Carmel

Carmel (meaning garden, park, or fruitful field) is most prominently a mountain range in northern Israel extending approximately twelve miles from the Jezreel Valley to the Mediterranean coast, reaching 1,728 feet at its highest eastern point. It formed the boundary between the tribal territories of Asher and Manasseh. The headland of Carmel jutting into the bay of Acre was renowned in antiquity as a sacred site. It is most famous as the scene of Elijah's great contest with the 450 prophets of Baal, when fire fell from heaven to consume the waterlogged altar of the Lord and the drought was broken (1 Kings 18). Elisha maintained a residence there (2 Kings 4:25; 2:25). The mountain's lush vegetation made it a symbol of fertility and beauty in Hebrew poetry (Song of Solomon 7:5; Isaiah 35:2). A separate Carmel was also a town in the southern hill country of Judah where Nabal lived and where Saul erected a monument after defeating the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:12; 25:2).