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"Mount Nebo"

Madaba, Near The Northern End of The Dead Sea,

Jordan

Friday, ‎December ‎27, ‎2013

Seventh Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"Mount Nebo"

Madaba, Jordan

Near to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

God commanded Moses to go to Egypt and deliver his fellow Hebrews from bondage. On the way, Moses was nearly killed by God because his son was not circumcised. He was met on the way by his elder brother, Aaron, and gained a hearing with his oppressed kindred after they returned to Egypt, who believed Moses and Aaron after they saw the signs that were performed in the midst of the Israelite assembly.

Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him that the Lord God of Israel wanted Pharaoh to permit the Israelites to celebrate a feast in the wilderness. Moses had difficulties with speech, and because of this, his brother would often do the talking for him. 

Moses holding up his arms during the Battle of Rephidim, assisted by Hur and Aaron, in John Everett Millais' Victory O Lord:

The Israelites had come from the wilderness of Sin. At Rephidim, the Israelites found no water to drink, and in their distress they blamed Moses for their troubles, to the point where Moses feared that they would stone him (Exodus 17:4). God commanded Moses to speak to a certain "rock in Horeb," which would cause a stream to flow from it, thus providing ample water for all of the people and animals (Numbers 20:8). Moses spoke to the people with whom he had become angry, "Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?" (Numbers 20:10) Moses spoke to the people instead of the rock, which would have sanctified God. God had also instructed Moses to strike the rock (Exodus 17:6) Because of his failure to sanctify God, and for striking the rock twice, God punished Moses by not letting him enter into the promised land (Numbers 20:12)

Stone stela, Laid by Pope John Paul II at His visit, as Moses memorial at the entrance of the site in Mount Nebo, Madaba, Jordan:

Pharaoh replied that he did not know their God and would not permit them to go. They gained a second hearing with Pharaoh and changed Moses' rod into a serpent, but Pharaoh's magicians did the same with their rods. Moses and Aaron met Pharaoh at the Nile riverbank, and Moses had Aaron turn the river to blood, but Pharaoh's magicians could do the same.

Guide explaining to the believers at the Stone stela, Laid by Pope John Paul II at His visit in 2000, as Moses memorial at the entrance of the site in Mount Nebo, Madaba, Jordan:

Moses obtained a fourth meeting, and had Aaron bring frogs from the Nile to overrun Egypt, but Pharaoh's magicians were able to do the same thing. Pharaoh asked Moses to remove the frogs and promised to let the Israelites go observe their feast in the wilderness in return. Pharaoh decided against letting the Israelites leave to observe the feast.

Guide explaining to the believers at the Stone stela, Laid by Pope John Paul II at His visit in 2000, as Moses memorial at the entrance of the site in Mount Nebo, Madaba, Jordan:

Eventually Pharaoh let the Hebrews depart after Moses' God sent ten plagues upon the Egyptians. The third and fourth were the plague of gnats and flies. The fifth was diseases on the Egyptians' cattle, oxen, goats, sheep, camels, and horses. The sixth was boils on the skins of Egyptians. Seventh, fiery hail and thunder. The eighth plague was locusts. The ninth plague was total darkness. 

Stone stela, Laid by Pope John Paul II at His visit, as Moses memorial at the entrance of the site in Mount Nebo, Madaba, Jordan:

The tenth plague was the slaying of the Egyptian male first-born children, whereupon such terror seized the Egyptians that they ordered the Hebrews to leave. The events are commemorated as Passover, referring to how the plague "passed over" the houses of the Israelites while smiting the Egyptians.

View from Mount Nebo Siyagha (mountain summits), Mount Nebo, Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

The crossing of the Red Sea: Moses then led his people eastward, beginning the long journey to Canaan. The procession moved slowly, and found it necessary to encamp three times before passing the Egyptian frontier — some believe at the Great Bitter Lake, while others propose sites as far south as the northern tip of the Red Sea. Meanwhile, Pharaoh had a change of heart, and was in pursuit of them with a large army.

View from Mount Nebo Siyagha (mountain summits), Mount Nebo, Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

Moses then led his people eastward, beginning the long journey to Canaan. The procession moved slowly, and found it necessary to encamp three times before passing the Egyptian frontier — some believe at the Great Bitter Lake, while others propose sites as far south as the northern tip of the Red Sea. Meanwhile, Pharaoh had a change of heart, and was in pursuit of them with a large army.

View from Mount Nebo Siyagha (mountain summits), Mount Nebo, Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

Shut in between this army and the sea, the Israelites despaired, but Exodus records that God divided the waters so that they passed safely across on dry ground. There is some contention about this passage, since an earlier incorrect translation of Yam Suph to Red Sea was later found to have meant Reed Sea. When the Egyptian army attempted to follow, God permitted the waters to return upon them and drown them.

New Cathedral construction on Mount Nebo, Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

The people then continued to Marsa marching for three days along the wilderness of the Shur without finding water. Then they came to Elim where twelve water springs and 70 Palm trees greeted them. From Elim they set out again and after 45 days they reached the wilderness of Sin between Elim and Sinai.

From there they reached the plain of Rephidim, completing the crossing of the Red Sea.

Old Cathedral, on Mount Nebo, Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

Mount Sinai and the Ten Commandments

According to the Bible, after crossing the Red Sea and leading the Israelites towards the desert, Moses was summoned by God to Mount Sinai, also referred to as Mount Horeb, the same place where Moses had first talked to the Burning Bush, tended the flocks of Jethro his father-in-law, and later produced water by striking the rock with his staff and directed the battle with the Amalekites.

Moses stayed on the mountain for 40 days and nights, a period in which he received the Ten Commandments directly from God. 

The serpentine cross sculpture, the Brazen Serpent Monument, atop Mount Nebo was created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni, Mt Nebo, Jordan:

Moses then descended from the mountain with intent to deliver the commandments to the people, but upon his arrival he saw that the people were involved in the sin of the Golden Calf. In terrible anger, Moses broke the commandment tablets and ordered his own tribe (the Levites) to go through the camp and kill everyone, including family and friends, upon which the Levites killed about 3,000 people, some of whom were children. 

The serpentine cross sculpture, the Brazen Serpent Monument, atop Mount Nebo was created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni, Mt Nebo, Jordan:

God later commanded Moses to inscribe two other tablets, to replace the ones Moses smashed, so Moses went to the mountain again, for another period of 40 days and nights, and when he returned, the commandments were finally given.

In Jewish tradition, Moses is referred to as "The Lawgiver" for this singular achievement of delivering the Ten Commandments.

A GUIDE LINE to the Promised Land from Mount Nebo which is God shown to Moses, Mt Nebo, Jordan:

The years in the wilderness

When the people arrived at Marah, the water was bitter, causing the people to murmur against Moses. Moses cast a tree into the water, and the water became sweet. Later in the journey the people began running low on supplies and again murmured against Moses and Aaron and said they would have preferred to die in Egypt, but God's provision of manna from the sky in the morning and quail in the evening took care of the situation.

A view to the Promise Land from Mount Nebo which is God shown to Moses, Mt Nebo, Jordan:

When the people camped in Rephidim, there was no water, so the people complained again and said, "Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?" Moses struck a rock with his staff, and water came forth.

Amalekites arrived and attacked the Israelites. In response, Moses bade Joshua lead the men to fight while he stood on a hill with the rod of God in his hand. As long as Moses held the rod up, Israel dominated the fighting, but if Moses let down his hands, the tide of the battle turned in favor of the Amalekites. Because Moses was getting tired, Aaron and Hur had Moses sit on a rock. Aaron held up one arm, Hur held up the other arm, and the Israelites routed the Amalekites.

A view to the Promise Land from Mount Nebo which is God shown to Moses, Mt Nebo, Jordan:

Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came to see Moses and brought Moses' wife and two sons with him. After Moses had told Jethro how the Israelites had escaped Egypt, Jethro went to offer sacrifices to the Lord, and then ate bread with the elders. The next day Jethro observed how Moses sat from morning to night giving judgment for the people. Jethro suggested that Moses appoint judges for lesser matters, a suggestion Moses heeded.

Moses, sculpture - Michelangelo:

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"Mount Nebo"

Madaba, Near The Northern End of The Dead Sea,

Jordan

Friday, ‎December ‎27, ‎2013

Seventh Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"Mount Nebo"

Madaba, Jordan

The Promised Land is the land promised or given by God, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), to the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob. The promise is first made to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21) and then renewed to his son Isaac, and to Isaac's son Jacob (Genesis 28:13), Abraham's grandson. The Promised Land was described in terms of the territory from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates river (Exodus 23:31) and was given to their descendants after Moses led the Exodus out of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 1:8)

The term should not be confused with the expression "Land of Israel" which is first used in 1 Samuel 13:19, when the Israelite tribes were already in the Land of Canaan.

On the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

Mount Nebo is an elevated ridge in Jordan, approximately 817 meters (2680 feet) above sea level, mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land that he would never enter. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north, a more limited one of the valley of the River Jordan. The West Bank city of Jericho is usually visible from the summit, as is Jerusalem on a very clear day.

According to the final chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses ascended Mount Nebo to view the Land of Israel: And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho.

On the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

According to Christian tradition, Moses was buried on the mountain, although his place of burial is not specified. Some Islamic traditions also stated the same, although there is a grave of Moses located at Maqam El-Nabi Musa which lies 11 km (6.8 mi) south of Jericho and 20 km (12 mi) east of Jerusalem in the Judean wilderness. Scholars continue to dispute whether the mountain currently known as Nebo is the same as the mountain referred to in the Torah.

According to the 2 Maccabees 2:4–7, the Prophet Jeremiah hid the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant in a cave there.

On the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

On March 20, 2000, Pope John Paul II visited the site during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. During his visit he planted an olive tree beside the Byzantine chapel as a symbol of peace.

Pope Benedict XVI visited the site on May 9, 2009, gave a speech, and looked out from the top of the mountain in the direction of Jerusalem.

The serpentine cross sculpture (the Brazen Serpent Monument) atop Mount Nebo was created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni. It is symbolic of the bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4–9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified (John 3:14).

On the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, a former Egyptian prince later turned prophet, religious leader and lawgiver, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed. Also called Moshe Rabbenu in Hebrew, he is the most important prophet in Judaism. He is also an important prophet in Christianity and Islam, as well as a number of other faiths.

The existence of Moses as well as the veracity of the Exodus story are disputed among archaeologists and Egyptologists, with experts in the field of biblical criticism citing logical inconsistencies, new archaeological evidence, historical evidence, and related origin myths in Canaanite culture. Other historians maintain that the biographical details and Egyptian background attributed to Moses imply the existence of a historical political and religious leader who was involved in the consolidation of the Hebrew tribes in Canaan towards the end of the Bronze Age.

On the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

According to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born in a time when his people, the Children of Israel, were increasing in numbers and the Egyptian Pharaoh was worried that they might ally with Egypt's enemies. Moses' Hebrew mother, Jochebed, secretly hid him when the Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed upon the circulating prophecy among Egyptian priests of a messianic deliverer among the Hebrew slaves. Through the Pharaoh's sister Queen Bithia, the child was adopted as a foundling from the Nile River and grew up with the Egyptian royal family. After killing an Egyptian slave master, Moses fled across the Red Sea to Midian, where he encountered the God of Israel in the form of a "burning bush".

God sent Moses back to Egypt to demand the release of the Israelites from slavery. After the Ten Plagues, Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. After 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses died within sight of the Promised Land.

Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BC. Jerome gives 1592 BCE, and Ussher 1619 BCE as his birth year.

On the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

Name

The biblical text explains the name Mošeh as a derivation of the root mšh "to draw", in Exodus 2:10:

"she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water." (KJV).

On the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

The name is thus suggested to relate to drawing out in a passive sense, "the one who was drawn out". Those who depart from this tradition derive the name from the same root but in an active sense, "he who draws out", in the sense of "saviour, deliverer". The form of the name as recorded in the Masoretic text is indeed the expected form of the Biblical Hebrew active participle. 

Josephus argued for an Egyptian etymology, and some scholarly suggestions have followed this in deriving the name from Coptic terms mo "water" and `uses "save, deliver", suggesting a meaning "saved from the water".

Another suggestion has connected the name with the Egyptian ms, as found in Tuth-mose and Ra-messes, meaning "born" or "child”.

On the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. According to the Book of Exodus, Moses was a son of Amram, a member of the Levite tribe of Israel descended from Jacob, and his wife, Jochebed. Jochebed (also Yocheved) was kin to Amram's father Kehath (Exodus 6:20). Moses had one older (by seven years) sister, Miriam, and one older (by three years) brother, Aaron. According to Genesis 46:11, Amram's father Kehath immigrated to Egypt with 70 of Jacob's household, making Moses part of the second generation of Israelites born during their time in Egypt

On the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

In the Exodus account, the birth of Moses occurred at a time when an unnamed Egyptian Pharaoh had commanded that all male Hebrew children born be killed by drowning in the river Nile. Jochebed, the wife of the Levite Amram, bore a son and kept him concealed for three months. When she could keep him hidden no longer, rather than deliver him to be killed, she set him in a marsh on the Nile River in a small craft of bulrushes coated in pitch.

The Mount Nebo from the street, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

Moses' sister Miriam observed the tiny boat until the Pharaoh's daughter (Bithiah, Thermuthis) came to bathe with her handmaidens. It is said that she spotted the baby in the basket and had her handmaiden fetch it for her. Miriam came forward and asked Pharaoh's daughter whether she would like a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby.

Thereafter, Jochebed was employed as the child's nurse. Moses grew up and was brought to Pharaoh's daughter and became her son and a younger brother to the future Pharaoh of Egypt. Moses would not be able to become Pharaoh because he was not the 'blood' son of Bithiah, and he was the youngest.

Out side the Hotel after lunch, on the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

After Moses had reached adulthood, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. Moses killed the Egyptian and buried his body in the sand. Moses soon discovered that the affair was known, and that Pharaoh was likely to put him to death for it. Moses then fled from Egypt across the Sinai Peninsula

Out side the Hotel after lunch, on the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

In Midian he stopped at a well where he protected seven shepherdesses from a band of rude shepherds. The shepherdesses' father Hobab adopted him as his son. Hobab gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage, and made him the superintendent of his herds.

Out side the Hotel after lunch, on the way to Mount Nebo, located ten km NW of Madaba, near the northern end of the Dead Sea, Jordan:

Moses lived in Midian for forty years as a shepherd, during which time his son Gershom was born One day, Moses led his flock to Mount Horeb (Exodus 3), usually identified with Mount Sinai — a mountain that was thought in the Middle Ages to be located on the Sinai Peninsula. There he saw a bush that burned, but was not consumed. When Moses came to look more closely, God spoke to him from the bush, revealing his name to Moses.

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"Nazareth"

North District of Israel

Friday, ‎December ‎27, ‎2013

Seventh Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"Nazareth"

North District of Israel


Mount Precipice, Nazareth:

Nazareth was a small and insignificant village during the period of Jesus. While the site was settled during the period 600-900 BCE, it was too small to be included in the list of settlements of the tribe of Zebulon (Joshua 19:10-16), which mentions twelve towns and six villages.

The Salesian Church, Nazareth:

Nazareth is not included among the 45 cities of the Galilee that were mentioned by Josephus, and her name is missing from the 63 towns in Galilee mentioned in the Talmud.It seems that the words of Nathanel of Cana, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:47) characterized the site’s seeming insignificance. 

St Gabriel's Greek Orthodox Church, Nazareth:

It is needless to say that the people of Judea had never heard of Nazareth. And from this we understand the reason that Pontius Pilate decorates the cross with the sign “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” (John 19:19) – meaning that the “King of the Jews” is from “nowhere.” The early name “Nazarenes” given to the Christians might have been a derogatory nickname that the people of Judea gave to the followers of Jesus (Matthew 26:71, Acts 6:38). 

An old market in Nazareth, Israel:

Jesus was known throughout the Galilee as “Jesus of Nazareth” (Matthew 21:11 , Mark 14:67) – but for those not from the Galilee, this name had no meaning for them. In order to explain where Nazareth was located, the Galileans had to explain that the village was near Gat-Hyefer (Jonah’s hometown, Kings II 14:25), which could be seen from Nazareth. 

View of Don Bosco Nazareth School from the Grounds of the Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth, Israel:

Archaeological excavations conducted in Nazareth (by Bagati since 1955) show that Nazareth was a small agricultural village settled by a few dozen families. The pottery remains testify to a continuous settlement during the period 600-900 BC. After those years, there was a break in settlement until the year 200 BC.

Another view of Nazareth, Israel:

Since then, the site of Nazareth has been consistently inhabited. Most of the archaeological finds consist of caves, cisterns and grain storage bins. The agricultural character of the site is made obvious with the discoveries of oil mills and mill stones. There were a large number of underground rooms because the soft chalk of Nazareth made it easy to hew caves.

Another view of Nazareth, Israel:

Nazareth is located between the open space of the Jezreel valley and the mountainous regions of the Galilee. The valley and its history were well known to the Jews of Nazareth in the time of Jesus. During the first 20 years of his life that he spent in Nazareth; Jesus had many an opportunity to walk on the mountain ranges, to look over and think about the history of his people. 

A township of Nazareth, Israel:

The great battles that had taken place in the valley, together with the great hopes that were dashed with their losses, must have affected and shaped his view on life. The valley of Jezreel, as it is seen from Nazareth, is a natural battlefield. This fact must have influenced the idea of “…all the holders of swords shall fall by the sword,” (Matthew 28:52). Another geographical area adjacent to Nazareth was the lower Galilee and the Beti Netofa valley.

A township of Nazareth, Israel:

In this region there were many small Jewish villages and towns settled by Hellenized Syrians. The largest of these towns was Tzippori, the capital of the Galilee until the year 18 BCE. Even though Tzippori is a 45- minute-walk from Nazareth, the town is not mentioned in the New Testament. The main events in Jesus’s life, as described in the New Testament, are the annunciation of his birth (Luke 1:26-38), his childhood and early manhood (Luke 2:39-52, Matthew 2:19-23), and the clash with his fellow citizens (Matthew 13:54-58, Luke 4:17-30).

Another view of Nazareth, Israel:

From the very first events relating to the life of Jesus in Nazareth, we learn that the people of his village did not approve of his thinking and behavior. To them he was Jesus, one of the sons of Joseph the carpenter (the other brothers were James, Joseph, Simeon and Judah – Matthew 13:55). 

A street in Nazareth, Israel:

Luke describes with great drama how Jesus was rejected by the people of Nazareth. After his sermon in the synagogue aroused their anger, the people took him “and brought him to the precipice of the mountain that their city was built upon” (Luke 4). 

Hi Tech Park in Nazareth, Israel:

Some have pointed out that this sentence in Luke is not correct, as Nazareth is built in a valley and not on a mountain. But the valley of Nazareth is on a mountain overlooking the Jezreel valley – and the mountain of the precipice overlooks the valley of Nazareth and the valley of Jezreel.

View to the city of Nazareth from the highest point:

Nazareth is also holy to Christians because it throws light on the holy family, especially Mary, the mother of Jesus. This is the place where a Christian believer can consider Mary’s qualities. Her character as a noble woman, a woman of purity, simplicity, sensitivity and pureness of heart. 

View to the city of Nazareth in the night, Basilica of the Annunciation:

Mary is portrayed as a mother who devotes herself to the education of her son and remains devoted to him in the most trying of circumstances (she was present at his crucifixion – John 19:25 – and recognized him as the messiah – Acts 2:36). For Catholics, Mary has a special significance – and her special place in the New Testament is hinted at in the verses” Blessed art though of women” (Luke1:41) and “Peace unto thee woman of grace, God be with you” (Luke 1:28).