Mountain
Mount Gilboa
gil-BOH-uh · Modern Mount Gilboa, Israel
Mount Gilboa is a mountain of the biblical world.
What is known
- Saul and three of his sons, including Jonathan, died in battle against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa; Saul took his own life after being critically wounded (1 Samuel 31:1-6)
- David composed his lament 'How the mighty have fallen' upon hearing of Saul and Jonathan's deaths here, one of the most moving elegies in the Old Testament (2 Samuel 1:19-27)
- David pronounced a curse on Gilboa — that no dew or rain would fall on it — as an expression of grief over the tragedy that occurred there (2 Samuel 1:21)
- The range overlooks the Jezreel Valley and is known today for the rare, deep-purple Gilboa iris that blooms on its slopes each spring
History
- Coordinates
- 32.5000° N, 35.4167° E
Scripture references
- 1 Samuel 28:4
- 1 Samuel 31:1-8
- 2 Samuel 1:6
- 2 Samuel 1:21
- 2 Samuel 21:12
- 1 Chronicles 10:1
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
After Gilboa, David publicly mourned the king who had hunted him — can you grieve honestly for someone who hurt you?
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