Mount Ebal is a mountain in the central hill country of Israel. It is 914 meters (3,000 feet) high.
In the Bible, Mount Ebal is often mentioned together with Mount Gerizim (Deuteronomy 11:29; 27:13; Joshua 8:33). The meaning of its name is uncertain. It is unlikely that it refers to a son of Shobal even though the spelling of his name and the mountain are the same (Genesis 36:23; 1 Chronicles 1:40). Compare 1 Chronicles 1:22, where "Ebal" is a variant of the spelling "Obal" (Genesis 10:28).
Before entering the promised land, God told Moses that the tribes of Israel should gather at the twin mountains Ebal and Gerizim. On these two mountains, the people recited the curses and blessings of Deuteronomy 27–28. According to Deuteronomy 27:12, six tribes of Israel were to stand on Gerizim and shout the blessings. These tribes were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. “Joseph” here would mean the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. These two mountains were in their territory. The other six tribes were Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. They were to speak the curses from Mount Ebal. Mount Ebal is on the north side of the valley that runs between these two mountains. It is notable that the tribes who stood on Mount Ebal were mostly from the northern parts of Israel.
Joshua followed God's instructions in two ways at Mount Ebal. He gathered the tribes there to speak the blessings and curses (Joshua 8:33). He also built an altar there using uncut stones (Joshua 8:30). Moses had commanded the people to do (Deuteronomy 27:4).