kept the people from touching Mount SinaiExod 19:12
  The verses

  Exod 19:12And you are to set up a boundary for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
• Sinai smoked like a furnace and quaked violentlyExod 19:18
  The verses

  Exod 19:18Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
• Moses stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nightsExod 24:18
  The verses

  Exod 24:18Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain, and he remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
• Aaron died on top of Mount HorNum 20:27–28
  The verses

  Num 20:27–28So Moses did as the LORD had commanded, and they climbed Mount Hor in the sight of the whole congregation. After Moses had removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.
• From Mount Nebo, at the top of Pisgah, Moses saw the landDeut 34:1
  The verses

  Deut 34:1Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan,
• Six tribes stood on Mount Gerizim and six on Mount EbalDeut 27:12–13
  The verses

  Deut 27:12–13“When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
• Jotham shouted his fable from the top of Mount GerizimJudg 9:7
  The verses

  Judg 9:7When this was reported to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried out: “Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem, and may God listen to you.
• Barak gathered ten thousand men at Mount TaborJudg 4:6
  The verses

  Judg 4:6She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Surely the LORD, the God of Israel, is commanding you: ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, taking with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun.
• Saul and David on opposite sides of one mountain1 Sam 23:26
  The verses

  1 Sam 23:26Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
• Saul and his three sons fell on Mount Gilboa1 Sam 31:8
  The verses

  1 Sam 31:8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
• Elijah gathered Israel and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel1 Kgs 18:19–20
  The verses

  1 Kgs 18:19–20Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.
• On Carmel’s summit Elijah put his face between his knees1 Kgs 18:42
  The verses

  1 Kgs 18:42So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.
• The Samaritan woman: “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain”John 4:20
  The verses

  John 4:20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.”
• Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down to teachMatt 5:1
  The verses

  Matt 5:1When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him,
• Jesus went up the mountain alone to prayMatt 14:23, Luke 6:12
  The verses

  Matt 14:23After He had sent them away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone,

  Luke 6:12In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.
• Jesus was transfigured on a high mountainMatt 17:1–2
  The verses

  Matt 17:1–2After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
• Nazareth stood on a hill with a cliff at its browLuke 4:29
  The verses

  Luke 4:29They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.
• Jesus spent his evenings on the Mount of OlivesLuke 21:37
  The verses

  Luke 21:37Every day Jesus taught at the temple, but every evening He went out to spend the night on the Mount of Olives.
• The Mount of Olives: a Sabbath day’s journey from JerusalemActs 1:12
  The verses

  Acts 1:12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near the city, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

Sayings

• “Like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea”Jer 46:18
  The verses

  Jer 46:18As surely as I live, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts, there will come one who is like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea.
• Faith that could tell this mountain to moveMatt 17:20, Matt 21:21
  The verses

  Matt 17:20“Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

  Matt 21:21“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
• “I lift up my eyes to the hills”Ps 121:1
  The verses

  Ps 121:1A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?