Viewing entries tagged
Plain of Gennesaret

Gennesaret

Gennesaret

DSCN0517.jpg

(Note: I apologize for not blogging as much lately. I have been working hard on the final touches for our 2014 Israel Tour that begins in less than four weeks. You can follow our group as we travel in this blog or on our Facebook page.) In Matthew 14, we read:

And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. - Matthew 14:34-36

The picture at the top of this post is taken from the Mount of Beautitudes (traditional location of the Sermon on the Mount) looking southwest toward the Plain of Gennesaret. From the above passage, we read that Jesus would have landed in this area and performed many miracles there.

(NOTE: If you are reading this post from an email, you might need to click on the post title and view the post from a web page.)

They Came To Land at Gennesaret

They Came To Land at Gennesaret

file_zps58e55d37-1.jpg

Jesus spent a large percentage of His public ministry in the area around the Sea of Galilee. In one such passage, we read:

And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. - Matthew 14:34-36

The Plain of Gennesaret from the Mount of Beatitudes.This location is sometimes referred to as the Plain at Gennesaret and is located on the northwestern edge of the Sea of Galilee. Because of the surrounding terrain, water flows down from the nearby hills into this area making it a very fertile location for the growing of crops. In the First Century AD, there were a number of small communities in the area such as Magdala and possibly Dalmanutha.

The picture at the top of this post shows part of the Plain at Gennesaret from the Sea of Galilee. Mount Arbel is on the left with the Galilean hills in the background. (NOTE: If you are reading this post from an email, you need to click on the title to see this post online.)

Dalmanutha found?

Dalmanutha found?

file_zpsa74d1561.jpg

If you are follow blogs like this, then you may have already seen some news articles about the possible location of the Biblical city of Dalmanutha. If you haven't, here are a couple for you to consider from USA Today and FoxNews. The city is only mentioned once in the Bible.

And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. - Mark 8:10

However, the companion passage says:

And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan. - Matthew 15:39

The location of Dalmanutha has been debated for a long time. For an in-depth discussion, I encourage you to read Ferrell Jenkins' post on the topic from earlier this year.

The announcement today states that they have found a location very near the city of Migdal (hometown of Mary Magdalene), which is on the southern edge of the plain of Gennesaret on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This location, in light of the two passages that I mentioned above, gives some credibility to today's announcement. It will be very interesting to see what else they find at this location. Stay tuned.

The picture of the top of the post is of the Plain of Gennesaret from the Mount of Beatitudes. The city of Magdala (ancient Migdal) would sit just off the picture to the left at the foot of Mount Arbel. (NOTE: If you are reading this post from an email, you will need to click on the title to go to the website to see the picture.)

HT: Alan Cornett, Rusty Greene