Hill

Concept

Hills (Hebrew gibeāh, har) are ubiquitous in Palestinian geography and carry rich theological resonances in Scripture. The "hill of the LORD" (Ps. 24:3; Isa. 2:2–3) is a title for Mount Zion and the Jerusalem temple, the place of divine encounter. The phrase "every high hill" or "high hills" often appears in condemnation of idolatrous worship (Jer. 2:20; Ezek. 6:13; Hos. 4:13), since Canaanite fertility religion favored hilltop shrines. The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) and the Transfiguration took place on hills. "A city set on a hill cannot be hid" (Matt. 5:14) uses the visibility of hilltop settlements as a metaphor for the witnessing vocation of the church. "The hills melt like wax" (Ps. 97:5; Mic. 1:4) images divine theophany before which the natural world trembles.