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[HUR mon] (sacred mountain)-- the northern boundary of the land east of the Jordan River that Israel took from the Amorites <Deut. 3:8; Josh. 12:1>. The mountain is the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon range and is about 32 kilometers (20 miles) long. It has three peaks <Ps. 42:6>, two of which rise over 2,750 meters (9,000 feet) above sea level.
Hermon was regarded as a sacred place by the Canaanites who inhabited the land before the Israelites <Judg. 3:3>. Snow covers the mountain during most of the year. Patches of snow remain even through the summer in shaded ravines. The beautiful snow-covered peaks of Mount Hermon can be seen from the region of the Dead Sea, over 196 kilometers (120 miles) distant. The glaciers ot Mount Hermon are the major source of the Jordan River, and water from its slopes ultimately flows into the Dead Sea.
The psalmist speaks of the "dew of Hermon" <Ps. 133:3>. The snow condenses to vapor during the summer, so that a heavy dew descends on the mountain while the areas surrounding Hermon are parched.
Mount Hermon probably was the site of our Lord's transfiguration <Matt. 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-37>. Jesus traveled with His disciples from Bethsaida, on the Sea of Galilee, to the area of Caesarea Philippi to the north and from there to a "high mountain." There, in the presence of His disciples, Jesus was transfigured. A late tradition identifies the "high mountain" as Mount Tabor, but Mount Hermon is nearer Caesarea Philippi.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
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