EBAL, MOUNT ē’ băl (Heb. הַ֖ר עֵיבָֽל, known variously as Gr. Γαιβάλ, also as Jebal and Hebal). It is a 3,080 ft. mound of rock with little vegetation N of the valley of Shechem. It is opposite Mt. Gerizim and the two mountains form a steep embankment on the sides of the valley which runs E and W. The Mt. of Ebal was the scene of the reading and reaffirmation of the law before the encampment of Israel by Joshua and the priests and elders (Josh 8:30ff.). This was a renewal of the blessing upon Mt. Gerizim and the cursing upon Mt. Ebal pronounced by Moses prior to the entrance into Canaan by the Israelites (Deut 11:29ff.). This command was reiterated in Deuteronomy 27:4ff. These mountains and the highlands S of Esdraelon were divided between the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. Omri, the king of the rebellious ten northern tribes, built his capital at Samaria which was later used as the name for this whole hilly region. During the period of Assyrian conquest all these cities and the areas around Ebal were depopulated and the inhabitants carried off to Mesopotamia. New Sem. peoples were deported to Samaria and the resultant fused culture with vestiges of the Jewish religious practice is called Samaritan.

Numerous small incidents have occurred in this area between the inhabitants and the invaders who periodically passed through these hills. The view from the summit of Mt. Ebal is frequently praised by 19th cent. travelers. Its height of almost 1,500 ft. above the valley proper makes it an excellent observation post; a fact not lost on the innumerable armies who crossed this land. The Muslims hold that the severed head of John the Baptist is buried here, and a small memorial building was erected over the traditional site in the Middle Ages. There are also ruins of early orthodox churches and what may have been monastic settlements which once stood on both Gerizim and Ebal. Recent excavations at the site of ancient Shechem have shown that the area was inhabited from the middle of the 4th millennium b.c., but received its greatest impetus to growth during the era of Israelite kingship at Samaria.