Mount Pisgah (Bible)
Encyclopedia
Some translators of the biblical
book of Deuteronomy
translate Pisgah (פִּסְגָּה) as a name of a mountain, usually referring to Mount Nebo
. The region is directly east of the Jordan River and just northeast of the Dead Sea
. Mount Nebo (31°45.9'N 35°43.1'E) is the highest among a handful of Pisgah summits; an arid cluster of hilltops on the western edge of the Trans-Jordanian
Plateau. Arabic names for Pisgah include: Fasga (Phasga), Jabal Siâghah (Siaghah/Siâghah/Siyagha/Siyāgha, etc), Râs (es) Siâghah and Rujm Siâghah.
Pisgah in Hebrew
refers to a "high place" like the top of a mountain or to a "cleft". In translation, pisgah lost its meaning and became a mountain's proper name instead of being a term describing a "high place" or ridge". Thus the term refers to a geographic region; a collection of mountain summits.
In Deuteronomy
, God commanded Moses
to climb up and view the Promised Land
from Mount Nebo
: "Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” (Deuteronomy 34:1-4; NIV 2011http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2034:1-4&version=NIV)
The Qur'an
only circumstantially refers to the Deuteronomy events in sura 5 (Al-Ma'ida), ayah
22-26, where Moses' debates with the Israelites near Jericho is mentioned. Both Deuteronomy and the Qur'an locate Moses' place of death in this region, though they disagree about the fate of the corpse.
A literal translation of the Biblical passage from Hebrew into English might run: "... to Mount Nebo, to its high head (top of the mountain)".
ויעל משה מערבת מואב אל הר נבו ראש הפסגה אשר על פני ירחו" דברים פרק לד"
Numbers 23:14, NIV 2011 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2023:14%20&version=NIV "So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar." In the Book of Numbers, Chapter 23, Mount Pisgah is listed as one of several locations from which the Moabite
King, Balak
, tries unsuccessfully to persuade the prophet Balaam
to curse Israel.
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
book of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
translate Pisgah (פִּסְגָּה) as a name of a mountain, usually referring to Mount Nebo
Mount Nebo (Jordan)
Mount Nebo is an elevated ridge that is approximately 817 meters above sea level, in what is now western Jordan. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north, a more limited one of the valley of the River Jordan...
. The region is directly east of the Jordan River and just northeast of the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
. Mount Nebo (31°45.9'N 35°43.1'E) is the highest among a handful of Pisgah summits; an arid cluster of hilltops on the western edge of the Trans-Jordanian
Transjordan (Bible)
The Transjordan is used to describe an area of land in the Southern Levant lying east of the Jordan River that is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. The area is said to form part of an ill-defined area known as the land of Israel...
Plateau. Arabic names for Pisgah include: Fasga (Phasga), Jabal Siâghah (Siaghah/Siâghah/Siyagha/Siyāgha, etc), Râs (es) Siâghah and Rujm Siâghah.
Pisgah in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
refers to a "high place" like the top of a mountain or to a "cleft". In translation, pisgah lost its meaning and became a mountain's proper name instead of being a term describing a "high place" or ridge". Thus the term refers to a geographic region; a collection of mountain summits.
In Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
, God commanded Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
to climb up and view the Promised Land
Promised land
The Promised Land is a term used to describe the land promised or given by God, according to the Hebrew Bible, to the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob. The promise is firstly made to Abraham and then renewed to his son Isaac, and to Isaac's son Jacob , Abraham's grandson...
from Mount Nebo
Mount Nebo (Jordan)
Mount Nebo is an elevated ridge that is approximately 817 meters above sea level, in what is now western Jordan. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north, a more limited one of the valley of the River Jordan...
: "Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” (Deuteronomy 34:1-4; NIV 2011http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2034:1-4&version=NIV)
The Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
only circumstantially refers to the Deuteronomy events in sura 5 (Al-Ma'ida), ayah
Ayah
Ayah or Aayah is the Arabic word for sign or proof:"These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth...
22-26, where Moses' debates with the Israelites near Jericho is mentioned. Both Deuteronomy and the Qur'an locate Moses' place of death in this region, though they disagree about the fate of the corpse.
A literal translation of the Biblical passage from Hebrew into English might run: "... to Mount Nebo, to its high head (top of the mountain)".
ויעל משה מערבת מואב אל הר נבו ראש הפסגה אשר על פני ירחו" דברים פרק לד"
Numbers 23:14, NIV 2011 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2023:14%20&version=NIV "So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar." In the Book of Numbers, Chapter 23, Mount Pisgah is listed as one of several locations from which the Moabite
Moabite
Moabite may refer to:*a person from Moab, the former country of the Moabite people, currently located in the area of Jordan east of the Dead Sea*the Moabite language, an extinct Canaanite dialect once spoken in Moab...
King, Balak
Balak
Balak was king of Moab around 1200 BC. According to Book of Numbers 22:2, and the Book of Joshua 24:9, Zippor was the father of Balak.Book of Revelation 2:12 - 2:14 says about Balak:...
, tries unsuccessfully to persuade the prophet Balaam
Balaam
Balaam is a diviner in the Torah, his story occurring towards the end of the Book of Numbers. The etymology of his name is uncertain, and discussed below. Every ancient reference to Balaam considers him a non-Israelite, a prophet, and the son of Beor, though Beor is not so clearly identified...
to curse Israel.