tain ranges, which only admit communication with the sea-side by means of the intersecting passes and ravines, extend into Judica several miles north of Jerusalem, and cover the greater part of this division of Palestine like- wise, the hills becoming higher south of the metropolis. Stretching towards tlie south-east, they terminate in steep walls near the Dead Sea, and so join the sides of the deep Arabah; but in the south-west they somewhat abruptly bound the (tolerably high) hilly plain el-Tih, which connects Palestine with Arabia Petraea. "West- erly the mountains of middle and southern Palestine nowhere extend to the sea, but gently slope into plains, which grow continually wider farther south; towards the Jordan, however, they fall off ruggedly into the Ghor (Yolney, Trav. i, 22G), only at Jericho leaving a large amphitheatre-like level. Their greatest expansion from east to west is nowhere more than ten to fifteen miles, and in the vicinity of Hebron scarcely more than seven miles (Yolney, Trav. ii, 243). Tlie principal com- position of all the Palestinian hills is limestone (of the Jura formation), occasionally with strata of chalk (whence the numerous caves), and, as is a frequent ac- companiment of this latter, the hilly levels, especially in the cast, are strewn with Hint stones (see Schubert, Reise, iii, 108). Only in the north-east, from tlie boun- daries of the Lebanon formation to the Hieromax, ex- tends a basaltic region (Seetzen, xviii, 335), which has scattered its columns and blocks as far as the western sliore of the Sea of Gennesareth (comp. Ritter, Erdk. ii, 315; Kichter, Wallfuhrt,\).(SO; Schubert, ^me, iii, 222, 237,200). At the southern extremity of the Dead Sea a salt-mountain uplifts itself, about three leagues in ex- tent. The height of the mountains of Palestine is not great (Hassehpiist, Trav. p. 148), but has only been measured by the barometer. The southern hills rise to a perpendicular elevation of about 2400 feet, and run at this elevation as far northward as Shechem; above this they sink to about 1750 feet, and grow still more insig- nificant towards the plain of Jezreel. Korthward of this, the land of Galilee becomes again more lofty, es- pecially in comparison with the Sea of (Jcnncsareth, which lies 535 feet below the level of tlie Mediterranean (Schubert, iii, 231). The altitude of Lebanon is esti- mated at 10,000 feet. The mountains of Gilead are higlier than the cisjordanic, being about 3000 to 4000 feet in height, (See Raumer, BeitrUt/e z. hibl. Geogra- phic, p. 12 sq. ; Reland, Puhcst. p. 34G.) For particular hills, see Caiimel; Epiiraim; Lebanon; Olivet; Ta- BOI5, etc. The mountainous regions of Palestine not only served the inhabitants as places of defence against hostile incursions and of refuge from oppressive masters, but the hills by careful cultivation and terracing nearly doubled the arable soil (Prov. xxvii, 25; Psa. cxlvii, 8; Cant, viii, 14; Jer. xxi, 5; 2 Chron. xxvi, 10; Ezek. xxxiv, 14; Joel iii, 18, etc.); although quarries were but seklom opened in them for building-stone, and as it seems never mined for the supply of metals. — AViner, i, 400. See Palestine.
Tlic frequent occurrence throughout the Scriptures of personification of the natural features of the country is very remarkable. With perhaps four exceptions, all these terms are used in our own language; but, in ad- dition, wc speak of the "crown," the "instep," the " foot," the " toe," and the " breast" or " bosom" of a mountain or hill. "Top" is perhaps only a corruption of kopf, " head." Similarly we speak of the " mouth" and the "gorge" (i. e. the "throat") of a ravine, and a " tongue" of land. Compare, too, the word col, "neck,", in French. The following are, it is lulicved, all the words used with this object in relation to mountains or hills :
1. Head, nx-i, rush, Gen. viii, 5; Exod. xix, 20; Deut. xxxiv, 1 ; 1 Kings xviii, 42; (A.Y. " top").
2. Ears, ri'.nx, aznuth, in Aznoth-Tabor, Josh, xix, 34; possibly in allusion to some projection on the top
MOUNT
•03
MOUNTAGUE
of the mountain. The same word is perhaps found in
UzZliX-SHEllAH.
3. Shoulder, v]ri3, hatheph, in Deut. xxiii, 12 ; Josh. xv, 8, and xviii, 16 ("side") ; all referring to the hills on or among which Jerusalem is placed. Josh, xv, 10, " the side of Mount Jearim."
4. Side, 1^, tsad (see the word for the " side" of a man in 2 Sam. ii, 16; Ezek. iv, 4, etc.), used in refer- ence to a mountain in 1 Sam. xxiii, 26 ; 2 Sam. xiii, 34.
5. Loins or Fla^'ks, ri'?p3, kisloth, in Chisloth-Ta- bor. Josh, xix, 12. It occurs also in the name of a vil- lage, probably situated on this part of the mountain, Halv-Kesulloth, riiiipStn, i. e. the "loins" (Josh, xix, 18). See Chesulloth.
6. Rid, "3^, tstla, only used once, in speaking of the Mount of Olives, 2 Sam. xvi, 13, and there translated "side," tK 7v\(vpaQ row opovQ,
7. Back, SSHJ) shekem, probably the root of the name of the town Shechem, which may be derived from its situation, as it were on the back of Gerizim.
8. Thigh, HS'^';^, yerkeah (see the word for the " thigh" of a man in Judg. iii, 16, 21), applied to Mount Ephraim, Judg. xix, 1, 18; and to Lebanon, 2 Kings xix, 23 ; Isa. xxxvii, 24 ; used also for the " sides" of a cave, 1 Sam. xxiv, 3.