Hor in Biblical History

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Schaff's Bible Dictionary

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What is Hor?
HOR
, MOUNT(the mountain). 1. Now called by the Arabs Jehel Nehy Harun, "mountain of the prophet Aaron." It was the halting-place of the Israelites between Kadesh, Num 20:22; Num 33:37, and Zalmonah, Num 33:41, when they were journeying "by the way of the Red Sea to compass the land of Edom," Num 21:4, and where Aaron died. Num 20:24-29; Num 33:38-39; Deut 32:50. "It is one of the very few spots connected with the wanderings of the Israelites which admit of no reasonable doubt. There Aaron died in the presence of Moses and Eleazar, there he was buried, and there Eleazar was invested with the priesthood in his stead. The mountain is marked far and near by its double top, which rises, like a huge castellated building, from a lower base, and on one of these is the Mohammedan chapel, erected out of the remains of some earlier and more sumptuous building, over the supposed grave. There was nothing of interest in the chapel; only the marks of Mussulman devotion, ragged shawls, ostrich eggs, and a few beads. These were in the upper chamber. The great high priest, if his body be really there, rests in a subterraneous vault below, hewn out of the rock, and in a niche now cased over with stone, wood, and plaster. From the flat roof of the chapel we overlooked his last view -that view which was to him what Pisgah was to his brother." -Dean Stanley. Situation and Physical Features.-The Scriptures describe Mount Hor as "in the edge" -i.e., on the boundary-line- of Edom. Num 20:23; Num 33:37. Edom or Mount Seir comprehended the whole Mt. Hor and Aaron's Tomb. of the sandstone range of mountains which bounds the Arabah on the east and extends nearly from the southern extremity of the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akabah. About midway between these two points, some 50 miles distant from each, is the highest and most conspicuous mountain of the range, which is without doubt the Mount Hor upon which Aaron died. Mosera, Deut 10:6, must have been close to the mountain. The altitude of the summit is 4800 feet above the Mediterranean, 4000 feet above the Arabah, and 6000 feet above the surface of the Dead Sea. These are the English measurements. The mountain, which is ascended by an exceedingly steep path, has two peaks, and on the eastern of these (4360 feet above the Mediterranean, according to Baedeker) is situated the tomb of Aaron (Kabr Harun), to which pilgrimages are made. Here the Arabs formerly offered sacrifices, and Stephens, an early American traveller, saw the remains of an altar and indications of such sacrifices. The tomb of Aaron is a small building measuring 28 by 33 feet and surmounted by a white dome, as is usual over saints' tombs. The interior consists of two chambers, one above the other. In the upper are four large pillars and a stone sarcophagus. Steps lead down to the lower chamber, which is perfectly dark. At the end is a recess covered by grating, which purports to be the real tomb. The impression of one on the spot is that Aaron's death took place in the small basin between the two peaks. Trumbull proposes Jehel Madurah for Mt. Hor. Since Aaron had his last view of earth from the summit of Hor, as Moses did from Pisgah, the prospect is regarded with great interest. The view includes the Arabah, the mountains of southern Palestine and Edom, and the Dead Sea. Beneath the mountain, on the eastern side, is Petra, a place of great historic interest. See Sela. 1. Mount Hor, evidently distinct from the one above, is once mentioned, Num 34:7-8, as one of the northern boundaries of the Promised Land. Some would understand by this the whole of the Lebanon range as marking the northern boundary of the country-. Porter makes it the extreme northern summit of the Lebanon range, which bounds "the entrance of Hamath" on the south. It is 10,000 feet high, emphatically Hor-hahar, "the mountain of the mountain," the loftiest mountain in Syria.

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Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'hor' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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