On November 14th, 2009, I wrote about Exodus 20, in which a discrepancy of sorts exists concerning two mountains in what is now Israel, Gerizim and Hebal (or Ebal). Those two mountains appear again in Deuteronomy 27. The point of contention concerns which mountain God commanded His Law, written on stones, to be placed on. Traditionally the mountain called for is Hebal, but according to the Samaritans, and many Biblical scholars, originally it was Gerizim that had the distinction but the Jews replaced it with Hebal because of their dislike of the Samaritans (and Gerizim being a holy site for the latter people). The whole thing can get quite convoluted. It appears either way that the pride of man has been at work here, trying to doctor the Word. It's a trivial issue, in that the Law is more important than where it is placed, and furthermore the Law would eventually be fulfilled and the New Covenant would assume supremacy, and this new Law doesn't require a physical location, for it is universal, for all men. A couple of interesting things, though, from reading Deuteronomy 27, were learning that the names Gerizim and Hebal designate
fruitfulness and
sterility, respectively (though this also may be contested, depending on whose side you're on). And that the tribes were told to split in two, half going to the top of Mt. Gerizim and half to the top of Mt. Ebal, where they were to shout blessings and curses. It was a very interesting passage and quite grand in scope. One thing's for sure, reading from the Bible sure hones one's knowledge of eastern Mediterranean geography!
