they saw it when they were in the East.—Compare Matthew 2:2, “have seen his star rise,” AT; “when we were in the east,” NW; “the rising of his star,” NE; “seen . . . out in the east,” Kx.

EASTERN SEA

See SALT SEA.

EAST GATE

See GATE, GATEWAY.

EBAL

(Eʹbal) [possibly, bare].

The third-named son of the Horite sheik Shobal descended from Seir. (Gen. 36:20, 23; 1 Chron. 1:40) The Horites dwelt in Seir before being dispossessed and annihilated by the sons of Esau.—Deut. 2:12.

EBAL, MOUNT

(Eʹbal) [possibly, bare].

A mountain now identified as Jebel Eslamîyeh, situated in the district of Samaria. Mount Ebal is opposite Mount Gerizim, these mountains being separated by a beautiful narrow valley, the Vale of Shechem, in which nestles the city of Nablus, not far from ancient Shechem. The possible meaning of the name fits the characteristics of the mountain, for only its lower slopes sustain such vegetation as vines and olive trees, the higher elevations being quite barren and rocky. Like other mountains in Samaria, Ebal consists of a limestone core with an outer shelf of chalk. It stands to the NE of Mount Gerizim and rises to a peak of over 3,000 feet (c. 914 meters) above the level of the Mediterranean. The peaks of Mounts Ebal and Gerizim are about one and a half miles (c. 2.4 kilometers) apart, and these mountains are situated to the W of the Jordan River.—Deut. 11:29, 30.

Looking N from the summit of Ebal, one can see the greater part of the land of Galilee and also Mount Hermon. The heights in the vicinity of Jerusalem can be seen to the S and the Plain of Sharon and the Mediterranean to the W. It is possible to see as far as the Hauran across the Jordan to the E. Abram (Abraham) once camped in the valley between these two mountains, near the big trees of Moreh.—Gen. 12:6.

Moses told the Israelites that when Jehovah brought them into the land that they were going to possess they “must also give the blessing upon Mount Gerizim and the malediction upon Mount Ebal.” (Deut. 11:29, 30) He also instructed that great uncut stones be selected, whitewashed with lime and set on Mount Ebal. An altar was to be erected there, upon which sacrifices were to be presented to Jehovah. Moses also said, “You must write on the stones all the words of this law, making them quite clear.”—Deut. 27:1-8.

After Israel crossed the Jordan, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali were to “stand for the malediction on Mount Ebal,” and the other tribes were to “stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim.” At that time the blessings to be enjoyed by those obeying God’s law would be recited, as well as the curses or maledictions to be experienced by those breaking his law. (Deut. 27:12-14) When the curses for disobedience were pronounced, all the people were to say “Amen!” that is, “So be it!” to show they agreed that practicers of wickedness merited condemnation.—Deut. 27:15-26.

After Israel’s victory at Ai, Joshua complied with Moses’ instructions, building an altar to Jehovah in Mount Ebal. Upon stones (perhaps, but not necessarily, those of the altar itself) he wrote “a copy of the law of Moses that he had written before the sons of Israel.” Then, in front of the congregation of Israel (including the alien residents) assembled as Moses had directed, Joshua “read aloud all the words of the law, the blessing and the malediction, according to all that is written in the book of the law.” Half the congregation stood in front of Mount Ebal and the other half in front of Mount Gerizim, the ark of the covenant and the Levites being between the two groups. (Josh. 8:30-35) The location of Mount Ebal in relation to Mount Gerizim provided excellent acoustics for this occasion. Notably, too, these things occurred approximately in the heart of the land of promise and in the vicinity where Jehovah promised the land to Israel’s forefather Abram (Abraham).—Gen. 12:6, 7.

Jewish tradition holds that the Levites, standing between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, faced Mount Gerizim when pronouncing a blessing, to which the people assembled there answered “Amen!” Then it is said that they alternated, facing Mount Ebal and pronouncing one of the curses, to which those assembled on that side said “Amen!” The Scriptures, however, do not outline the exact procedure followed on that notable occasion.

At Deuteronomy 27:4 it is said that the stones were to be set up in Mount “Gerizim” according to the Samaritan Pentateuch. However, the reading is “Ebal” according to the Masoretic text, the Latin Vulgate, the Syriac Peshitta Version and the Greek Septuagint Version. Joshua 8:30-32 indicates that it was on Mount Ebal that Joshua set up the stones on which “a copy of the law of Moses” was written.

EBED

(Eʹbed) [servant].

1. Father of Gaal, the one who led the landowners of Shechem in an unsuccessful rebellion against Abimelech.—Judg. 9:26, 29, 39-41.

2. Son of Jonathan. Ebed, accompanied by fifty males of the paternal house of Adin, returned with Ezra to Jerusalem from Babylon.—Ezra 8:6.

EBED-MELECH

(Eʹbed-meʹlech) [king’s servant].

An Ethiopian eunuch in the house of King Zedekiah who, by his course of action, demonstrated that he was in full agreement with the work of Jehovah’s prophet Jeremiah. When the princes of Judah falsely charged Jeremiah with sedition, Zedekiah surrendered the prophet into their hands. These princes then took Jeremiah and threw him into the miry cistern of Malchijah in the Courtyard of the Guard, there to die without food. (Jer. 38:4-6) Courageously, notwithstanding the danger in which it placed him because of the prevailing bitter hatred for Jeremiah and his message, Ebed-melech publicly approached the king seated in the gate of Benjamin and there presented an appeal in behalf of Jeremiah. Zedekiah responded favorably. Then Ebed-melech, at the king’s command, took thirty men to the cistern and let down ropes with worn-out rags and pieces of cloth for Jeremiah to place under his armpits so as to bring him up out of the cistern. (Jer. 38:7-13) Likely Zedekiah directed Ebed-melech to take thirty men along, not that so many men were needed to get Jeremiah out of the cistern, but in order to effect a successful deliverance despite any possible interference on the part of the princes or the priests. Because of this righteous act toward God’s prophet, Ebed-melech was assured by Jehovah, through Jeremiah, that he would not perish during the Babylonian siege but would be furnished an escape.—Jer. 39:15-18; see EUNUCH.

EBENEZER

(Eb·en·eʹzer) [the stone of help].

1. A site near which Israel was twice defeated by the Philistines, resulting not only in the death of thirty-four thousand Israelites, including Hophni and Phinehas, but also in enemy capture of the ark of the covenant. News of this latter event precipitated the death of Eli the priest. (1 Sam. 4:1-11, 17, 18; 5:1) Bible geographers tentatively place Ebenezer at Majdel Yaba, some two and a half miles (4 kilometers) SE of the suggested site of Ephraimite Aphek (where the Philistines were encamped), and eleven miles (17.7 kilometers) E of modern Tel Aviv.

2. The name given to a stone erected by Samuel more than twenty years after the events mentioned in the preceding texts, likely to commemorate Israel’s victory over the Philistines by God’s help. (1 Sam. 7:2, 12) Although its exact location is today unknown, it was apparently a number of miles SE of No. 1 above, “between Mizpah and Jeshanah.”