Ebal

Ebal (meaning ancient heaps) is a mountain in central Canaan, rising 3,076 feet above sea level and approximately 1,200 feet above the adjacent valley of Shechem. It stands directly across the valley from Mount Gerizim, together forming the natural amphitheater that was the site of Israel's covenant renewal ceremony upon entering Canaan. Moses commanded that after crossing the Jordan, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali should stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce the curses of the covenant (Deuteronomy 27:13), while the remaining tribes stood on Gerizim for the blessings.

Joshua faithfully executed this ceremony after the conquest of Ai: he built an altar of unhewn stones on Mount Ebal (Joshua 8:30–35), offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and read all the words of the law before the assembled congregation of Israel. The site's significance lies in its function as the focal point for Israel's formal acceptance of covenant obligations. Ebal also appears in the genealogies as a son of Shobal (1 Chronicles 1:22) and as a son of Joktan in some manuscript traditions.