Carmel

A mountain ridge that stretches about 32.2 kilometers (20 miles) along the Mediterranean Sea and extends southeast into the Jezreel Valley. Its widest point at the southeast is 20.9 kilometers (13 miles). Its highest peak stands at 530.7 meters (1,742 feet). The ridge is made of the same limestone as the central mountains of Palestine.

The mountain forms a point of land that extends into the sea south of the Bay of Acre. The modern city of Haifa, which is built on different levels of the hillside on the northwest corner of Carmel, has excellent harbor facilities. Several Jewish settlements and two large Druze villages are also located on the slopes of Mount Carmel. (Druzes are members of a distinct sect within Islam.) The plain of Sharon extends to the south.

Mount Carmel was known for its beauty and fertile land (Isaiah 33:9; 35:2). In ancient times, it was covered with oak forests, olive trees, and vineyards. The name “Carmel” comes from a Hebrew word that means “vineyard” or “garden of God.” The mountain was so thick with wild plants that, along with its gorges and caves, it became a hideout for robbers and people rejected by society (Amos 9:3).

Today, Mount Carmel is still forested, and large areas have been turned into a nature reserve. In Song of Solomon 7:5, the poet describes his beloved, saying, "Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel," perhaps suggesting her hair was thick and full like the many trees on the mountain.

Mount Carmel’s rocky terrain was a barrier to north-south trade and military routes. Most conquerors and traders went around it. They traveled through the Jezreel Valley to the east or the Zebulun Valley to the northeast. However, important passes cut through the mountain. One narrow pass at the southern end connects the plains of Sharon and Esdraelon. Pharaoh Thutmose III used this pass in the 15th century BC. British General Lord Allenby used it in 1918 when he conquered Palestine. The tribal lands of Asher, Zebulun, Issachar, and Manasseh met at Mount Carmel, but it seems that none of the tribes fully controlled the mountain’s heights.

Mount Carmel also held religious importance. It was the site of the famous confrontation between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). This was a good location because Mount Carmel lay between Israel and Phoenicia. It demonstrated the struggle between the Phoenician god Baal and the God of Israel. Elijah was not the first to build an altar to God on the mountain. Before offering his sacrifice, he repaired an old, ruined altar of the Lord (1 Kings 18:30).

The event's traditional site is Qeren ha-Carmel. It is 481.7 meters (1,581 feet) high and overlooks the Jezreel Valley. The small stream Kishon, mentioned in 1 Kings 18:40) runs through the Jezreel Valley and around the north side of Mount Carmel before emptying into the Bay of Acre.

A town in Judah (Joshua 15:55) identified with el-Kirmil (Kermel), 11.3 kilometers (seven miles) south of Hebron. King Saul set up a memorial to his conquest of the Amalekites there (1 Samuel 15:12).

Carmel was also the home of Nabal, a grumpy man who refused kindness to David (1 Samuel 25:2–14). After Nabal’s death, his beautiful wife, Abigail, married David. Carmel is mentioned as the home of Hezro, one of David’s 30 heroes (2 Samuel 23:35).