Difference between revisions of "Sea Of Galilee"

From BiblePortal Wikipedia
Line 1: Line 1:
== Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament <ref name="term_57232" /> ==
== Fausset's Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_35472" /> ==
<p> <b> [[Sea]] [[Of]] [[Galilee]] </b> </p> <p> i. Names.—The [[Ot]] name <i> [[Chinnereth]] </i> had disappeared, so far as our purpose is concerned, by the time of the Maccabees, and in its place we find a variety of designations. It is then that the familiar name <i> [[Gennesaret]] </i> first makes its appearance in the τὸ ὕδωρ Γεννησάρ of &nbsp;1 [[Maccabees]] 11:67. [[Josephus]] uses the forms λίμνη Γεννησάρ ( <i> [[Bj]] </i> iii. x. 1), ὕδατα Γεννήσαρα ( <i> Ant. </i> xiii. v. 7), λίμνη Γεννησαρῖτις ( <i> Ant. </i> xviii. ii. 1; <i> Vita </i> , 65); Pliny has <i> Gennesara </i> ( <i> [[Hn]] </i> v. 15). In the [[Targums]] and other [[Jewish]] writings the name of the Sea appears as גְּנֵיסָר or גִּנּוֹסָר, these forms supplementing the Heb. <i> Chinnereth </i> . But though the word <i> Gennesaret </i> was so familiar to contemporary writers, it appears only once in the [[Nt]] as applied to the Lake, in the ἡ λίμνη Γεννησαρέτ of &nbsp;Luke 5:1. Following close upon this, however, ἡ λίμνη occurs alone in &nbsp;Luke 5:2; &nbsp;Luke 8:22-23; &nbsp;Luke 8:33. The most popular name in the [[Nt]] is ‘the Sea of Galilee’ (ἡ θάλασσα τῆς Γαλιλαίας), which occurs five times (&nbsp;Matthew 4:18; &nbsp;Matthew 15:29, &nbsp;Mark 1:16; &nbsp;Mark 7:31, &nbsp;John 6:1). The word ‘Sea’ (θάλασσα) stands alone in &nbsp;John 6:17-25, and the form ‘Sea of Tiberias’ (θάλασσα τῆς Τιβεριάδος) occurs in &nbsp;John 6:1; &nbsp;John 21:1. The modern designation, ‘Lake of Tiberias,’ does not occur in the [[Nt.]] It is found for the first time as λίμνη Τιβερίς in [[Pausanias]] (&nbsp;John 21:7). </p> <p> Many explanations have been offered of the origin of the word <i> Gennesaret </i> . Lightfoot (and others) sought to derive it from the [[Ot]] <i> Chinnereth </i> , which it was supposed to replace. Such an origin, however, seems very improbable, not only on philological grounds, but because the latter name also remains simply transliterated in the [[Lxx]] [[Septuagint]] as χενέρεθ, and was thus quite familiar to the [[Hellenistic]] world. Ritter ( <i> Geog. of Pal </i> .) suggests that it is derived from נַּןאוֹצָר or נַּןעשֶׁר ‘garden of treasure,’ which term, of course, he refers to the Plain, deriving thence the name of the adjoining Sea. This process is quite natural, and probably correct, but still we may be permitted to doubt his derivation of the name. [[G.]] [[A.]] Smith ( <i> [[Hghl]] </i> [Note: [[Ghl]] [[Historical]] Geog. of [[Holy]] Land.] 443 n. [Note: note.] ) has also noted that the form points to some compound of נַּן ‘garden,’ or נַּי valley; and to us this seems indisputable, so that on the whole we must admit that either the explanation given by Caspari (§ 64), נניסר (‘gardens of the [lake] basin’), or that of the older Rabbis ( <i> Ber. [[Rab]] </i> 98), גנישׂד (‘gardens of the prince’), is most satisfactory. The termination in <i> Gennesaret </i> might then be regarded as the [[Aramaic]] determinative form, and compared with <i> [[Nazareth]] </i> from Nazara. </p> <p> With reference to the name ‘Galilee,’ it has been said that it originally designated only that small tract of land given by [[Solomon]] to [[Hiram]] (&nbsp;1 Kings 9:11), and that the name gradually extended till in the days of the Maccabees it included [[Zebulun]] and Naphtali, so that only after this took place could the Sea be known by that name. Furrer ( <i> Wanderungen </i> ) has also drawn attention to the other names. He asserts that <i> Gennesar </i> or <i> Gennesaritis </i> is characteristic of the 1st cent., being found in Josephus, Pliny, and Strabo, while from the 2nd cent. onwards the official designation became ‘Sea of Tiberias’; and as proof of this statement he cites the Palestinian Talmud. He then ventures to infer that &nbsp;John 21:1 indicates a later date than the rest of the book demands, and at the same time he suggests that &nbsp;John 6:1 has been emended. This reasoning, however, seems inconclusive; for, apart from the fact that the Palestinian [[Talmud]] contains much that is old, it seems impossible, in view of the conservatism of the Rabbis, that such a name as ‘Sea of Tiberias’ should be found in their writings, unless it had been in common use for a considerable time. For the history of the district surrounding the Lake see art. Galilee. </p> <p> ii. Description.—The Lake presents ‘a beautiful sheet of limpid water in a deeply depressed basin’ ( <i> [[Brp]] </i> [Note: [[Rp]] Biblical Researches in Palestine.] 2 ii. 380), its average below sea level being 682½ ft.; but with the season of the year the level may vary to the extent of 10 ft. The rise and fall are dependent on the rainy season on the one hand, and, on the other, on the melting of the snows on Hermon as the spring advances; and it is this latter cause that generally, in conjunction with the later rains, brings about the high level at the time of harvest (&nbsp;Joshua 3:15). But as the heavier rains decrease before the melting of the snow begins, there may have been already a fall of as much as 3 ft. even in March. The Sea is 13 miles long by 7 across at its broadest part—between Mejdel and Kersa; but in the clear Eastern atmosphere it looks much smaller than it really is. From no point on the western shore can it be seen in its whole extent at one time; but from the slopes above Tell Hûm, or from almost any point on the eastern shore, it is all visible. It is not quite oval, but rather pear- or harp-shaped (כִּנּוֹר), narrowing to the southern end. The sea level and the configuration of the shores have not changed to any considerable extent during the past nineteen centuries, so that, in so far as hills and valleys, ravines and slopes to the seashore are concerned, their present description gives a very true conception of what they were in [[Gospel]] days. On the west the hills are not so high and generally not so steep as on the eastern side; but they approach more closely to the shore, and are more rugged and stony. On the western side, from a short distance above what was once the western outlet of the Lake into the Jordan, and stretching some 3 miles up the Lake-side, the hills—here somewhat rounded and tame, and with but little that is picturesque in their form—slope down to the water’s edge. Then to the north of this comes a <i> strip </i> (Heb. רקח, which seems to justify the identification of [[Tiberias]] with the older Rakkath, &nbsp;Joshua 19:35; <i> Megilla </i> , 5 <i> b </i> , 6 <i> a </i> ; [[G.]] [[A.]] Smith, <i> [[Hghl]] </i> [Note: [[Ghl]] Historical Geog. of Holy Land.] p. 447) about 2½ miles long and ¼ of a mile broad at its widest part, and at the north end of this is the modern town of Tiberias. Passing it, we have another 3 miles of sloping hills, broken about midway by the <i> [[Wady]] [[Abu]] el-Amîs </i> . At Mejdel we now enter <i> el-Ghuweir </i> , the well-known Plain of Gennesaret. [[Behind]] the village to the west is <i> Wady Hamâm </i> , known in the early centuries as בִּקְעַחאַרְבֵּאל, and containing in its cliffs the once famous caves of [[Arbela]] ( <i> Ant </i> . xiv. xv. 4). This is certainly the wildest and most impressive gorge around the whole Lake. On its south side it bears some resemblance, though on a far grander scale, to the crags around Arthur’s Seat. There is the same perpendicular wall, but here it rises in places to a height of 1500 ft.; and there is also the same mass of broken rocks, making a steep slope to the plain below. </p> <p> <i> El-Ghuweir </i> curves along the Lake from Mejdel to Khân Minyeh, a distance of 3 miles, and it has a breadth of one mile. In addition to the stream from <i> Wady Hamâm </i> , it is watered by three others from ‘Ain Mudauwarah, Wady Rabadï̀yeh, and <i> Wady Leimôn </i> , and these flow throughout the year. Just behind Khân Minyeh and its fountain <i> ‘Ain et-Tîn </i> at the [[N.W.]] corner of the Lake, the rounded hill <i> Tell Oreime </i> slopes down to the water’s edge, ending in a series of sharp rocks—the only place around the Lake where we find anything like a cliff beside the shore. Around the face of <i> Tell Oreime </i> there is a deep rock-cutting now used as a pathway, but in ancient times an aqueduct, as is attested by the discovery of the remains of the old piers of its continuation across the next valley to <i> ‘Ain et-Tâbigha </i> . Remains of masonry show that the water was led eastward as well as westward from the towers built around the springs of <i> et-Tâbigha </i> (Ἑπτάπηγον of Nicephorus), so that there can be little doubt that this is the spring of [[Capernaum]] mentioned by Josephus ( <i> [[Bj]] </i> iii. x. 8). From this point onward to the [[Jordan]] the hills again extend down to the shore, but by gentler slopes than even to the south of Tiberias. Between <i> et-Tâbigha </i> and <i> Tell Hûm </i> the shore forms a number of semicircular creeks, which, with the sloping embankment at this point, assume the shape of amphitheatres. Studying the subject on the spot, the present author was convinced that one of these must be the place where the sermon from the boat was preached (&nbsp;Matthew 13:2 etc.). Something peculiar in the tones of our voices induced us to test the acoustic properties of the place, and we found that a speaker on the boat could be heard far up the slope, while the hum and bustle of a crowd on the shore would not disturb him. </p> <p> After crossing the Jordan we meet with another plain— <i> el-Batiha </i> —corresponding to the one on the west, but somewhat more extensive. It is covered with green grass (&nbsp;Mark 6:39, &nbsp;John 6:10) at nearly all seasons of the year. With a breadth of 1 to 1½ miles, it extends 3 miles along the coast, and then narrows, extending nearly 3 miles more to Kersa, a short distance to the south of which we meet with the only steep place (&nbsp;Matthew 8:32) on the eastern side of the Lake. At this point there is practically no shore, but immediately the eastern rampart of hills—2000 ft. high, now bleak and bare, but showing streaks of green where the springs trickle out between the white sandstone and the black superimposed lava—begins to recede, leaving a plain ¼ to ½ mile broad, and this to the south of <i> Kul at el-Husn </i> widens out into the Ghor or Jordan Valley. At the village of Semakh, the southern end of the Lake forms a beautiful circular bay, which is enclosed by earth walls 16 to 32 ft. in height. There is deep water close in to the shore, and the currents manifestly wear away the rich alluvial soil. In so far as physical changes have taken place, we should expect that the land has suffered losses here, while there may have been slight gains by deposits on the shore of the plains of <i> el-Batiha </i> and <i> el-Ghuweir </i> (Gennesaret). What used to be the western outlet of the Jordan has also become silted up, for it must be remembered that in former times the Jordan flowed out from the two sides of a triangular island, now occupied by the ruins of Kerak—without doubt the remains of the once famous Taricheae ( <i> [[Bj]] </i> iii. x. 1). </p> <p> [[Compared]] with other lakes, the Sea of Galilee cannot be said to be deep. The maximum depth is from north to south along the course of the Jordan, and here it is 130 to 148 ft. according to the season [greater recorded depths have been proved to be in error], and except along the shores of the Plain of Gennesaret, deep water is reached all round the Lake within a few yards of the shore. The steep place at Kersa slopes down at once to a depth of 49 ft., and a short distance farther out the sounding gives 102 ft. [[A]] mile to the southeast of Tell Hûm the depth is 78 ft., and midway between Tiberias and Kersa it is 114. </p> <p> One more notable feature of the Lake valley is to be found in the hot springs with which it abounds. The best known of these are at <i> Hammam </i> (cf. Josephus <i> Vita </i> , 16), south of Tiberias (132° to 144°), <i> ‘Ain Bârideh </i> (80°), <i> ‘Ain Mudauwarah </i> (73°), <i> ‘Ain et-Tîn </i> (82°), and <i> ‘Ain et-Tâbigha </i> (73° to 86°). Others certainly exist in the Lake itself. [[A]] brackish taste can be perceived at different places, and especially at a point ⅔ across between Tiberias and Kersa, where in the warmer water great shoals of fish are wont to congregate. It was probably the drinking from a spot of this kind that led [[Strabo]] ( <i> Geog </i> . xvi. 45) to express so bad an opinion of the waters of the Lake (ὕδωρ μοχθηρὸν λιμναῖον). These springs are all more or less sulphurous, and in all the centuries they have been used for medicinal purposes—especially those at Tiberias ( <i> [[Bj]] </i> ii. xxi. 6). [[A]] reference to these in the Talmud shows us the relationship of the Rabbis to the Sabbath, and throws some light on their attacks on Jesus (&nbsp;Luke 13:14 etc.). The use of the means of healing was forbidden on the Sabbath; but these baths, though medicinal, were permitted, because in addition they ministered to indulgence in pleasure and luxury, and that was permitted. ( <i> Pesach. </i> 8 <i> b </i> ). </p> <p> [[Complaint]] has been made by some of the tameness of the scenery around the Lake, and of the want of picturesqueness of the hills; while, on the other hand, Seetzen ( <i> Reisen, in loc. </i> ) has declared that ‘in the whole land of [[Palestine]] there is no district whose natural charms could compare with those of this.’ There can be no doubt that much depends upon the season of the year when the district is first visited, as well as upon the expectations formed. In the present unwooded state, with its uncultivated fields and barren hills often, as at the north end of the Lake, washed down to the bare rock by the rains of centuries, there may be little to attract, especially when the whole country has been blackened by the summer suns and the burning siroccos. But even now the earliest rains change the whole aspect of nature. The hills and the valleys on both shores become clothed in a luxuriant greenness, while, as the season advances, the fresh bursting buds of the olive, the fig, the vine, and the pomegranate, with here and there a palm tree, add variety and pleasantness to the landscape. Very soon, too, the fields are covered with great patches of anemones of varied colours—white, red, purple, and deep dark-blue, interspersed with various species of the lily family and stretches of the dark green-leaved and yellow-flowered mustard, while the watercourses and shores of the Lake are marked out by the red blooms of the oleander with its dark-green and silvery-backed leaves; and on the western shore variety is added by the gigantic reeds of the papyrus, topped by their reddish-brown waving plumes; on the higher grounds, too, every crevice of the rock is shaded by the blossoms of the cyclamen and many another flower of the field. But what must it have been in the year a.d. 27–28? It had been passing through, was indeed still in the period of transition after, the desolations of war, famine, and pestilence; but the worst was now long past, and 20 years of uninterrupted peace and prosperity had made it blossom like the rose. There was nothing in the rule of the tetrarchs [[Antipas]] and [[Philip]] to discourage perseverance, so that the land was coming more and more under cultivation. It must have been beautiful, indeed, when human industry was developing all its resources and changing the whole scene into a blooming paradise. Nothing can give a better idea of what the whole district was becoming, than the classic passage in which Josephus ( <i> [[Bj]] </i> iii. x. 8) describes the Plain of Gennesaret in his own day (see art. Gennesaret [Land of] in vol. i.). </p> <p> With Josephus’ glowing description the Rabbis are in fullest harmony. Rish Laqish says: ‘If [[Paradise]] be in the land of Israel, [[Beth-Shan]] is its entrance’ (ביתשאןפיתחה). Again we read: ‘Seven seas,’ spake the Lord God, ‘have [[I]] created in the land of Israel, but only one have [[I]] chosen for myself, that is the sea of Gennesar’ (Midr. <i> Teh </i> , fol. 4). <i> Siphrê </i> on &nbsp;Deuteronomy 33:23 explains the fulness of the blessing of the Lord as the Plain of Gennesaret. On the hills around the Lake were ‘vines and fruitful fields’ ( <i> Meg </i> . 6 <i> a </i> ). ‘It is easier,’ saith Rabbi [[Eliezer]] ben Simon, ‘to nourish a legion of olives in Galilee than to bring up one child in the land of Israel’ ( <i> Ber. Rab. </i> c. 20). The oil of the [[Galilaean]] hills was more plentiful than any in Palestine ( <i> Men </i> . 85 <i> b </i> ), and the wheat of [[Chorazin]] is specially commended ( <i> ib. </i> 86 <i> a </i> ). An illustration of the productiveness of the district, and a parallel to the hundredfold of the parable, may be seen in the enumeration of the products of a single סאהארבלית ‘half bushel of Arbela’ (Jerus. [Note: Jerusalem.] <i> Peah </i> , vii. 3). The [[Gentile]] world also lends its testimony. To the early [[Fathers]] the district was τὰ χράτιστα τῆς Γαλιλαίας, ‘the crown of Galilee,’ while in the 3rd cent. [[C.]] [[Julius]] Solinus ( <i> Collectanea </i> , xxxv. 13) says: ‘Lacus Tiberiadis omnibus anteponitur ingenuo aestu et ad sanitatem usu efficaci.’ </p> <p> But the district was not yet reduced to the calm beauty of a prosperous agricultural country. There would still be stretches of woodland remaining, tenanted by birds of brilliant colours and various forms. There would be here and there beautiful oaks, either singly or in groups, that had grown up during the years when the population was small ( <i> [[Baba]] Bathra </i> v. 1). There would be rocky stretches, especially to the north-east of the Lake, covered with brambles, wild mustard, and coarse grass, or dotted with prickly bushes ( <i> nubk </i> ), where the wolf, the jackal, the fox, and the hyaena would make their homes, and where the brown serpent and the silvery-breasted poisonous snake would glide about. </p> <p> The population would not be so dense nor the land so fully cultivated as in the days when Josephus wrote, so that there would be a more equal mingling of the wild beauties of nature with the advancing and taming conquests of agriculture. The landscape, too, was becoming varied by the presence of many buildings. It has been said that ‘the shores of the Lake seem to have borne cities and towns instead of harvests’ (Tristram, <i> Land of [[Israel]] </i> , 444); and this, understood in the light of what we have already said, is very true. These would for the most part be constructed of black stone, but varied at times by buildings of white marble, while even the polished granite of [[Syene]] helped to break the monotony; and although, on the whole, the majority of the buildings would be dull and sombre, still, in the midst of waving fields of green and gold, the presence of the humble village, and the beach sparkling with the houses and the palaces, the synagogues and the temples of Jewish and Roman inhabitants, would present a scene of great beauty, so that we can well understand how the wild desolations of the pre-Christian century, and the calm and peaceful years that followed the advent of the Messiah, combined to render the district more beautiful when Christ was a citizen of Capernaum than at any other time during its whole history. </p> <p> iii. Climate.—The climate of the Jordan Valley is in many ways very peculiar. Its low level—the lowest depression in the world—gives it many characteristics which are all its own. The absence of all frost, and the general warmth throughout the whole year, explain to us fully the peculiar open-air life that we meet with in the Gospels. For the most part Christ speaks out of doors. So did the Rabbis of His time. Ben Azzai taught on the shores of Tiberias ( <i> Erubin </i> , 29 <i> a </i> ), and Rabbi Jehudah in the open air ( <i> Moed Katon </i> , 16 <i> a </i> ). In the [[Gospels]] the sick are freely carried about (&nbsp;Matthew 4:23, &nbsp;Mark 2:3), are allowed to wait in the crowd (&nbsp;Luke 8:43 f.), and the people are indifferent if the night find them away from home (&nbsp;Matthew 15:32, &nbsp;Mark 8:2-3). The average temperatures of the air (night and day) in January are 37° and 74° respectively, while in June they are 68° and 108°; but in July the thermometer frequently rises many degrees higher. The present writer has seen it at 106° at 6 a.m., and 139° has been recorded on the shore of the Lake at midday in August; and even the soil, the rocks, and the pebbles around the Lake side become so intensely heated that the bather must wait till long after sunset if he would enter the water without the risk of burning his feet. In such conditions, under the fiery glow of the sun and with months of drought, we can well understand that all the grass and herbage are burned up, and so in its present state of naked dreariness, visitors at such a season are naturally disappointed; but in other circumstances, and in days of universal irrigation, the whole scene would be very different (cf. Robinson’s <i> Researches </i> under 19th June). Another noteworthy point is that the temperature of the body may rise much higher in cases of fever, and without serious results, than would be possible in other climates, <i> e.g. </i> a temperature of 110° is not uncommonly recorded. This may explain the expression ‘great fever’ (πυρετῶ̣ μεγάλω̣) of &nbsp;Luke 4:38. </p> <p> The temperature of the waters of the Lake does not vary so much as might be expected, and is very little lowered even by the melting of the snows on Hermon. This is to be accounted for by the fact that such waters have already passed through Lake [[Huleh]] and have also had a considerable course in the upper Jordan. The average to a depth of 30 ft. is 68°, from 30 to 50 ft. it is 62°, and at a greater depth there is a constant temperature of 59° ( <i> PEFSt </i> [Note: EFSt Quarterly Statement of the same.] , 1894, pp. 211–220). </p> <p> <i> [[Rain]] </i> .—The average number of rainy days during the year is 60, and the rainfall 22·5 inches. There is no rain during the months of June, July, August, and September. Two-thirds of the rainfall occurs in December, January, and February; the other months having only one to five days on which rain falls, which may mean either now and again, a whole day, or merely slight showers. The degree of humidity is greatest in January, when it stands at 77. It decreases till June, when it is 42; but in August, again, it has risen to 45; while in September it drops as low as 39. </p> <p> <i> [[Winds]] </i> .—From May till October there are often sirocco days. They generally come 3, 7, or 10 at a time, though sometimes the hot wind lasts but one day, and then the day following brings a delightful sensation of coolness, enjoyment, and satisfaction. On the sirocco days the heat on the Lake and in the surrounding region is intensely depressing, but between the visits of the hot wind, westerly breezes blow in summer, and this makes the east side of the Lake pleasant. The western shore, however, south of Mejdel benefits little, as the winds pass over the protecting hills and strike the Sea far out, leaving the air inshore close and stifling. The north end of the Lake does not suffer to the same extent, because to the west of the Plain of Gennesaret the hills are somewhat lower and farther back, and, besides, the wind blows freely down the Valley of Pigeons, and gives the district around Capernaum all that the east side enjoys at such seasons. These westerly winds usually spring up in the afternoon, they become strong as the evening advances, but generally cease about 10 p.m. During the rest of the year the weather is more variable, and the winds blow from different directions. Strong winds sometimes come from the north-east, and when they diverge to the north and come over Hermon the temperature is still more reduced, and a sensation of chill is felt in the atmosphere. This sometimes occurs till well on in May; while, on the other hand, a hot south wind will sometimes blow up the <i> Ghor </i> (Jordan Valley) in April, bringing with it clouds of dust which dim the sunlight and darken the hills, giving one a premature sensation of the summer’s glow. </p> <p> <i> Storms </i> .—The rainy season is generally introduced by thunderstorms. In October and November, small clouds, scarcely larger than a man’s hand, gather on Tabor, Jebel Jarmuk, and the other hills of Upper Galilee. They grow in size and in threatening aspect, and generally in three days’ time a violent thunderstorm with heavy rains bursts over the valley. This is then usually followed by a time of calm with a clear blue sky overhead. Such storms, but not generally so violent, occur from time to time during the winter, and the rainy season may be closed by something of the same nature. In the beginning of May the sky will be clouded, and there will be one or two days’ rain with or without thunder. Sometimes, however, when the valley has been enjoying the most peaceful calm, it will be affected by storms that have occurred elsewhere. The hills of Upper Galilee may have been hidden in dense mists for a day or two, but nothing has disturbed the peace of the Lake. There have been rains, however, on the high lands only a few hours distant, and these, forming themselves into mountain torrents, have come down, sweeping all before them (&nbsp;Matthew 7:27, &nbsp;Luke 6:49) in their descent, and flooding what but a few minutes earlier had been a dry channel. The present writer has personally watched the <i> Wady Rabadḯyeh </i> and the <i> Wady Leimôn </i> , both of which cross the Plain of Gennesaret, as they became in an incredibly short time changed from little more than dry, stony river-beds to impassable foaming torrents; and, when the hills have been dark with clouds, has heard the warning given to get over these wadys ‘before the stream comes down.’ </p> <p> Storms may occur on the Lake at any season, and there are few places where changes come so suddenly. The experience of Lynch is that of every one who has spent any time here: ‘While pulling about the Lake, a squall swept down one of the ravines, and gave us a convincing proof of how soon the placid sea could assume an angry look’ (p. 164). The storms on the Sea of Galilee are in many ways peculiar, and sometimes the wind seems to blow from various directions at one time, tossing the boat about. This arises from the fact that the winds blow violently down the narrow gorges and strike the Sea at an angle, stirring the waters to a great depth. Many of the storms, too, are quite local in their character. This may be understood by the fact that when a westerly wind is blowing, all may be smooth along the shores to the north and south of Tiberias and for a mile out, but there we may pass in a moment from the region of perfect calm into a gale so violent that the only chance of safety is to run before the wind to the eastern shore. At other times the south end of the Lake may be comparatively peaceful, but, sailing northward, we no sooner reach Mejdel than the wind from <i> Wady el-Hamâm </i> will seize the sail, and, unless it be instantly lowered, overturn the boat. These winds are from the west, but it is generally the wind from the north-east that raises a general storm over the whole Sea. This wind blows right into the Sea from <i> el-Batiha </i> , and from this direction no part is sheltered. The suddenness, too, with which the storms spring up may be illustrated by a storm which came from this direction, and which the present writer observed. [[A]] company of visitors were standing on the shore at Tiberias, and, noting the glassy surface of the water and the smallness of the Lake, they expressed doubts as to the possibility of such storms as those described in the Gospels. Almost immediately the wind sprang up. In 20 minutes the sea was white with foam-crested waves. Great billows broke over the towers at the corners of the city walls, and the visitors were compelled to seek shelter from the blinding spray, though now 200 yards from the Lake side. It is further to be noted that the north end of the Lake, being less sheltered than the rest, is more subject to storms. Indeed, only in peculiar circumstances could it escape having a chief share in any storm. </p> <p> These facts may now be used to illustrate the two occasions on which Jesus is recorded to have been on the Sea in a storm (&nbsp;Matthew 8:23, &nbsp;Mark 4:37, &nbsp;Luke 8:23; and &nbsp;Matthew 14:24, &nbsp;Mark 6:48, &nbsp;John 6:18). On the former of these the journey was from Capernaum to Gergesa, and the wind was from the north-east. Thus the boat was struck on its side, and so ‘the waves beat into the ship’ and it became ‘filled.’ On the second occasion they were attempting to pass from [[Bethsaida]] [[Julias]] to Capernaum. The wind was against them, blowing down the <i> Wady Hamâm </i> and over the Plain of Gennesaret, so that they were ‘toiling in rowing, for the wind was contrary.’ It is also made clear to us that, although the wind prevented their getting to Capernaum, it was not such as would prevent boats coming from Tiberias (&nbsp;John 6:18-24). Even in the height of the storm they could have, under the shelter of the western hills, proceeded as far as Mejdel, and thus come early upon the scene at any point at the north end of the Lake when once the storm was calmed. </p> <p> It might be imagined that the cessation of the storms might mean simply the passing from an exposed and stormy to a calmer and protected region, but in both the cases recorded this is impossible. In the first instance, when the wind was from the north-east, the whole Sea would be disturbed; while in the latter case the Sea to the north of Mejdel would be all affectcd by the storm; and as the passage was between <i> el-Batiha </i> and the Plain of Gennesaret, the boat would not even approach the region of calm. </p> <p> iv. Industries.—During the peaceful years of Christ’s ministry the whole Lake-basin was becoming a focus of life and energy. We have already indicated, by references to Josephus and the Rabbis, what the land was in the process of becoming in so far as <i> agriculture </i> was concerned. The tilling of the soil must have been a tempting occupation where the land was so fertile, so well watered everywhere, and enjoyed so much of the sunshine. Besides, it could be sown two and even three times in the year. At the present time in the plain of <i> el-Batiha </i> this is the case. After the corn harvest is gathered in, Indian corn may be sown; and when this also has ripened and been cleared off, the land and the season are ready for vegetables and water melons. The peculiar climate, too, ripens the harvest a month earlier than on the higher lands of Galilee and Bashan. The melons and the cucumbers are ready for use fully four weeks before those of [[Acre]] and Damascus, so that the prospect of greater gain by being able to anticipate the markets in all the larger towns must have been a powerful incentive to diligence when the means of transport were easier than now. We know that the fruits of Gennesaret were taken to [[Judaea]] [[(M.]] <i> Ma‘aser Sheni </i> ii. 3), though it is said that they were not allowed in Jerusalem, lest on account of their goodness they should form an inducement, apart from the spiritual one, for pilgrims to journey thither ( <i> Bab. </i> [Note: Babylonian.] <i> Pesach </i> . 8 <i> b </i> ). With so much activity was this work pursued, that the hiring of day-labourers seems to have been quite common, and they were wont to go from Tiberias to till the lands of Beth-maon ( <i> Kul‘at ibn Ma‘an </i> ), which lands we believe to have been in the Plain of Gennesaret (Jerus. [Note: Jerusalem.] <i> Bab. </i> [Note: Babylonian.] <i> [[Met]] </i> . vii. 1; and cf. &nbsp;Matthew 20:1-17). Nor can we overlook the work of the shepherd, so closely bound up with agriculture, and to which there is so frequent reference in the Gospel story; but, just as in modern times, this work would be less pursued by the Lake side than on the neighbouring hills, where we know that even the flocks of Judaea were pastured ( <i> Baba Bathra </i> v. 1). </p> <p> Then the Gospels set before us a very great activity in <i> fishing </i> . There was a Jewish tradition that the fishing in the Lake was to be free to all, subject to the one condition that stakes were not to be set that might impede the progress of boats; and tradition further said that the freedom had been conferred by Joshua ( <i> Baba Qama </i> , 80 <i> b </i> ). Not only the statements of the [[Nt,]] but the names of the towns and villages, lead us to the knowledge of activity in this direction. Thus we have two towns of the name of <i> Bethsaida </i> (‘Fisherrow’); a village called <i> [[Migdol]] Nunia </i> (‘Fish-tower’), probably situated at ‘ <i> [[Ain]] Baridch </i> ( <i> Pesach </i> . 46 <i> a </i> ), and the great city of <i> Taricheae </i> (‘Fish factory’) at the south end of the Lake. At <i> Taricheae </i> , as the name indicates, the fish were salted and dried, and to-day the salt can be seen here encrusted on the sand like hoarfrost. So far as the [[Mosaic]] law was concerned, the fish in the Sea of Galilee were all clean; but, as one passage in the Gospels draws a distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ (&nbsp;Matthew 13:47-48), it may be of interest to note that the [[Jews]] of the present day, for some superstitious reason, refuse to eat one kind named <i> burbût </i> (Lynch, p. 165). Josephus ( <i> Vita </i> , 12) found that the fishers were a strong party in Tiberias also, so we may conclude that the boats that came thence were used for fishing (&nbsp;John 6:23). </p> <p> The chief fishing ground to-day is in the neighbourhood of <i> el-Batiha </i> , and here the work is conducted in boats with drag-nets (σύροντες τὸ δίκτυον, &nbsp;John 21:8); but in other places the want of a boat need not prevent a man becoming a fisher. If he simply possess a net and learn to cast it (βάλλοντες ἀμφίβληστρον, &nbsp;Matthew 4:18), he may be very successful in places where the water is not deep. Where the warm springs flow into the Lake the fish congregate in great numbers. We have seen shoals at ‘ <i> Ain Barideh </i> and ‘ <i> Ain et-Tabigha </i> so great as to cover an acre of the surface, and so compact together that one could scarcely throw a stone without striking several. In such cases the handnet is thrown out with a whirl. It sinks down in a circle, enclosing a multitude, and these are then gathered in by the hand, while the net lies at the bottom. The hook (ἄγκιστρον, &nbsp;Matthew 17:27) is also used in our day, and frequently a large quantity is taken in a short time. In the days of Josephus (a.d. 67) there were very many boats on the Lake,—230 at Taricheae alone ( <i> [[Bj]] </i> ii. xxi. 8),—but in the year a.d. 27–28 they must have been still far below the number they reached in later years. </p> <p> The fishing industry implied many others. Delitzsch ( <i> Handwerkleben zur Zeit [[Jesu]] </i> ) tells us that the fish from the Lake were sold in Jerusalem; and when we think of the greater refinement of the [[Apostle]] John, his acquaintance with the high priest (&nbsp;John 18:15), and his having a house in the Holy City (&nbsp;John 19:27), we feel almost compelled to infer with [[Nonnus]] that he had acted there as agent. The sale of fish in [[Jerusalem]] and elsewhere would mean the employment of a goodly number of muleteers, and in ordinary circumstances the [[Apostolic]] band would travel in such caravans, just as [[Joseph]] and Mary had previously done (&nbsp;Luke 2:44). We must get away from the idea that they always travelled on foot. </p> <p> Then on the shore of the Lake itself the fishing industry implied <i> boat-building and repairing </i> , and this, amongst other things, may have helped to decide our Lord’s settlement in Capernaum, for there, as a carpenter, He could still from time to time exercise His own calling. At any rate, after He had settled here for some time, He was still known as ‘the carpenter’ (&nbsp;Mark 6:3). That this should be the case was quite in harmony with the practice of the teachers of those days. We find Rabbi Abin also working as a carpenter ( <i> naggâr </i> ), while Rabbi [[Ada]] and Rabbi [[Ise]] are said to have been fishers ( <i> zayyâdîn </i> ). To some extent also the boats may have been used for transport trade; but we are inclined to think that the fact that the two sides of the Lake belonged to two different tetrarchies, each with its own customs and taxation, would militate against this. </p> <p> The Talmuds and [[Midrash]] bring to our notice other occupations carried on beside the Lake, especially at Magdala, a portion of which was named Migdol Zebaya ( <i> Erubin </i> v. 7) from the <i> dueing operations </i> there conducted. So late as the year 1862, Sepp found this work still in existence, and indigo being grown in the fields of Mejdel. Then we read that there were 80 shops in the same town for the sale of <i> linen </i> ( <i> Taan </i> . iv. 5), and we learn later that the linen of Galilee was <i> fine </i> ( <i> Baba Qama </i> , 119a; <i> Ber. Rab </i> . c. 20). But perhaps of more interest than either of these is the fact that [[Magdala]] contained 300 shops for the sale of pigeons (Midr. <i> Echa </i> , 75 <i> d </i> ), which were used for purifications in the [[Temple]] (&nbsp;Luke 2:24). These pigeons would be captured among the overhanging rocks of <i> Wady Hamâm </i> , where they are so plentiful to-day, or trapped in nooses laid out in the adjoining fields (cf. <i> Baba Qama </i> vii.). These would be transferred to Jerusalem, where we learn that there were booths on the Mt. of [[Olives]] for the sale of such ( <i> Cholin </i> , 53 <i> a </i> ), as well as in the Temple courts when the sellers had invaded the sacred precincts (&nbsp;Matthew 21:12 etc.). In this connexion it is to be noted that when those who sold doves were driven out of the Temple they could not be ignorant of the personality and power of Him who expelled them. Magdala and the Mt. of Olives being thus connected, another item is cast into the balance in favour of some relationship between Mary of Magdala and the family of [[Bethany]] (cf. Baronius, <i> Annales </i> , cap. 32). It may also be interesting to note here a still further connexion, for in the year a.d. 67, when the Jewish war broke out, the Jews took occasion to destroy the booths on the Mt. of Olives because the occupants ‘established their doings on the Law, and did what was forbidden by the words of the wise’ ( <i> Cholin </i> , 53 <i> a </i> ); and during the same year Magdala and other towns in Galilee were destroyed, and the epithets used in the reasons given seem to indicate that the inhabitants were [[Christian]] (Jerus. [Note: Jerusalem.] <i> Taanith </i> iv. 5; <i> Baba Mez </i> . 88 <i> a </i> ; Midr. <i> Echa </i> ii. 2). These industries gave the Lake valley a trade connexion with the outside world; but, apart from those engaged in these occupations, multitudes would be employed in making articles for home use, as well as for the supply of the two courts and the various garrison towns. All trades would be represented, and these we sometimes read of incidentally, as in the case of <i> tanning </i> and the manufacture of <i> earthenware </i> at Migdol Zebaya. </p> <p> v. Geography.—This has long been a vexed question, and is likely to remain so till excavating work is undertaken. The sites of Tiberias, Magdala, and Julias seem alone to be undisputed, so far as the Gospel history is concerned. The questions regarding the various sites will be treated each in its own place. The towns with which we are concerned were for the most part Jewish; but there were also Greek cities (πόλεις Ἑλληνίδες) around the Lake. In Tiberias and Julias, built by the tetrarchs, in Gamala, Hippos, Gadara, Taricheae, and in Philoteria (Polybius, v. 70), all trace of which has been lost, Greek influence would be paramount, though, of course, there was a Jewish element dwelling among the Gentile population ( <i> Rosh-Hash. </i> ii. 1). These cities would have their own influence on the people of the surrounding districts. It may seem strange that the Gospels never touch them, and that the fact of their existence is no more than recorded, though they were large and important in comparison with the Jewish towns named. We feel justified in believing that Christ never entered these fashionable Greek cities. We know that the pious Jew specially abhorred Tiberias, and would not enter it, as it had been built on an ancient cemetery ( <i> Shebhiith </i> ix. 1). We read, indeed, of a circuit through [[Decapolis]] (&nbsp;Mark 7:31); but in view of Christ’s relationship to the nearer towns, and His own statement (&nbsp;Matthew 15:24), we are constrained to believe that He confined Himself to the country districts as occupied by the Jewish population. In harmony with this is His desire not to have His works proclaimed in these Greek towns (&nbsp;Mark 8:26). </p> <p> <i> [[Roads]] </i> .—The Sea of Galilee was in no sense in the 1st cent. what it is now, something of the nature of a retired mountain lake. On the contrary, it was kept in constant touch with the whole world. The western shore was one of the chief meeting-places of the world’s highways. The <i> Via [[Maris]] </i> (the Way of the Sea, &nbsp;Matthew 4:15), a well-known trade route, along which the wealth of the East passed westward, touched its north-eastern shore. [[Paved]] portions of it still remain. Details of the network of highways meeting in this region will be found in their own place (see Roads); but we have to remark that the Jordan could be passed not only at the usual fords, but, during the spring and summer months, also by wading knee-deep along a kind of bar formed by pebbles and sand, where the river enters the Lake (&nbsp;Matthew 14:13, &nbsp;Mark 6:33). Further, it is to be noted that most if not all of these roads were available not only for mules and camels, as in modern times, but also for vehicles, for we learn that on account of their quantity the contributions were sent from Magdala, Cabul, and [[Sogane]] to Jerusalem <i> in waggons </i> ( <i> Ta‘anith </i> , iv. 5). </p> <p> vi. Population.—We can now well understand the various classes of people who dwelt in and around this district. In the Greek towns the population would be chiefly Greek-speaking sojourners of mixed race—the Levantines of those days. The Roman soldiery would be there in considerable numbers as well as scattered through the towns, especially where customs were collected. There would be <i> courtiers </i> around the Herods in Tiberias and Julias—‘Herodians,’ as they were called; and they were, for the most part, <i> Sadducecs </i> . The <i> publicans </i> would have their headquarters in the two capitals, but they would be employed everywhere, and would be specially active at the north end of the Lake, on the great trade routes. There, too, the <i> [[Pharisees]] </i> and probably also the <i> [[Essenes]] </i> ( <i> [[Bj]] </i> ii. viii. 4) would be chiefly in evidence. It is the population at this north end that chiefly concerns us; for amongst them the Lord dwelt, and there He had His own city (&nbsp;Matthew 9:1). The people here were essentially Jewish, but there was a world of difference from the [[Judaism]] of Judaea. Graetz (ii. 148, English ed.) has well described this when he says: ‘Morality was stricter in Galilee, and the laws and customs more rigidly enforced. The slightest infringement was not allowed, and what the Judaeans permitted themselves the [[Galilaeans]] would by no means consent to.’ We might almost put it, Judaea had much of the semblance of piety, Galilee more of the reality. Indeed, their piety as Jews had already impressed even the heathen world (&nbsp;Luke 7:5). The Talmuds tell us that the Galilaean loved honour more than wealth, and that the contrary was the case in Judaea (Jerus. [Note: Jerusalem.] <i> Keth </i> . iv. 14); that the marriages were simpler and more decently conducted ( <i> Keth </i> . 12 <i> a </i> , with which cf. &nbsp;John 2:1-11; Edersheim, <i> Sketch of Jewish Social Life </i> , p. 152 ff.), and also that the widow’s right of occupancy of her husband’s house was fully recognized (Mishna, <i> Keth </i> . iv. 12 and Jerus. [Note: Jerusalem.] <i> Keth </i> . iv. 14; cf. &nbsp;Matthew 8:14). The Galilaeans, too, were accused by their neighbours of being too talkative with women; and in this connexion the expression סומהנלילאה ‘foolish Galilaean,’ came into use ( <i> Erubin </i> , 53 <i> b </i> ; cf. &nbsp;John 4:27). Josephus also speaks well of the Galilaeans, commending their courage, and adding that they were inured to war from their infancy ( <i> [[Bj]] </i> iii. iii. 2). There is another remark in the Talmud regarding their character that is worth noting: אנשינלילקנמרניןהיו ‘the men of Galilee were disputatious’ ( <i> Nedar </i> . 48 <i> a </i> ). This has always been a characteristic of the Jew; he has never been able to argue calmly; and when we add to this acknowledged characteristic of the people the circumstances of a fishing and boating life, we must admit the truth of the accusation; and knowing this, we can well understand that many of the scenes around the Lake were much noisier than the calm words of [[Scripture]] would lead us to suspect (&nbsp;Matthew 9:24-25, &nbsp;Mark 3:22, &nbsp;Luke 8:37 etc.); and we can appreciate the facility with which Peter relapsed into what must have been an old habit (&nbsp;Mark 14:71). Then the inhabitants of the district would not be over cleanly in their habits. We can infer nothing from the neglect of hand-washing (נמילתידים), for it is at best purely ceremonial; but the Jew generally was, in the 1st cent., the butt of the Gentile world on account of his uncleanliness, just as he is to-day (Seneca, <i> Ephesians 5 </i> ; Perseus, <i> [[Sat]] </i> . v.). Apart from the Greek towns, which, like Tiberias and Gamala, were supplied by aqueducts (portions of which still remain), the general water supply was from the Lake; and in consideration of the traffic that existed and the absence of sanitary arrangements, this could not be satisfactory in the neighbourhood of a town like Capernaum. Then every village would have, as at the present time, its own dunghill, a fruitful source of swarms of flies. </p> <p> Great extremes of wealth and poverty there would not be. We meet, indeed, with a knowledge of wealth (&nbsp;Matthew 7:6; &nbsp;Matthew 13:46; &nbsp;Matthew 18:24, &nbsp;Luke 12:18-19); but on the whole the life was of the simplest, as we see from the nature of the household furnishings,— <i> the </i> bushel, <i> the </i> candlestick (&nbsp;Matthew 5:15), there being but one; and the mention of the food—bread, eggs, fish (&nbsp;Matthew 7:9-10, &nbsp;Luke 11:11-12). </p> <p> Then it is to be noted that the people were to a certain extent <i> bilingual </i> . [[Judging]] from similar conditions in this district and elsewhere at the present day, we should say that the language of the homes and of the Jewish population among themselves was <i> Aramaic </i> , but that the men would generally be acquainted colloquially with the <i> Hellenistic </i> speech of the larger towns. The native language, too, had its own peculiarities (&nbsp;Matthew 26:73), the chief of which was a remarkable confusion of the gutturals, which is repeatedly ridiculed in the Talmuds, where a notable example is given of a Galilaean being asked, when shouting on the street, whether he wished to sell ‘wool,’ ‘a sheep,’ ‘wine,’ or ‘a donkey’ (Bab. [Note: Babylonian.] <i> Erubin </i> , 53 <i> b </i> ; <i> Berakhoth </i> , 32 <i> a </i> ). </p> <p> To sum up, then, the population of this district was as manly, industrious, independent, moral, pious, and experienced in the world as any in Palestine. It was among men who were <i> morally right </i> that our Lord chose to settle. It was such that He made His first disciples, and finally His Apostles. Had these been willing to compromise conscience, they might easily have passed into easier walks of life. In the full strength of early manhood, they might have had a share in the settlement of Tiberias ( <i> Ant </i> . xviii. ii. 3), but they had resisted that temptation. It is true that Matthew the publican (&nbsp;Matthew 10:3) was among them, but it is to be remembered that here he did not serve an alien like the <i> publicani </i> in Judaea. The taxes he collected would go to the coffers of Antipas in Tiberias (Titus Livius, 32 [[F;]] Cicero, <i> in Verr </i> . ii. 72), and they would be drawn from the tax on goods passing along the highways as well as on the fish from the Lake, as at the present day. This latter fact suggests a peculiar relationship between Matthew and the ‘fisher-folk’ among the Twelve, and a still more interesting one between him and Simon the Zealot, who had fought against these taxes. </p> <p> We conclude by observing that, as no land in the world save Palestine could have given us the Bible, no part of the land save this, with its wealth of recent historical association and variety in nature, from the torrid heat of <i> el-Ghuweir </i> to the perennial snows of Hermon, could so well have suited the Great Teacher in His appeal to men of every kindred and every clime. In its calm beauty it was in many ways worthy of the presence of the Son of Man, and it presents us with a beautiful picture of many aspects of His life and character. It deserved all that Jew and Gentile said in its praise even in their playing with its names—Tiberias טובהראייתה (מבריא), ‘beautiful of appearance’; Capernaum (כפרנעים, χωρίον παρακλήσεως), ‘land of pleasantness <i> or </i> consolation.’ Before the time of the Lord Jesus the Sea of Galilee was to the world an unknown, neglected, and almost unnamed distant inland lake; but He has changed all this. He has rendered it immortal. </p> <p> Literature.—Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible and <i> Encyc. Bibl </i> . art. ‘Galilee, Sea of’; [[G.]] [[A.]] Smith, <i> [[Hghl]] </i> [Note: [[Ghl]] Historical Geog. of Holy Land.] , ch. xxi.; Merrill, <i> Galilee in the Time of Christ </i> ; see also art. Galilee and the Lit. given there. </p> <p> Wm. [[M.]] Christie. </p>
<p> (&nbsp;Matthew 4:18; &nbsp;Mark 7:31; &nbsp;John 6:1). So called from its washing the [[E.]] side of Galilee. In &nbsp;Luke 5:1 "the sea of Gennesaret," called so from the fertile plain of Gennesurer at its [[N.W.]] angle, three and a half miles long by two and a half broad (&nbsp;Matthew 14:34). In Old [[Testament]] "the sea of Chinnereth" or Cinneroth, from the town so named on its shore (&nbsp;Joshua 19:35), of which [[Gennesaret]] is probably the corruption, though others derive it from gannah , a "garden," and Sarown , a plain between [[Tabor]] and the lake. "The sea of Tiberias" is another designation, from the city (&nbsp;John 6:1). All its names were drawn from places on the western side. Now [[Bahr]] Tubariyeh (Tiberius, [[S.W.]] of the lake). Close to it was "His own city" [[Capernaum]] (&nbsp;Matthew 4:13). [[Nine]] cities stood on the shores of the lake, of which only two are now inhabited, namely, Magdala, consisting of a few mud huts, and Tiberias, sadly changed from its ancient prosperity. </p> <p> [[Silence]] now reigns where formerly the din of industry was heard. On its shore Jesus called His first disciples (&nbsp;Matthew 4:18; &nbsp;Matthew 9:9; &nbsp;Luke 5:1-11; &nbsp;John 1:43, etc.). The bed of the lake is but a lower section of the great [[Jordan]] valley. Its depression is 653 ft. below the level of the Mediterranean, according to Lt. Lynch. Its length is about 13 miles, its breadth is about five or six. The view from the [[Nazareth]] road to [[Tiberias]] is beautiful. The hills from the eastern side rise apparently out of the water with a uniform slope, to the height of 2,000 ft., destitute of verdure, and shut in the lake; while far to the [[N.]] is seen snowy Hermon. The eastern hills, which are flat along the summit, are the wall that supports the table land of Bashan; from which on the [[N.]] there is a gradual descent to the valley of the Jordan, and then a rise to a plateau skirting the mountains of upper Galilee. </p> <p> The hills on the [[W.,]] except at [[Khan]] Minyeh, where there is a small cliff, are recessed from the shore. On a western recess stands Tiberias. The whole basin betrays its volcanic origin, which also accounts for the warm spring at [[Tiberius]] The cliffs are hard porous basalt. The vegetation is tropical; the lotus thorn, palms, indigo, etc. The water is sweet, sparkling and transparent; the fish abundant as of old, many species being those of the Nile, the silurus, mugil, and sparers Galiloeus. Dr. Tristram says: "the shoals of fish Were marvelous, black masses of many hundred yards long, with the black fins projecting out of the water, as thickly as they could pack. There are the European loach, bethel, blenny and cyprinodont; the African chromis, hemichromis, and eellike clarias; and the Asiatic discognathus. The cyprinodonts are viviparous, and the sexual differences marked; they can live in cold water, or hot springs up to 90ø, fresh, brackish, or briny water. </p> <p> This marks a former connection between these waters and those of [[N.E.]] and [[S.E.]] Africa, the Nile, the Zambesi, and the great lakes in the interior. The papyrus also, no longer found in the Nile, is found on the shores of the sea of Galilee. As Asia, Africa, and Europe respectively were represented at Christ's cross by the Jews, Simon of Cyrene, and the Romans respectively, so the Asiatic, African, and European fish in the sea of [[Galilee]] represent the various races of mankind gathered by the spiritual fishermen into the one gospel net. Only one little boat represents the fleets of fishing vessels that once covered the lake. The fish are now taken with a hand net jerked round the fish by the fisher, usually naked, along the shore (&nbsp;John 21:7); or else crumbs of bread mixed with bichloride of mercury are scattered to poison the fish, and the floating dead bodies are picked up for the Tiberias market (Porter, Handbook, p. 432). </p> <p> [[Sudden]] and violent storms agitate the waters, sweeping down the ravines and gorges converging to the head of the lake, from the vast naked plateau of the Jaulan and the [[Hauran]] and mount Hermon in the background. It was such a storm that Jesus stilled by a word, as He had a few hours before rebuked and cast out demons. &nbsp;Mark 4:39, "Peace, be still," Greek "Be silent, be muzzled"; addressing the sea and warring elements as rebel forces; compare &nbsp;Revelation 21:1. </p> <p> The apostles were trying to reach [[Bethsaida]] on the western coast, when the gale from. the [[S.W.]] that brought vessels from Tiberias to the [[N.E.]] coast (&nbsp;John 6:23) delayed the vessel of the former, until at the fourth watch Jesus came walking over the tempest tossed waves; then followed Peter's temporary walking through faith and sinking through unbelief in the same waters, and his rescue by Jesus; then they immediately reach their desired haven for which they had set out the evening before (&nbsp;Matthew 14:28-29; &nbsp;Matthew 14:33; &nbsp;John 6:17; &nbsp;John 6:21; &nbsp;Mark 6:45). </p> <p> So impressed were the disciples that "they worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God." Bethsaida Julias, the city of Andrew and Peter, lay on the [[E.]] bank of the Jordan where it enters the sea of Galilee on the [[N.]] Close by, and on the [[E.]] of the river and [[N.E.]] of the lake, stretched the "green grass" (&nbsp;Mark 6:39) plain of Batihah, the scene of feeding the 5,000. [[Gergesa]] (now Kersa) lay [[E.]] of the lake. The Jordan's outlet is at Kerak, the [[S.W.]] extremity of the lake. The lake, mirroring heaven in its union of rest and energy, represents Him who best combined the calm repose which reflected His Father's image with energetic labors for God and man. </p>
          
          
== Bridgeway Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_19039" /> ==
== Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_51170" /> ==
<p> The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake in northern Palestine. It is approximately twenty kilometres long, twelve kilometres wide, and about two hundred metres below sea level. In Bible times it was known also as the Sea of Chinnereth (&nbsp;Numbers 34:11), the Lake of Gennesaret (&nbsp;Luke 5:1) and the Sea of Tiberias (&nbsp;John 6:1; &nbsp;John 6:16-25; &nbsp;John 21:1). (For details see [[Palestine,]] sub-heading ‘Upper Jordan and Sea of Galilee’.) </p>
<p> <strong> [[Galilee,]] [[Sea]] [[Of]] </strong> </p> <p> 1. [[Situation]] , etc. The Sea of Galilee is an expansion of the Jordan, 13 miles long, about 8 miles in maximum breadth; its surface is 680 feet below that of the Mediterranean; its maximum depth is about 150 feet. In shape it is like a pear, the narrow end pointing southward. Like the [[Dead]] Sea, it is set deep among hills, which rise on the east side to a height of about 2000 feet. At the emergence of the Jordan, however, the Lake impinges on the plain of the Ghôr. </p> <p> <strong> 2. [[Names]] </strong> . The original name of the Sea seems to have been <strong> [[Chinnereth]] </strong> or <strong> [[Chinneroth]] </strong> , which a hazardous etymology connects with the Heb. <em> kinnôr </em> , ‘harp.’ The name is supposed to be given to the Sea on account of its fancied resemblance to such an instrument. It more probably takes its name from an as yet unrecognized town or district in [[Naphtali]] (which bordered the Lake on the west side) referred to in &nbsp; Joshua 11:2; Jos 19:35 , &nbsp; 1 Kings 15:20 . By this name it is referred to in assigning the border of the [[Promised]] Land (&nbsp; Numbers 34:11 ), in stating the boundary of the trans-Jordanic tribes (&nbsp; Deuteronomy 3:12 , &nbsp; Joshua 13:27 ), and in enumerating the kings conquered by Joshua (&nbsp; Joshua 12:3 ). The Lake is referred to also by the name <em> Gennesar </em> in [[Josephus]] (always), and in 1Ma 11:67 [[(Av]] [Note: Authorized Version.] ). This name also is of uncertain origin; strong grounds exist for questioning its derivation as a corruption of the earlier appellation. In the [[Gospels]] it is referred to under a variety of names: besides such general terms as ‘the lake’ (&nbsp; Luke 8:22 etc.), or ‘the sea’ (&nbsp; John 6:16 ), we find <strong> Lake of Gennesaret </strong> (only in &nbsp; Luke 5:1 ), <strong> Sea of Tiberias </strong> (&nbsp; John 21:1 , and also as an explanatory or alternative name in &nbsp; John 6:1 ), but most frequently <em> Sea of Galilee </em> , which seems to have been the normal name. The modern name is <em> Bahr Tubarîya </em> , which is often rendered in English as ‘Lake of Tiberias,’ by which name the Sea is now frequently described (as in Baedeker’s <em> Syria and [[Palestine]] </em> ). </p> <p> <strong> 3. Importance in [[Nt]] Times </strong> . The Sea in the time of Christ was surrounded by a number of important cities, each of them the centre of a cultured population. Such were Tiberias, Bethsaida, Capernaum, Chorazin, Magdala, and others. The fishing industry was extensive, and where now but a few small boats are to be seen, there evidently were formerly large fleets of fishing vessels. The fishing trade of Galilee was of great importance, and was renowned throughout the world. Owing to the great height of the mountains surrounding the Lake, differences of temperature are produced which give rise to sudden and violent storms. Two such storms are mentioned in the Gospels one in &nbsp; Matthew 8:23 , &nbsp; Mark 4:36 , &nbsp; Luke 8:22 , the other in &nbsp; Matthew 14:22 , &nbsp; Mark 6:46 , &nbsp; John 6:16 . The repetition of the event within the narrow historical limits of the Gospels indicates that such tempests, then as now, were matters of frequent occurrence. </p> <p> [[R.]] [[A.]] [[S.]] Macalister. </p>
          
          
== Holman Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_43780" /> ==
== Easton's Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_31592" /> ==
[[Sea Of Galilee]][[Palestine]]
<li> (&nbsp;John 6:1; &nbsp;21:1 ) calls it the "sea of Tiberias" (q.v.). The modern Arabs retain this name, Bahr Tabariyeh. <p> This lake &nbsp;Isaiah 12 &nbsp; 1/2 miles long, and from 4 to 7 1/2 broad. Its surface &nbsp; Isaiah 682 feet below the level of the Mediterranean. Its depth is from 80 to 160 feet. The Jordan enters it 10 1/2 miles below the southern extremity of the [[Huleh]] Lake, or about 26 1/2 miles from its source. In this distance of 26 1/2 miles there is a fall in the river of 1,682 feet, or of more than 60 feet to the mile. It &nbsp; Isaiah 27 miles east of the Mediterranean, and about 60 miles north-east of Jerusalem. It is of an oval shape, and abounds in fish. </p> <p> Its present appearance is thus described: "The utter loneliness and absolute stillness of the scene are exceedingly impressive. It seems as if all nature had gone to rest, languishing under the scorching heat. How different it was in the days of our Lord! Then all was life and bustle along the shores; the cities and villages that thickly studded them resounded with the hum of a busy population; while from hill-side and corn-field came the cheerful cry of shepherd and ploughman. The lake, too, was dotted with dark fishing-boats and spangled with white sails. Now a mournful, solitary silence reigns over sea and shore. The cities are in ruins!" </p> <p> This sea is chiefly of interest as associated with the public ministry of our Lord. Capernaum, "his own city" (&nbsp; Matthew 9:1 ), stood on its shores. From among the fishermen who plied their calling on its waters he chose Peter and his brother Andrew, and James and John, to be disciples, and sent them forth to be "fishers of men" (&nbsp;Matthew 4:18,22; &nbsp;Mark 1:16-20; &nbsp;Luke 5 :: &nbsp;1-11 ). He stilled its tempest, saying to the storm that swept over it, "Peace, be still" (&nbsp;Matthew 8:23-27; &nbsp;Mark 7:31-35 ); and here also he showed himself after his resurrection to his disciples (&nbsp;John 21 ). </p> <p> "The Sea of Galilee is indeed the cradle of the gospel. The subterranean fires of nature prepared a lake basin, through which a river afterwards ran, keeping its waters always fresh. In this basin a vast quantity of shell-fish swarmed, and multiplied to such an extent that they formed the food of an extraordinary profusion of fish. The great variety and abundance of the fish in the lake attracted to its shores a larger and more varied population than existed elsewhere in Palestine, whereby this secluded district was brought into contact with all parts of the world. And this large and varied population, with access to all nations and countries, attracted the Lord Jesus, and induced him to make this spot the centre of his public ministry." </p> <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These dictionary topics are from [[M.G.]] Easton [[M.A.,]] [[D.D.,]] Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Galilee, Sea of'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/g/galilee-sea-of.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>
          
          
== Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_54042" /> ==
== Morrish Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_66256" /> ==
<p> <strong> [[Sea]] [[Of]] [[Galilee]] </strong> . See Galilee [Sea of]. </p>
<p> This was situate about the centre of the district of Galilee on the east. The Jordan enters it on the north, and leaves it on the south. Its waters are about 630 feet <i> below </i> the level of the Mediterranean, and its depth about 156 feet. Its length is about thirteen miles, and its widest part about eight miles. On the east of it was the country of the [[Gergesenes]] and the Gadarenes. [[Chorazin]] was on its north; Capernaum on its [[N.W.;]] then, coming southward, was Bethsaida of Galilee, with the plain of Gennesaret (or Chinnereth) near; then Magdala, [[Dalmanutha]] and Tiberias on the west. These places being near accounts for the sea being called the [[Lake]] [[Of]] [[Gennesaret]] and the [[Sea]] [[Of]] [[Tiberias]] and of [[Chinnereth.]] </p> <p> The Lord crossed the sea several times, and taught from a ship near the shore, and once He walked upon its waters. Storms often arise suddenly, as did the one when the Lord was asleep on a pillow. &nbsp;Mark 4:37-41; &nbsp;Luke 8:22-25 . </p>
       
== Holman Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_40367" /> ==
<p> In the Old Testament this sea is called Chinnereth. See &nbsp;Matthew 5:1 ); the [[Jewish]] historian Josephus always called it by that name, and so did the author of First Maccabees. Once John called it the “sea of Tiberias” (&nbsp;Matthew 6:1 ). </p> <p> In the first century the sea of Galilee was of major commercial significance. Most [[Galilean]] roads passed by it, and much travel to and from the east crossed the Jordan rift there. Fish was a major food in the area, and the fishing industry flourished because there was no other significant freshwater lake in the region. Capernaum, which played a major role in the ministry of Jesus, was a center of that industry. The other lake towns of importance were Bethsaida, which means “the fishing place”, and Tiberias, a [[Gentile]] city constructed by Herod [[Antipas]] when Jesus was a young man. </p> <p> [[Roger]] Crook </p>
       
== International Standard Bible Encyclopedia <ref name="term_4099" /> ==
<p> ( ἡ θάλασσα τῆς Γαλιλαίας , <i> ''''' hē thálassa tḗs Galilaı́as ''''' </i> ): </p> 1. The Name <p> This is the name 5 times given in the New Testament (&nbsp;Matthew 4:18; &nbsp;Matthew 15:29; &nbsp;Mark 1:16; &nbsp;Mark 7:31; &nbsp;John 6:1 ) to the sheet of water which is elsewhere called "the sea of Tiberias" (&nbsp;John 21:1; compare &nbsp;John 6:1 ); "the lake of Gennesaret" (&nbsp;Luke 5:1 ); "the sea" (&nbsp;John 6:16 , etc.), and "the lake" (&nbsp;Luke 5:1 , etc.). The Old Testament names were "sea of Chinnereth" (ים־כּנּרת , <i> '''''yam''''' </i> - <i> '''''kinnereth''''' </i> ̌ : &nbsp;Numbers 34:11; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 3:17; &nbsp;Joshua 13:27; &nbsp;Joshua 19:35 ), and "sea of Chinneroth" (ים־כּנרות , <i> '''''yam''''' </i> - <i> '''''kinerōth''''' </i> ̌ : &nbsp;Joshua 12:3; compare &nbsp;Joshua 11:2; &nbsp;1 Kings 15:20 ). In 1 Macc 11:67 the sea is called "the water of Gennesar" (the Revised Version (British and American) "Gennesareth"). It had begun to be named from the city so recently built on its western shore even in New Testament times (&nbsp;John 21:1; &nbsp;John 6:1 ); and by this name, slightly modified, it is known to this day - <i> '''''Baḥr Ṭabarı̄yeh''''' </i> . </p> 2. General Description <p> The sea lies in the deep trough of the Jordan valley, almost due East of the Bay of Acre. The surface &nbsp;Isaiah 680 ft. below the level of the Mediterranean. It varies in depth from 130 ft. to 148 ft., being deepest along the course of the Jordan (Barrois, <i> Pefs </i> , 1894,211-20). From the point where the Jordan enters in the North to its exit in the South is about 13 miles. The greatest breadth is in the North, from <i> ''''' el ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Mejdel ''''' </i> to the mouth of <i> ''''' Wādy Semak ''''' </i> being rather over 7 miles. It gradually narrows toward the South, taking the shape of a gigantic pear, with a decided bulge to the West. The water of the lake is clear and sweet. The natives use it for all purposes, esteeming it light and pleasant. They refuse to drink from the Jordan, alleging that "who drinks Jordan drinks fever." [[Seen]] from the mountains the broad sheet appears a beautiful blue; so that, in the season of greenery, it is no exaggeration to describe it as a sapphire in a setting of emerald. It lights up the landscape as the eye does the human face; and it is often spoken of as "the eye of Galilee." To one descending from Mt. Tabor and approaching the edge of the great hollow, on a bright spring day, when the land has already assumed its fairest garments, the view of the sea, as it breaks upon the vision in almost its whole extent, is one never to be forgotten. The mountains on the East and on the West rise to about 2,000 ft. The heights of Naphtali, piled up in the North, seem to culminate only in the snowy summit of Great Hermon. If the waters are still, the shining splendors of the mountain may be seen mirrored in the blue depths. Round the greater part of the lake there is a broad pebbly beach, with a sprinkling of small shells. On the sands along the shore from <i> ''''' el ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Mejdel ''''' </i> to <i> ''''' ‛Ain et ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Tı̄neh ''''' </i> these shells are so numerous as to cause a white glister in the sunlight. </p> <p> The main formation of the surrounding district is limestone. It is overlaid with lava; and here and there around the lake there are outcrops of basalt through the limestone. At <i> ''''' eṭ ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Tābgha ''''' </i> in the North, at <i> ''''' ‛Ain el Fulı̄yeh ''''' </i> , South of <i> ''''' el ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Mejdel ''''' </i> , and on the shore, about 2 miles South of modern Tiberias, there are strong hot springs. These things, together with the frequent, and sometimes terribly destructive, earthquakes, sufficiently attest the volcanic character of the region. The soil on the level parts around the sea is exceedingly fertile. See [[Gennesaret]] , Land Of . [[Naturally]] the temperature in the valley is higher than that of the uplands; and here wheat and barley are harvested about a month earlier. [[Frost]] is not quite unknown; but no one now alive remembers it to have done more than lay the most delicate fringe of ice around some of the stones on the shore. The fig and the vine are still cultivated with success. Where vegetable gardens are planted they yield plentifully. [[A]] few palms are still to be seen. The indigo plant is grown in the plain of Gennesaret. In their season the wild flowers lavish a wealth of lovely colors upon the surrounding slopes; while bright-blossoming oleanders fringe the shore. </p> <p> Coming westward from the point where the Jordan enters the lake, the mountains approach within a short distance of the sea. On the shore, fully 2 miles from the Jordan, are the ruins of <i> ''''' Tell Ḥūm ''''' </i> . See [[Capernaum]] . About 2 miles farther West are the hot springs of <i> ''''' eṭ ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Tabgha ''''' </i> . Here a shallow vale breaks northward, bounded on the West by <i> ''''' Tell ‛Areimeh ''''' </i> . This tell is crowned by an ancient [[Canaanite]] settlement. It throws out a rocky promontory into the sea, and beyond this are the ruins of <i> ''''' Khān Minyeh ''''' </i> , with <i> ''''' ‛Ain et ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Tı̄neh ''''' </i> close under the cliff. Important Roman remains have recently been discovered here. From this point the plain of Gennesaret ( <i> ''''' el ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Ghuweir ''''' </i> ) sweeps round to <i> ''''' el ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Mejdel ''''' </i> , a distance of about 4 miles. West of this village opens the tremendous gorge, <i> ''''' Wādy el Ḥamām ''''' </i> , with the famous robbers' fastnesses in its precipitous sides, and the ruins of [[Arbela]] on its southern lip. From the northern parts of the lake the [[Horns]] of <i> ''''' Ḥaṭṭı̄n ''''' </i> , the traditional Mount of Beatitudes, may be seen through the rocky jaws of the gorge. South of <i> ''''' el ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Mejdel ''''' </i> the mountains advance to the shore, and the path is cut in the face of the slope, bringing us to the hot spring, <i> ''''' ‛Ain el ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Fulı̄yeh ''''' </i> , where is a little valley, with gardens and orange grove. The road then crosses a second promontory, and proceeds along the base of the mountain to Tiberias. Here the mountains recede from the shore, leaving a crescent-shaped plain, largely covered with the ruins of the ancient city. The modern town stands at the northern corner of the plain; while at the southern end are the famous hot baths, the ancient Hammath. [[A]] narrow ribbon of plain between the mountain and the shore runs to the South end of the lake. There the Jordan, issuing from the sea, almost surrounds the mound on which are the ruins of <i> ''''' Kerak ''''' </i> , the Tarichea of Josephus [[Crossing]] the floor of the valley, past <i> ''''' Semakh ''''' </i> , which is now a station on the Haifa-Damascus railway, we find a similar strip of plain along the eastern shore. Nearly opposite Tiberias is the stronghold of <i> ''''' Ḳal‛at el Ḥoṣn ''''' </i> , possibly the ancient Hippos, with the village of <i> ''''' Fı̄ḳ ''''' </i> , the ancient Aphek, on the height to the East. To the North of this the waters of the sea almost touch the foot of the steep slope. [[A]] herd of swine running headlong down the mountain would here inevitably perish in the lake (&nbsp; Matthew 8:32 , etc.). Next, we reach the mouth of <i> '''''Wādy Semak''''' </i> , in which lie the ruins of <i> '''''Kurseh''''' </i> , probably representing the ancient Gerasa. [[Northward]] the plain widens into the marshy breadths of <i> '''''el''''' </i> - <i> '''''Baṭeiḥah''''' </i> , and once more we reach the Jordan, flowing smoothly through the fiat lands to the sea. </p> 3. Storms <p> The position of the lake makes it liable to sudden storms, the cool air from the uplands rushing down the gorges with great violence and tossing the waters in tumultuous billows. Such storms are fairly frequent, and as they are attended with danger to small craft, the boatmen are constantly on the alert. Save in very settled conditions they will not venture far from the shore. Occasionally, however, tempests break over the lake, in which a boat could hardly live. Only twice in over 5 years the present writer witnessed such a hurricane. Once it burst from the South. In a few moments the air was thick with mist, through which one could hear the roar of the tortured waters. In about ten minutes the wind fell as suddenly as it had risen. The air cleared, and the wide welter of foam-crested waves attested the fury of the blast. On the second occasion the wind blew from the East, and the phenomena described above were practically repeated. </p> 4. Fish <p> The sea contains many varieties of fish in great numbers. The fishing industry was evidently pursued to profit in the days of Christ. [[Zebedee]] was able to hire men to assist him (&nbsp;Mark 1:20 ). In recent years there has been a considerable revival of this industry. See [[Fishing]] . Four of the apostles, and these the chief, had been brought up as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Peter and Andrew, James and John. </p> <p> The towns around the lake named in [[Scripture]] are treated in separate articles. Some of these it is impossible to identify. Many are the ruins of great and splendid cities on slope and height of which almost nothing is known today. But from their mute testimony we gather that the lake in the valley which is now so quiet was once the center of a busy and prosperous population. We may assume that the cities named in the Gospels were mainly Jewish. Jesus would naturally avoid those in which Greek influences were strong. In most cases they have gone, leaving not even their names with any certainty behind; but His memory abides forever. The lake and mountains are, in main outline, such as His eyes beheld. This it is that lends its highest charm to "the eye of Galilee." </p> <p> The advent of the railway has stirred afresh the pulses of life in the valley. [[A]] steamer plies on the sea between the station at <i> ''''' Semakh ''''' </i> and Tiberias. [[Superior]] buildings are rising outside the ancient walls. [[Gardens]] and orchards are being planted. Modern methods of agriculture are being employed in the Jewish colonies, which are rapidly increasing in number. Slowly, perhaps, but surely, the old order is giving place to the new. If freedom and security be enjoyed in reasonable measure, the region will again display its long-hidden treasures of fertility and beauty. </p>
       
== Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature <ref name="term_41084" /> ==
<p> (ἡ θάλασσα ηῆς Γαλιλαίας '','' &nbsp;Matthew 4:18; &nbsp;Matthew 15:29; &nbsp;Mark 1:16; &nbsp;Mark 7:31; &nbsp;John 6:1), called also the ''Sea of Tiberias'' (&nbsp;John 6:1; &nbsp;John 21:1; hence its modern name ''Bahr el-Tubarigeh),'' the ''Lake (λίμνη) of Gennesaret'' (&nbsp;Luke 5:1), or emphatically ''the Sea (ἡ'' θάλασσα simply, &nbsp;Matthew 4:15); in the [[O.T.]] rarely alluded to (&nbsp;Numbers 34:11; &nbsp;Joshua 12:3; &nbsp;Joshua 13:27) as the ''Sea of Cinnereth'' or ''Cinneroth'' (q.v.). It is the second of the three lakes into which the Jordan flows (Tacitus, ''Hist.'' 5:6). This sheet of water is particularly described by Pliny and Josephus. The former says, "The Jordan discharges itself into a lake, by many writers known as Genesera, 16 miles long and 6 wide, which is skirted by the pleasant towns [[Julias]] and [[Hippo]] on the east, of Tarichene on the south (a name which is by many persons given to the lake itself), and of Tiberias on the west" (&nbsp;Joshua 5:15). Josephus refers to other features. " The Lake of [[Gennesareth]] derives its appellation from the adjacent district. It is 40 furlongs (five Roman miles) broad, by 140 (17l miles) long. Its waters are sweet, and extremely pleasant to drink, as they flow in a clearer stream than the muddy collections of marshes, anti they can be drawn free from impurities, beginning throughout confined by abrupt and sandy shores. They are of a muedium temperature, milder than those of the river or the fountain, yet uniformly colder than, might be expected from the expanse of the lake. The kinds of fish found here differ from those elsewhere met with" (War, 3:10, 7). Both these are so near the truth that they could scarcely have been mere estimates. Its extreme length is 124 geographical miles, and its breadth 6; equal to about 16 by 74 Roman miles. It is of an oval shape, or rather the form of an egg, with the large end to the north. The Sea of Galilee has none of those picturesque or sublime features for which the lakes of Italy and [[Switzerland]] are justly celebrated; it has not even the stern grandeur of the Dead Sea. The shores are singularly uniform. There are no hold cliffs jutting far out into deep water; there are no winding bays running away inland. The bed of the sea is like a huge basin. Along its eastern and western sides the banks rise steep, bare, and rugged, to the height of nearly 2000 feet; and their tops, especially those on the east, are as level as a wall. At the north and south ends, where the Jordan enters and passes out, there are wide openings, through which views are gained up and down the valley. Yet nature has not left this scene altogether destitute of ornament. The scenery is not quite so dreary, nor are the hues of the landscape so dead and sombre as Dr. Traill would have us imagine (Traill's Josephus, 2, page 106). True, when the sun is high and the sky cloudless, and when the pilgrim looks down from the top of the mountains, there is a dreariness in the landscape, and a uniformity of cold gray color, which wearies the eye; but let him go down to the shore and wait till the sun declines, and he will be enchanted with the deep ethereal blue of the smooth water, and the tints, "rose-colored, pearl-gray, and purple, blended together," and thrown in soft shades over the sides of the encircling hills. The pale blue cone of Hermon, with its glittering crown of snow, forms a glorious background (Van de Velde, 2:388; Robinson, 2:380 sq.; Stanley, Palestine, page 362; Porter, Handbook, page 418). </p> <p> Round the whole shore, with only one or two short interruptions, there is a broad strand of white pebbles, mixed with little shells. The Jordan enters at the extreme northern end of the lake, and leaves again at the southern. In fact, the bed of the lake is just a lower section of the great Jordan valley. The utter loneliness and absolute stillness of the scene are exceedingly impressive. It seems as if all nature had gone to rest, languishing under that scorching heat. How different it was in the days of our Lord! Then all was life and bustle along the shores; the cities and villages that thickly studded them resounded with the hum of a busy population, while from hill-side and cornfield come the cheerfully of shepherd and plowman. The lake, too, was dotted with dark fishing-boats, and spangled with white sails. Now, a mournful and solitary silence reigns alike over sea and shore. The cities are in ruins. Capernaum, Chorazin, the two (?) Bethsaidas, Hippo, Gamala, and Taricheae, are completely deserted. Tiberias and [[Magdala]] are the only inhabited spots; and for several miles inland in every direction the country looks waste and desolate. The inhabitants — merchants, fishermen, and peasants — are nearly all gone. The few that remain in the shattered houses of Tiberias, and the mud hovels of Magdala, and the black tents of the wandering Bedouin, seem worn and wasted by poverty and sickness. In 1858 the Sea of Galilee could just boast of one small boat, and it was so rotten and leaky as not to be seaworthy. The fish, however, are as abundant as ever; for though only little handnets are used, a considerable sum is paid to the government for the privilege of fishing (Burckhardt, Travis in Syria, page 332; Robinson, 2:386). It was observed by Hasselquist that some of the same species of fish are found in the Sea of Galilee as in the Nile (Travels, page 158); the same fact had been noted by Josephus (War, 3:10, 8). The kinds referred to are Cyprinus Benni, Silurus, Mormyrus, etc. (See Wilson's Lands of the Bible, 2:113; Robinson, 2:386). Two modes are now employed to catch the fish. One is a hand-net, with which a man, usually naked (&nbsp;John 21:7), stalks along the shore, and, watching his opportunity, throws it round the game with a jerk. The other mode is still more curious. Bread-crumbs are mixed up with bichlorid of mercury, and sown over the water; the fish swallow the poison and die. The dead bodies float, are picked up, and taken to the market of Tiberias! (Porter, ''Handbook,'' page 432.) The water of the lake is sweet, cool, and transparent; and as the beach is everywhere pebbly, it has a beautiful sparkling look. This fact is somewhat strange, when we consider that it is exposed to the powerful rays of the sun, that many warm and brackish springs flow into it, and that it is supplied by the Jordan which rushes into its northern end, a turbid, ruddy torrent. </p> <p> The most remarkable fact in the physical geography of the Sea of Galilee is its great depression. The results of barometrical observations have varied between 845 feet and 666 feet, but according to the trigonometrical survey of Lieut. Symonds, [[R.E.,]] in 1841, its depression is only 328 feet. In this [[Van]] de Velde thinks there must have been some mistake, and he adheres to the figures of Lieut. Lynch, which give 653 feet, as probably the most accurate (Memoir, pages 168, 181). This has a marked effect on the temperature, climate, and natural products. The heat is intense during the summer months. The harvest on the shore is nearly a month earlier than on the neighboring high lands of Galilee and Bashan. Frost is unknown, and snow very rarely falls. The trees, plants, and vegetables are those usually found in Egypt; such as the palm, the lote-tree (Zizyphus lotus), the indigo plant, etc. (Robinson, 2:388; Josephus, War, 3:10, 7 and 8). The surrounding hills are sometimes described as bare and barren, sometimes as green and fertile. In April the tops of the hills are gray and rocky, and destitute of vegetation. Lower down, the grass, which during the winter rains had flourished, is there withering in the sun (&nbsp;Matthew 13:6); but in the valleys and ravines, wherever any of the many fountains and streams gushed forth, there is verdure and cultivation (&nbsp;Matthew 13:8). Though the whole basin of the lake, and indeed the Jordan valley, is of volcanic origin, as evidenced by the thermal springs and the frequent earthquakes, yet the main formation of the surrounding wall of mountains is limestone. [[A]] large number of black stones and boulders of basaltic tufa are scattered along the slopes and upland plains, and dikes of basalt here and there burst through the limestone strata in the neighborhood of Tiberias and along the northern shore. Although the surface of the lake is usually very placid yet travelers (Thomson, Land and Book, 2:332; Hackett, Illustra. of Scripture, page 319) testify to the sudden fury of storms bursting down into this sunken basin through the ravined shore as in the days of our [[Savior]] (&nbsp;Luke 8:23; see Michaelis, ''De tempestate,'' etc. Hal. 1739; also ''De sensu spirituali tempestatis,'' etc., ib. eod.; Duthovius, ''Divinitas Chr. ex miraculo hoc demonstrata,'' in the ''Bibl. Brenz.'' 1:60-85; 2:484-7). (See [[Gennesareth]]); (See [[Sea]]) </p>
       
== The Nuttall Encyclopedia <ref name="term_73720" /> ==
<p> An expansion of the Jordan, 12½ m. long, and at the most 8 m. broad, enclosed by steep mountains, except on [[Nw.]] </p>
          
          
==References ==
==References ==
<references>
<references>


<ref name="term_57232"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/sea+of+galilee Sea Of Galilee from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref>
<ref name="term_35472"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/fausset-s-bible-dictionary/galilee,+sea+of Sea Of Galilee from Fausset's Bible Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_51170"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-bible/galilee,+sea+of Sea Of Galilee from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_31592"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/easton-s-bible-dictionary/galilee,+sea+of Sea Of Galilee from Easton's Bible Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_66256"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/morrish-bible-dictionary/galilee,+sea+of Sea Of Galilee from Morrish Bible Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_40367"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/holman-bible-dictionary/galilee,+sea+of Sea Of Galilee from Holman Bible Dictionary]</ref>
          
          
<ref name="term_19039"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/bridgeway-bible-dictionary/sea+of+galilee Sea Of Galilee from Bridgeway Bible Dictionary]</ref>
<ref name="term_4099"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/international-standard-bible-encyclopedia/galilee,+sea+of Sea Of Galilee from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]</ref>
          
          
<ref name="term_43780"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/holman-bible-dictionary/sea+of+galilee Sea Of Galilee from Holman Bible Dictionary]</ref>
<ref name="term_41084"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/cyclopedia-of-biblical-theological-and-ecclesiastical-literature/galilee,+sea+of Sea Of Galilee from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature]</ref>
          
          
<ref name="term_54042"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-bible/sea+of+galilee Sea Of Galilee from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible]</ref>
<ref name="term_73720"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/the-nuttall-encyclopedia/galilee,+sea+of Sea Of Galilee from The Nuttall Encyclopedia]</ref>
          
          
</references>
</references>

Revision as of 23:04, 12 October 2021

Fausset's Bible Dictionary [1]

( Matthew 4:18;  Mark 7:31;  John 6:1). So called from its washing the E. side of Galilee. In  Luke 5:1 "the sea of Gennesaret," called so from the fertile plain of Gennesurer at its N.W. angle, three and a half miles long by two and a half broad ( Matthew 14:34). In Old Testament "the sea of Chinnereth" or Cinneroth, from the town so named on its shore ( Joshua 19:35), of which Gennesaret is probably the corruption, though others derive it from gannah , a "garden," and Sarown , a plain between Tabor and the lake. "The sea of Tiberias" is another designation, from the city ( John 6:1). All its names were drawn from places on the western side. Now Bahr Tubariyeh (Tiberius, S.W. of the lake). Close to it was "His own city" Capernaum ( Matthew 4:13). Nine cities stood on the shores of the lake, of which only two are now inhabited, namely, Magdala, consisting of a few mud huts, and Tiberias, sadly changed from its ancient prosperity.

Silence now reigns where formerly the din of industry was heard. On its shore Jesus called His first disciples ( Matthew 4:18;  Matthew 9:9;  Luke 5:1-11;  John 1:43, etc.). The bed of the lake is but a lower section of the great Jordan valley. Its depression is 653 ft. below the level of the Mediterranean, according to Lt. Lynch. Its length is about 13 miles, its breadth is about five or six. The view from the Nazareth road to Tiberias is beautiful. The hills from the eastern side rise apparently out of the water with a uniform slope, to the height of 2,000 ft., destitute of verdure, and shut in the lake; while far to the N. is seen snowy Hermon. The eastern hills, which are flat along the summit, are the wall that supports the table land of Bashan; from which on the N. there is a gradual descent to the valley of the Jordan, and then a rise to a plateau skirting the mountains of upper Galilee.

The hills on the W., except at Khan Minyeh, where there is a small cliff, are recessed from the shore. On a western recess stands Tiberias. The whole basin betrays its volcanic origin, which also accounts for the warm spring at Tiberius The cliffs are hard porous basalt. The vegetation is tropical; the lotus thorn, palms, indigo, etc. The water is sweet, sparkling and transparent; the fish abundant as of old, many species being those of the Nile, the silurus, mugil, and sparers Galiloeus. Dr. Tristram says: "the shoals of fish Were marvelous, black masses of many hundred yards long, with the black fins projecting out of the water, as thickly as they could pack. There are the European loach, bethel, blenny and cyprinodont; the African chromis, hemichromis, and eellike clarias; and the Asiatic discognathus. The cyprinodonts are viviparous, and the sexual differences marked; they can live in cold water, or hot springs up to 90ø, fresh, brackish, or briny water.

This marks a former connection between these waters and those of N.E. and S.E. Africa, the Nile, the Zambesi, and the great lakes in the interior. The papyrus also, no longer found in the Nile, is found on the shores of the sea of Galilee. As Asia, Africa, and Europe respectively were represented at Christ's cross by the Jews, Simon of Cyrene, and the Romans respectively, so the Asiatic, African, and European fish in the sea of Galilee represent the various races of mankind gathered by the spiritual fishermen into the one gospel net. Only one little boat represents the fleets of fishing vessels that once covered the lake. The fish are now taken with a hand net jerked round the fish by the fisher, usually naked, along the shore ( John 21:7); or else crumbs of bread mixed with bichloride of mercury are scattered to poison the fish, and the floating dead bodies are picked up for the Tiberias market (Porter, Handbook, p. 432).

Sudden and violent storms agitate the waters, sweeping down the ravines and gorges converging to the head of the lake, from the vast naked plateau of the Jaulan and the Hauran and mount Hermon in the background. It was such a storm that Jesus stilled by a word, as He had a few hours before rebuked and cast out demons.  Mark 4:39, "Peace, be still," Greek "Be silent, be muzzled"; addressing the sea and warring elements as rebel forces; compare  Revelation 21:1.

The apostles were trying to reach Bethsaida on the western coast, when the gale from. the S.W. that brought vessels from Tiberias to the N.E. coast ( John 6:23) delayed the vessel of the former, until at the fourth watch Jesus came walking over the tempest tossed waves; then followed Peter's temporary walking through faith and sinking through unbelief in the same waters, and his rescue by Jesus; then they immediately reach their desired haven for which they had set out the evening before ( Matthew 14:28-29;  Matthew 14:33;  John 6:17;  John 6:21;  Mark 6:45).

So impressed were the disciples that "they worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God." Bethsaida Julias, the city of Andrew and Peter, lay on the E. bank of the Jordan where it enters the sea of Galilee on the N. Close by, and on the E. of the river and N.E. of the lake, stretched the "green grass" ( Mark 6:39) plain of Batihah, the scene of feeding the 5,000. Gergesa (now Kersa) lay E. of the lake. The Jordan's outlet is at Kerak, the S.W. extremity of the lake. The lake, mirroring heaven in its union of rest and energy, represents Him who best combined the calm repose which reflected His Father's image with energetic labors for God and man.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible [2]

Galilee, Sea Of

1. Situation , etc. The Sea of Galilee is an expansion of the Jordan, 13 miles long, about 8 miles in maximum breadth; its surface is 680 feet below that of the Mediterranean; its maximum depth is about 150 feet. In shape it is like a pear, the narrow end pointing southward. Like the Dead Sea, it is set deep among hills, which rise on the east side to a height of about 2000 feet. At the emergence of the Jordan, however, the Lake impinges on the plain of the Ghôr.

2. Names . The original name of the Sea seems to have been Chinnereth or Chinneroth , which a hazardous etymology connects with the Heb. kinnôr , ‘harp.’ The name is supposed to be given to the Sea on account of its fancied resemblance to such an instrument. It more probably takes its name from an as yet unrecognized town or district in Naphtali (which bordered the Lake on the west side) referred to in   Joshua 11:2; Jos 19:35 ,   1 Kings 15:20 . By this name it is referred to in assigning the border of the Promised Land (  Numbers 34:11 ), in stating the boundary of the trans-Jordanic tribes (  Deuteronomy 3:12 ,   Joshua 13:27 ), and in enumerating the kings conquered by Joshua (  Joshua 12:3 ). The Lake is referred to also by the name Gennesar in Josephus (always), and in 1Ma 11:67 (Av [Note: Authorized Version.] ). This name also is of uncertain origin; strong grounds exist for questioning its derivation as a corruption of the earlier appellation. In the Gospels it is referred to under a variety of names: besides such general terms as ‘the lake’ (  Luke 8:22 etc.), or ‘the sea’ (  John 6:16 ), we find Lake of Gennesaret (only in   Luke 5:1 ), Sea of Tiberias (  John 21:1 , and also as an explanatory or alternative name in   John 6:1 ), but most frequently Sea of Galilee , which seems to have been the normal name. The modern name is Bahr Tubarîya , which is often rendered in English as ‘Lake of Tiberias,’ by which name the Sea is now frequently described (as in Baedeker’s Syria and Palestine ).

3. Importance in Nt Times . The Sea in the time of Christ was surrounded by a number of important cities, each of them the centre of a cultured population. Such were Tiberias, Bethsaida, Capernaum, Chorazin, Magdala, and others. The fishing industry was extensive, and where now but a few small boats are to be seen, there evidently were formerly large fleets of fishing vessels. The fishing trade of Galilee was of great importance, and was renowned throughout the world. Owing to the great height of the mountains surrounding the Lake, differences of temperature are produced which give rise to sudden and violent storms. Two such storms are mentioned in the Gospels one in   Matthew 8:23 ,   Mark 4:36 ,   Luke 8:22 , the other in   Matthew 14:22 ,   Mark 6:46 ,   John 6:16 . The repetition of the event within the narrow historical limits of the Gospels indicates that such tempests, then as now, were matters of frequent occurrence.

R. A. S. Macalister.

Easton's Bible Dictionary [3]

  • ( John 6:1;  21:1 ) calls it the "sea of Tiberias" (q.v.). The modern Arabs retain this name, Bahr Tabariyeh.

    This lake  Isaiah 12   1/2 miles long, and from 4 to 7 1/2 broad. Its surface   Isaiah 682 feet below the level of the Mediterranean. Its depth is from 80 to 160 feet. The Jordan enters it 10 1/2 miles below the southern extremity of the Huleh Lake, or about 26 1/2 miles from its source. In this distance of 26 1/2 miles there is a fall in the river of 1,682 feet, or of more than 60 feet to the mile. It   Isaiah 27 miles east of the Mediterranean, and about 60 miles north-east of Jerusalem. It is of an oval shape, and abounds in fish.

    Its present appearance is thus described: "The utter loneliness and absolute stillness of the scene are exceedingly impressive. It seems as if all nature had gone to rest, languishing under the scorching heat. How different it was in the days of our Lord! Then all was life and bustle along the shores; the cities and villages that thickly studded them resounded with the hum of a busy population; while from hill-side and corn-field came the cheerful cry of shepherd and ploughman. The lake, too, was dotted with dark fishing-boats and spangled with white sails. Now a mournful, solitary silence reigns over sea and shore. The cities are in ruins!"

    This sea is chiefly of interest as associated with the public ministry of our Lord. Capernaum, "his own city" (  Matthew 9:1 ), stood on its shores. From among the fishermen who plied their calling on its waters he chose Peter and his brother Andrew, and James and John, to be disciples, and sent them forth to be "fishers of men" ( Matthew 4:18,22;  Mark 1:16-20;  Luke 5 ::  1-11 ). He stilled its tempest, saying to the storm that swept over it, "Peace, be still" ( Matthew 8:23-27;  Mark 7:31-35 ); and here also he showed himself after his resurrection to his disciples ( John 21 ).

    "The Sea of Galilee is indeed the cradle of the gospel. The subterranean fires of nature prepared a lake basin, through which a river afterwards ran, keeping its waters always fresh. In this basin a vast quantity of shell-fish swarmed, and multiplied to such an extent that they formed the food of an extraordinary profusion of fish. The great variety and abundance of the fish in the lake attracted to its shores a larger and more varied population than existed elsewhere in Palestine, whereby this secluded district was brought into contact with all parts of the world. And this large and varied population, with access to all nations and countries, attracted the Lord Jesus, and induced him to make this spot the centre of his public ministry."

    Copyright Statement These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.

    Bibliography Information Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Galilee, Sea of'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/g/galilee-sea-of.html. 1897.

    • Morrish Bible Dictionary [4]

    This was situate about the centre of the district of Galilee on the east. The Jordan enters it on the north, and leaves it on the south. Its waters are about 630 feet below the level of the Mediterranean, and its depth about 156 feet. Its length is about thirteen miles, and its widest part about eight miles. On the east of it was the country of the Gergesenes and the Gadarenes. Chorazin was on its north; Capernaum on its N.W.; then, coming southward, was Bethsaida of Galilee, with the plain of Gennesaret (or Chinnereth) near; then Magdala, Dalmanutha and Tiberias on the west. These places being near accounts for the sea being called the Lake Of Gennesaret and the Sea Of Tiberias and of Chinnereth.

    The Lord crossed the sea several times, and taught from a ship near the shore, and once He walked upon its waters. Storms often arise suddenly, as did the one when the Lord was asleep on a pillow.  Mark 4:37-41;  Luke 8:22-25 .

    Holman Bible Dictionary [5]

    In the Old Testament this sea is called Chinnereth. See  Matthew 5:1 ); the Jewish historian Josephus always called it by that name, and so did the author of First Maccabees. Once John called it the “sea of Tiberias” ( Matthew 6:1 ).

    In the first century the sea of Galilee was of major commercial significance. Most Galilean roads passed by it, and much travel to and from the east crossed the Jordan rift there. Fish was a major food in the area, and the fishing industry flourished because there was no other significant freshwater lake in the region. Capernaum, which played a major role in the ministry of Jesus, was a center of that industry. The other lake towns of importance were Bethsaida, which means “the fishing place”, and Tiberias, a Gentile city constructed by Herod Antipas when Jesus was a young man.

    Roger Crook

    International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [6]

    ( ἡ θάλασσα τῆς Γαλιλαίας , hē thálassa tḗs Galilaı́as ):

    1. The Name

    This is the name 5 times given in the New Testament ( Matthew 4:18;  Matthew 15:29;  Mark 1:16;  Mark 7:31;  John 6:1 ) to the sheet of water which is elsewhere called "the sea of Tiberias" ( John 21:1; compare  John 6:1 ); "the lake of Gennesaret" ( Luke 5:1 ); "the sea" ( John 6:16 , etc.), and "the lake" ( Luke 5:1 , etc.). The Old Testament names were "sea of Chinnereth" (ים־כּנּרת , yam - kinnereth ̌ :  Numbers 34:11;  Deuteronomy 3:17;  Joshua 13:27;  Joshua 19:35 ), and "sea of Chinneroth" (ים־כּנרות , yam - kinerōth ̌ :  Joshua 12:3; compare  Joshua 11:2;  1 Kings 15:20 ). In 1 Macc 11:67 the sea is called "the water of Gennesar" (the Revised Version (British and American) "Gennesareth"). It had begun to be named from the city so recently built on its western shore even in New Testament times ( John 21:1;  John 6:1 ); and by this name, slightly modified, it is known to this day - Baḥr Ṭabarı̄yeh .

    2. General Description

    The sea lies in the deep trough of the Jordan valley, almost due East of the Bay of Acre. The surface  Isaiah 680 ft. below the level of the Mediterranean. It varies in depth from 130 ft. to 148 ft., being deepest along the course of the Jordan (Barrois, Pefs , 1894,211-20). From the point where the Jordan enters in the North to its exit in the South is about 13 miles. The greatest breadth is in the North, from el - Mejdel to the mouth of Wādy Semak being rather over 7 miles. It gradually narrows toward the South, taking the shape of a gigantic pear, with a decided bulge to the West. The water of the lake is clear and sweet. The natives use it for all purposes, esteeming it light and pleasant. They refuse to drink from the Jordan, alleging that "who drinks Jordan drinks fever." Seen from the mountains the broad sheet appears a beautiful blue; so that, in the season of greenery, it is no exaggeration to describe it as a sapphire in a setting of emerald. It lights up the landscape as the eye does the human face; and it is often spoken of as "the eye of Galilee." To one descending from Mt. Tabor and approaching the edge of the great hollow, on a bright spring day, when the land has already assumed its fairest garments, the view of the sea, as it breaks upon the vision in almost its whole extent, is one never to be forgotten. The mountains on the East and on the West rise to about 2,000 ft. The heights of Naphtali, piled up in the North, seem to culminate only in the snowy summit of Great Hermon. If the waters are still, the shining splendors of the mountain may be seen mirrored in the blue depths. Round the greater part of the lake there is a broad pebbly beach, with a sprinkling of small shells. On the sands along the shore from el - Mejdel to ‛Ain et - Tı̄neh these shells are so numerous as to cause a white glister in the sunlight.

    The main formation of the surrounding district is limestone. It is overlaid with lava; and here and there around the lake there are outcrops of basalt through the limestone. At eṭ - Tābgha in the North, at ‛Ain el Fulı̄yeh , South of el - Mejdel , and on the shore, about 2 miles South of modern Tiberias, there are strong hot springs. These things, together with the frequent, and sometimes terribly destructive, earthquakes, sufficiently attest the volcanic character of the region. The soil on the level parts around the sea is exceedingly fertile. See Gennesaret , Land Of . Naturally the temperature in the valley is higher than that of the uplands; and here wheat and barley are harvested about a month earlier. Frost is not quite unknown; but no one now alive remembers it to have done more than lay the most delicate fringe of ice around some of the stones on the shore. The fig and the vine are still cultivated with success. Where vegetable gardens are planted they yield plentifully. A few palms are still to be seen. The indigo plant is grown in the plain of Gennesaret. In their season the wild flowers lavish a wealth of lovely colors upon the surrounding slopes; while bright-blossoming oleanders fringe the shore.

    Coming westward from the point where the Jordan enters the lake, the mountains approach within a short distance of the sea. On the shore, fully 2 miles from the Jordan, are the ruins of Tell Ḥūm . See Capernaum . About 2 miles farther West are the hot springs of eṭ - Tabgha . Here a shallow vale breaks northward, bounded on the West by Tell ‛Areimeh . This tell is crowned by an ancient Canaanite settlement. It throws out a rocky promontory into the sea, and beyond this are the ruins of Khān Minyeh , with ‛Ain et - Tı̄neh close under the cliff. Important Roman remains have recently been discovered here. From this point the plain of Gennesaret ( el - Ghuweir ) sweeps round to el - Mejdel , a distance of about 4 miles. West of this village opens the tremendous gorge, Wādy el Ḥamām , with the famous robbers' fastnesses in its precipitous sides, and the ruins of Arbela on its southern lip. From the northern parts of the lake the Horns of Ḥaṭṭı̄n , the traditional Mount of Beatitudes, may be seen through the rocky jaws of the gorge. South of el - Mejdel the mountains advance to the shore, and the path is cut in the face of the slope, bringing us to the hot spring, ‛Ain el - Fulı̄yeh , where is a little valley, with gardens and orange grove. The road then crosses a second promontory, and proceeds along the base of the mountain to Tiberias. Here the mountains recede from the shore, leaving a crescent-shaped plain, largely covered with the ruins of the ancient city. The modern town stands at the northern corner of the plain; while at the southern end are the famous hot baths, the ancient Hammath. A narrow ribbon of plain between the mountain and the shore runs to the South end of the lake. There the Jordan, issuing from the sea, almost surrounds the mound on which are the ruins of Kerak , the Tarichea of Josephus Crossing the floor of the valley, past Semakh , which is now a station on the Haifa-Damascus railway, we find a similar strip of plain along the eastern shore. Nearly opposite Tiberias is the stronghold of Ḳal‛at el Ḥoṣn , possibly the ancient Hippos, with the village of Fı̄ḳ , the ancient Aphek, on the height to the East. To the North of this the waters of the sea almost touch the foot of the steep slope. A herd of swine running headlong down the mountain would here inevitably perish in the lake (  Matthew 8:32 , etc.). Next, we reach the mouth of Wādy Semak , in which lie the ruins of Kurseh , probably representing the ancient Gerasa. Northward the plain widens into the marshy breadths of el - Baṭeiḥah , and once more we reach the Jordan, flowing smoothly through the fiat lands to the sea.

    3. Storms

    The position of the lake makes it liable to sudden storms, the cool air from the uplands rushing down the gorges with great violence and tossing the waters in tumultuous billows. Such storms are fairly frequent, and as they are attended with danger to small craft, the boatmen are constantly on the alert. Save in very settled conditions they will not venture far from the shore. Occasionally, however, tempests break over the lake, in which a boat could hardly live. Only twice in over 5 years the present writer witnessed such a hurricane. Once it burst from the South. In a few moments the air was thick with mist, through which one could hear the roar of the tortured waters. In about ten minutes the wind fell as suddenly as it had risen. The air cleared, and the wide welter of foam-crested waves attested the fury of the blast. On the second occasion the wind blew from the East, and the phenomena described above were practically repeated.

    4. Fish

    The sea contains many varieties of fish in great numbers. The fishing industry was evidently pursued to profit in the days of Christ. Zebedee was able to hire men to assist him ( Mark 1:20 ). In recent years there has been a considerable revival of this industry. See Fishing . Four of the apostles, and these the chief, had been brought up as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Peter and Andrew, James and John.

    The towns around the lake named in Scripture are treated in separate articles. Some of these it is impossible to identify. Many are the ruins of great and splendid cities on slope and height of which almost nothing is known today. But from their mute testimony we gather that the lake in the valley which is now so quiet was once the center of a busy and prosperous population. We may assume that the cities named in the Gospels were mainly Jewish. Jesus would naturally avoid those in which Greek influences were strong. In most cases they have gone, leaving not even their names with any certainty behind; but His memory abides forever. The lake and mountains are, in main outline, such as His eyes beheld. This it is that lends its highest charm to "the eye of Galilee."

    The advent of the railway has stirred afresh the pulses of life in the valley. A steamer plies on the sea between the station at Semakh and Tiberias. Superior buildings are rising outside the ancient walls. Gardens and orchards are being planted. Modern methods of agriculture are being employed in the Jewish colonies, which are rapidly increasing in number. Slowly, perhaps, but surely, the old order is giving place to the new. If freedom and security be enjoyed in reasonable measure, the region will again display its long-hidden treasures of fertility and beauty.

    Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature [7]

    (ἡ θάλασσα ηῆς Γαλιλαίας ,  Matthew 4:18;  Matthew 15:29;  Mark 1:16;  Mark 7:31;  John 6:1), called also the Sea of Tiberias ( John 6:1;  John 21:1; hence its modern name Bahr el-Tubarigeh), the Lake (λίμνη) of Gennesaret ( Luke 5:1), or emphatically the Sea (ἡ θάλασσα simply,  Matthew 4:15); in the O.T. rarely alluded to ( Numbers 34:11;  Joshua 12:3;  Joshua 13:27) as the Sea of Cinnereth or Cinneroth (q.v.). It is the second of the three lakes into which the Jordan flows (Tacitus, Hist. 5:6). This sheet of water is particularly described by Pliny and Josephus. The former says, "The Jordan discharges itself into a lake, by many writers known as Genesera, 16 miles long and 6 wide, which is skirted by the pleasant towns Julias and Hippo on the east, of Tarichene on the south (a name which is by many persons given to the lake itself), and of Tiberias on the west" ( Joshua 5:15). Josephus refers to other features. " The Lake of Gennesareth derives its appellation from the adjacent district. It is 40 furlongs (five Roman miles) broad, by 140 (17l miles) long. Its waters are sweet, and extremely pleasant to drink, as they flow in a clearer stream than the muddy collections of marshes, anti they can be drawn free from impurities, beginning throughout confined by abrupt and sandy shores. They are of a muedium temperature, milder than those of the river or the fountain, yet uniformly colder than, might be expected from the expanse of the lake. The kinds of fish found here differ from those elsewhere met with" (War, 3:10, 7). Both these are so near the truth that they could scarcely have been mere estimates. Its extreme length is 124 geographical miles, and its breadth 6; equal to about 16 by 74 Roman miles. It is of an oval shape, or rather the form of an egg, with the large end to the north. The Sea of Galilee has none of those picturesque or sublime features for which the lakes of Italy and Switzerland are justly celebrated; it has not even the stern grandeur of the Dead Sea. The shores are singularly uniform. There are no hold cliffs jutting far out into deep water; there are no winding bays running away inland. The bed of the sea is like a huge basin. Along its eastern and western sides the banks rise steep, bare, and rugged, to the height of nearly 2000 feet; and their tops, especially those on the east, are as level as a wall. At the north and south ends, where the Jordan enters and passes out, there are wide openings, through which views are gained up and down the valley. Yet nature has not left this scene altogether destitute of ornament. The scenery is not quite so dreary, nor are the hues of the landscape so dead and sombre as Dr. Traill would have us imagine (Traill's Josephus, 2, page 106). True, when the sun is high and the sky cloudless, and when the pilgrim looks down from the top of the mountains, there is a dreariness in the landscape, and a uniformity of cold gray color, which wearies the eye; but let him go down to the shore and wait till the sun declines, and he will be enchanted with the deep ethereal blue of the smooth water, and the tints, "rose-colored, pearl-gray, and purple, blended together," and thrown in soft shades over the sides of the encircling hills. The pale blue cone of Hermon, with its glittering crown of snow, forms a glorious background (Van de Velde, 2:388; Robinson, 2:380 sq.; Stanley, Palestine, page 362; Porter, Handbook, page 418).

    Round the whole shore, with only one or two short interruptions, there is a broad strand of white pebbles, mixed with little shells. The Jordan enters at the extreme northern end of the lake, and leaves again at the southern. In fact, the bed of the lake is just a lower section of the great Jordan valley. The utter loneliness and absolute stillness of the scene are exceedingly impressive. It seems as if all nature had gone to rest, languishing under that scorching heat. How different it was in the days of our Lord! Then all was life and bustle along the shores; the cities and villages that thickly studded them resounded with the hum of a busy population, while from hill-side and cornfield come the cheerfully of shepherd and plowman. The lake, too, was dotted with dark fishing-boats, and spangled with white sails. Now, a mournful and solitary silence reigns alike over sea and shore. The cities are in ruins. Capernaum, Chorazin, the two (?) Bethsaidas, Hippo, Gamala, and Taricheae, are completely deserted. Tiberias and Magdala are the only inhabited spots; and for several miles inland in every direction the country looks waste and desolate. The inhabitants — merchants, fishermen, and peasants — are nearly all gone. The few that remain in the shattered houses of Tiberias, and the mud hovels of Magdala, and the black tents of the wandering Bedouin, seem worn and wasted by poverty and sickness. In 1858 the Sea of Galilee could just boast of one small boat, and it was so rotten and leaky as not to be seaworthy. The fish, however, are as abundant as ever; for though only little handnets are used, a considerable sum is paid to the government for the privilege of fishing (Burckhardt, Travis in Syria, page 332; Robinson, 2:386). It was observed by Hasselquist that some of the same species of fish are found in the Sea of Galilee as in the Nile (Travels, page 158); the same fact had been noted by Josephus (War, 3:10, 8). The kinds referred to are Cyprinus Benni, Silurus, Mormyrus, etc. (See Wilson's Lands of the Bible, 2:113; Robinson, 2:386). Two modes are now employed to catch the fish. One is a hand-net, with which a man, usually naked ( John 21:7), stalks along the shore, and, watching his opportunity, throws it round the game with a jerk. The other mode is still more curious. Bread-crumbs are mixed up with bichlorid of mercury, and sown over the water; the fish swallow the poison and die. The dead bodies float, are picked up, and taken to the market of Tiberias! (Porter, Handbook, page 432.) The water of the lake is sweet, cool, and transparent; and as the beach is everywhere pebbly, it has a beautiful sparkling look. This fact is somewhat strange, when we consider that it is exposed to the powerful rays of the sun, that many warm and brackish springs flow into it, and that it is supplied by the Jordan which rushes into its northern end, a turbid, ruddy torrent.

    The most remarkable fact in the physical geography of the Sea of Galilee is its great depression. The results of barometrical observations have varied between 845 feet and 666 feet, but according to the trigonometrical survey of Lieut. Symonds, R.E., in 1841, its depression is only 328 feet. In this Van de Velde thinks there must have been some mistake, and he adheres to the figures of Lieut. Lynch, which give 653 feet, as probably the most accurate (Memoir, pages 168, 181). This has a marked effect on the temperature, climate, and natural products. The heat is intense during the summer months. The harvest on the shore is nearly a month earlier than on the neighboring high lands of Galilee and Bashan. Frost is unknown, and snow very rarely falls. The trees, plants, and vegetables are those usually found in Egypt; such as the palm, the lote-tree (Zizyphus lotus), the indigo plant, etc. (Robinson, 2:388; Josephus, War, 3:10, 7 and 8). The surrounding hills are sometimes described as bare and barren, sometimes as green and fertile. In April the tops of the hills are gray and rocky, and destitute of vegetation. Lower down, the grass, which during the winter rains had flourished, is there withering in the sun ( Matthew 13:6); but in the valleys and ravines, wherever any of the many fountains and streams gushed forth, there is verdure and cultivation ( Matthew 13:8). Though the whole basin of the lake, and indeed the Jordan valley, is of volcanic origin, as evidenced by the thermal springs and the frequent earthquakes, yet the main formation of the surrounding wall of mountains is limestone. A large number of black stones and boulders of basaltic tufa are scattered along the slopes and upland plains, and dikes of basalt here and there burst through the limestone strata in the neighborhood of Tiberias and along the northern shore. Although the surface of the lake is usually very placid yet travelers (Thomson, Land and Book, 2:332; Hackett, Illustra. of Scripture, page 319) testify to the sudden fury of storms bursting down into this sunken basin through the ravined shore as in the days of our Savior ( Luke 8:23; see Michaelis, De tempestate, etc. Hal. 1739; also De sensu spirituali tempestatis, etc., ib. eod.; Duthovius, Divinitas Chr. ex miraculo hoc demonstrata, in the Bibl. Brenz. 1:60-85; 2:484-7). (See Gennesareth); (See Sea)

    The Nuttall Encyclopedia [8]

    An expansion of the Jordan, 12½ m. long, and at the most 8 m. broad, enclosed by steep mountains, except on Nw.

    References

    1. ↑ Sea Of Galilee from Fausset's Bible Dictionary
    2. ↑ Sea Of Galilee from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
    3. ↑ Sea Of Galilee from Easton's Bible Dictionary
    4. ↑ Sea Of Galilee from Morrish Bible Dictionary
    5. ↑ Sea Of Galilee from Holman Bible Dictionary
    6. ↑ Sea Of Galilee from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
    7. ↑ Sea Of Galilee from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
    8. ↑ Sea Of Galilee from The Nuttall Encyclopedia
    Retrieved from "http://wiki.bibleportal.com/index.php?title=Sea_Of_Galilee&oldid=216338"