Topical Bible: Mountains: Often Inhabited

◄ Mountains: Often Inhabited ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Mountains hold a significant place in biblical narratives, often serving as sites of habitation, refuge, and divine encounter. Throughout Scripture, mountains are depicted as places where people live, seek safety, and experience God's presence.

Inhabitation and Refuge

Mountains frequently provided refuge and habitation for various groups and individuals in the Bible. The rugged terrain and natural fortifications offered protection from enemies and harsh weather. In the Old Testament, the hill country of Ephraim and Judah was densely populated, with cities and villages nestled among the hills. The Israelites, upon entering the Promised Land, settled in these mountainous regions, as described in the Book of Joshua.

The Edomites, descendants of Esau, inhabited the mountainous region of Seir. Obadiah 1:3 highlights their dwelling in the clefts of the rocks: "The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks, whose habitation is high, who say in your heart, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'"

Divine Encounters

Mountains are also depicted as places of divine encounter and revelation. Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, a pivotal moment in Israelite history. Exodus 19:20 states, "The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the summit. So Moses went up."

Similarly, Mount Carmel was the site of Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal, where God demonstrated His power through fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:19-39). This event underscored the mountain as a place where God's presence and authority were vividly displayed.

Symbolism and Prophecy

Mountains often symbolize strength, stability, and the eternal nature of God's kingdom. In prophetic literature, mountains are used to convey the majesty and unshakeable nature of God's reign. Isaiah 2:2 prophesies, "In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it."

New Testament References

In the New Testament, mountains continue to serve as significant locations. Jesus frequently withdrew to mountains to pray and teach. The Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5-7, is one of His most famous teachings delivered on a mountainside. Additionally, the Transfiguration of Jesus occurred on a high mountain, where His divine glory was revealed to Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:1-9).

Mountains, therefore, are not only geographical features but also rich with spiritual significance, serving as places of habitation, refuge, and divine encounter throughout biblical history.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 36:8
Thus dwelled Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Joshua 11:21
And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Death of Cyrus.
... In the neighborhood of these mountains there was a country ... It was inhabited by savage
tribes, who lived on ... the household of Cyrus, and had often accompanied him ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter xii the death of.htm

Preaching among the Heathen
... doors cannot remain forever closed, and often, as God's ... These towns were inhabited
largely by a heathen ... seasons, the mighty snow-capped mountains, the lofty ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 18 preaching among the.htm

How the Amalekites and the Neighbouring Nations, Made War with the ...
... rest to do so, were such as inhabited Gobolitis and ... own nature insuperable; as also
against mountains, and that ... hands thus stretched out, [for as often as he ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 how the amalekites.htm

The Great Stone Face
... was yet to come; a story, nevertheless, so very old, that even the Indians, who
formerly inhabited this valley ... Often, however, did the mountains which had ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the great stone face.htm

Natural Science and Theological Science.
... there recorded, in the very order, and often in the ... the fountain of that Light which
God inhabited from all ... of His Hand, and weigheth the mountains in scales ...
/.../burgon/inspiration and interpretation/sermon ii natural science and.htm

The Heroic Women of Early Indiana Methodism.
... to sacrifice"a home in the mountains, a good ... and while the Indian reservation, yet
inhabited by the ... bed, though carrying double, was often insufficient for ...
/.../the heroic women of early indiana methodism/the heroic women of early.htm

Prefatory Notice.
... and evening clouds, and forests and mountains, all show ... those dungeons, whither the
informer so often from these ... the sanctuaries of every land inhabited by an ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/prefatory notice.htm

Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish.
... wild tribe of the Scots, who then inhabited Ireland, landed ... prayer, and in the night
almost as often, and even when I passed the night on the mountains, or in ...
/.../neander/light in the dark places/patrick the apostle of the.htm

The Extent of Messiah's Spiritual Kingdom
... the cause which they despise, and often endeavour to ... established in the top of the
mountains, and shall ... cities are become fenced, and are inhabited (verses 34 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 2/sermon xxxvii the extent of.htm

Death of Martha Yeardley, and John Yeardley's Journey to Norway.
... I glanced at the happy home above, already inhabited by my ... traveller, accompanied
by a man, or more often a boy ... road may be, they run down the mountains as fast ...
/.../chapter xviii death of martha.htm