(Arabic: Jebel et Tour; mountain of mountains) Distinguished for its picturesque site and outline, rises above the Plains of Esdraelon, fives miles southeast of Nazareth. It played an important part in the history of Israel, was the boundary between the tribes of Issachar and Zabulon. Here Debbora assembled 10,000 Israelites under Barac to attack and destroy Sisara and his army (Judges 4); poetically treated by the prophets, Jeremiah 46; Osee, 5; and Psalms 88. Traditional scene of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.

TABOR . 1. A town in the tribe of Zebulun, given to Levites descended from Merari ( 1 Chronicles 6:77 ). Its site is unknown. Perhaps it is to be identified with Chislothtabor in the same tribe ( Joshua 19:12 ). 2. A place near Ophrah ( Judges 8:18 ). 3. The Oak (AV ^[1] ‘plain’) of Tabor was on the road from Ramah S. to Gibeah ( 1 Samuel 10:3 ). 4. See next article. H. L. Willett.

TABOR ( MOUNT ). A mountain in the N.E. corner of the plain of Esdraelon, some 7 miles E. of Nazareth. Though only 1843 feet high, Tabor is, from its isolation and remarkable rounded shape, a most prominent object from great distances around; hence, though so very different in size from the great mountain mass of Hermon, it was yet associated with it ( Psalms 89:12 ). It was a king among the mountains ( Jeremiah 46:18 ). It is known to the Arabs as Jebel et-Tûr , lit. ‘the mountain of the mount,’ the same name as is applied to the Mount of Olives. From the summit of Tabor a magnificent outlook is obtained, especially to the W., over the great plain of Esdraelon to the mountains of Samaria and Carmel. It was on the borders of Zebulun and Issachar ( Joshua 19:12 ; Joshua 19:22 ); It was certainly an early sanctuary, i and probably the reference in Deuteronomy 33:18-19 is to this mountain. Here the forces under Deborah and Barak rallied to fight Sisera ( Judges 4:6 ; Judges 4:12 ). Whether the reference in Judges 8:18 is to this mountain is doubtful. In later history Tabor appears chiefly as a fortress. In the 3rd cent. b.c., Antiochus the Great captured the city Atabyrium which was upon Tabor, and afterwards fortified it. Between b.c. 105 and 78 the place was again in Jewish hands, but in b.c. 53 Gabinius here defeated Alexander, son of Aristobulus ii., who was in revolt. A hundred and ten years later Josephus fortified the hill against Vespasian, but after the Jewish soldiers had been defeated by the general Placidus, the place surrendered. During the Crusades it was for long in the hands of the Christians, but fell to the Muslems after the battle of Hattin, and was fortified in 1212 by the successor of Saladin a step which led to the inglorious and ineffectual 5th Crusade. The tradition that Tabor was the scene of the Transfiguration goes back to the 3rd cent., but has little evidence in its favour. Although not directly recorded, the condition of the hill before and after would lead one to suppose that it was an inhabited site at the time of Christ, while the requirements of the Biblical narrative ( Mark 8:27 ; Mark 9:2-10 , Luke 9:28-36 ) suggest a site near Cæsarea Philippi, such, for example, as an isolated spur of Hermon. Mount Tabor to-day is one of the best-wooded spots in W. Palestine, groves of oaks and terebinths not only covering the hillsides, but extending also over a considerable area of hill and valley to the N.; game abounds in the coverts. The Franciscans and the Greek Church have each erected a monastery-hospice on the summit, and extensive excavations have been made, particularly by members of the former order. The foundations of a great wall of circumvallation probably that of Josephus ( BJ IV. i. 8) have been followed, many ancient tombs have been cleared, and the remains of several churches of the 4th and of the 12th centuries have been unearthed. E. W. G. Masterman.

This is an incorrect translation, and should be THE OAK OF TABOR . It is mentioned in (1 Samuel 10:3 ) only, as one of the points in the homeward journey of Saul after his anointing by Samuel.

("the ears (earlike summits) of Tabor".) Marking the boundary of Naphtali (Joshua 19:24).

A height. Now Jebel et-Tur, a cone-like prominent mountain, 11 miles west of the Sea of Galilee. It is about 1,843 feet high. The view from the summit of it is said to be singularly extensive and grand. This is alluded to in Psalm 89:12 ; Jeremiah 46:18 . It was here that Barak encamped before the battle with Sisera (q.v.) Judges 4:6-14 . There is an old tradition, which, however, is unfounded, that it was the scene of the transfiguration of our Lord. (See HERMON .) "The prominence and isolation of Tabor, standing, as it does, on the border-land between the northern and southern tribes, between the mountains and the central plain, made it a place of note in all ages, and evidently led the psalmist to associate it with Hermon, the one emblematic of the south, the other of the north." There are some who still hold that this was the scene of the transfiguration (q.v.). A town of Zebulum ( 1 Chronicles 6:77 ). The "plain of Tabor" (1 Samuel 10:3 ) should be, as in the Revised Version, "the oak of Tabor." This was probably the Allon-bachuth of Genesis 35:8 .

TABOR, MOUNT.—A notable landmark, of rare beauty and symmetry, six miles east of Nazareth, on the north-east arm of the plain of Esdraelon. In the works of Josephus and the Septuagint its designation is Itabyrion; in Polybius, Atabyrion; elsewhere, Thabor. The modern Arabic name—identical with the name of the Mount of Olives—is Jebel et-Tur. Mount Tabor stands apart, clear and distinct, from the rugged elevations grouped around it, except on its western side, where a low narrow ridge connects it with the hills of Galilee. Its apparent isolation, and its noble domelike contour, rising directly from the level of the Plain,, make it the most conspicuous mountain in Lower Galilee. Its outline varies somewhat when viewed from different positions. As seen from the south and south-west, it resembles the segment of a sphere; from the north-west a truncated cone. Its true figure, according to W. M. Thomson, is an ‘elongated oval, the longitudinal diameter running nearly east and west.’ Its flattened summit, not easily distinguishable from the levels near its base, is 1400 feet above the average elevation of the plain, and almost 1900 above sea level. Like the hills south and west of it, Tabor is a mass of cretaceous limestone, and the soil on its summit and sides is deep and rich. It is conspicuous among the mountains of this section for its wooded slopes and leafy glades, as well as for its regular form and graceful outline, and yet it is not ‘densely wooded,’ as some have described it. There are dense clumps of undergrowth in places, but the trees, which for the most part are scrub and evergreen oaks, resemble the growth of an orchard or park rather than of a forest. The summit of the mountain is a flattened platform, oval in outline, and thickly strewn along its outer edges with ruined walls and massive substructions of different periods and styles of architecture. A tradition as old as the 4th cent, locates the scene of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, and until the middle of the 19th cent, this was the generally accepted place of pilgrimage and devotion in commemoration of this event. The earliest references in this connexion are by Cyril of Jerusalem, Jerome, and others (Cat. xii. 16; Epp. 44 and). In the 6th cent., three churches, corresponding to the three tabernacles of Peter (Mark 9:5), were built on its summit. Saewulf speaks of three monasteries (c. ^[1] a.d. 1103), which, with later reconstructions by the Crusaders, were destroyed in the 13th century. There is no mention of Mount Tabor in the NT, and no intimation which in any way connects it with the scene of the great Epiphany. It is an unquestioned fact, based upon the statement given above, that Tabor at the date of this occurrence was not a suitable place for a quiet retreat, such as is implied in the narrative of the Evangelists. Apart from this objection, not in itself decisive, all the events immediately associated with it unquestionably took place on or about the southern slope of Mount Hermon (Matthew 16:17-28, Mark 8:27-38, Luke 9:18-37). Of the six days which followed the prophetic declaration of Jesus concerning His approaching sufferings and death, there is no record, but it is in keeping with the entire narrative to assume that they were spent in retirement and prayer. There is no intimation that He passed the momentous hours of this transition period in travel, or that He sought another place in the most densely populated part of Galilee for this crowning manifestation of His Divinity and Messiahship. On the contrary, it is asserted in Mark 9:30 that Jesus ‘passed through Galilee’ after He had healed the spirit-possessed child at the foot of the mountain. While, for the reasons given, the time-honoured tradition which connects this ‘strange and beautiful mountain’ with the Transfiguration has been almost universally abandoned, it is nevertheless true that it was one of the most prominent objects of vision from the outskirts of the early home of Jesus, and its graceful outlines were often before Him, as He journeyed to and fro during the greater part of His public ministry. Literature.—Thomson, Land and Book, ii. 136; Schaff, Through Bible Lands, 330–336; Baedeker-Socin, Pal. ^[2] 364; Stanley, SP ^[3] 419; Merrill, Galilee, 54; Robinson, BRP ^[4] ii. 353, and iii. 221; Ritter, Erdkunde, xvi. 391; Andrews, Life of our Lord, 357, 358; PEF ^[5] Mem. i. 388–391; de Vogüé, Églises de la Terre Sainte, 353; G. A. Smith, HGHL ^[6] 394, 408, 417; C. W. Wilson in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible iv. 671 f.; Buhl, GAP ^[7] 107 f., 216 f. R. L. Stewart.

(tay' bawr) Place name of uncertain meaning, perhaps, “height.” 1. A mountain in the valley of Jezreel. About six miles east of Nazareth, it has played an important role in Israel's history since the period of the conquest. It served as a boundary point for the tribes of Naphtali, Issachar, and Zebulun (Joshua 19:12 ,Joshua 19:12,19:22 ), where the tribes worshiped early (Deuteronomy 33:18-19 ). Barak gathered an army at Tabor to defend against Sisera (Judges 4:6 ). Apparently, it was the site of false worship (Hosea 5:1 ). Tradition holds that Tabor was the site of Jesus' transfiguration (Mark 9:2 ), although no evidence exists to validate the claim. 2. Levitical city (1 Chronicles 6:77 ), apparently replacing Nahalal in the earlier list (Joshua 21:35 ). It may be khirbet Dabura. 3. The “Plain of Tabor” (1 Samuel 10:3 ) was apparently near Gibea.

CHISLOTH-TABOR , Joshua 19:12 . See Chesulloth.

NAS, NRSV designation of a site between Rachel's tomb (near Bethlehem) and Gibeah of Saul (1 Samuel 10:3 ). Other translations read plain (KJV), great tree (NIV), or terebinth (REB) of Tabor.

("height, mound"); (tabar related to tsabar ). 1. Psalms 89:12, "the N. and S. Tabor (i.e. the W.) and Hermon (E. of Jordan) shall rejoice," etc. Their existence and majestic appearance are a silent hymn to their Creator's praise; the view from Tabor comprises as much of natural beauty and sacred interest as any in the Holy Land. Accurately corresponding to its name; a large isolated mound-like mountain, 1865 ft. high, N.E. of Esdraelon plain. On the W. however a narrow ridge connects it with the hills of Nazareth, which lies six or eight miles off due W. The southern end of the lake of Galilee lies 12 miles off to the E. It consists of limestone; thick stone; thick forests of oak, etc., cover the sides, affording covert to wolves, boars, lynxes, and reptiles. The summit is a mile and a half in circuit, surmounted with a four-gated fortress' ruins, with an Arabic inscription on one of the gateways recording its building or rebuilding by the sultan Abu Bekr. Named among Issachar's boundaries (Joshua 19:22), but the fortified city at Mount Tabor's base may be meant there. (See CHISLOTH TABOR.) From Tabor Barak descended with his 10,000 men into the plain, at Deborah's command, and conquered Sisera at the Kishon (Judges 4:6-15). (See KEDESH.) Here Zebah and Zalmunna slew Gideon's brothers (Judges 8:18-19). Herder makes Tabor to be meant when Hoses says of Issachar and Zebulun (Deuteronomy 33:19), "they shall call the people unto the mountain, there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness." The open glades on the summit would form a suitable sanctuary, and were among "the high places" which ensnared Israel in idolatry; so Hosea 5:1, "a net spread upon Tabor." Jewish tradition states that liers in wait in Tabor and Mizpah intercepted and murdered Israelites going from the northern kingdom up to Jerusalem to worship in Jehovah's temple (compare Hosea 5:2). Jeremiah 46:18, "as Tabor is among the mountains," i.e. as it towers high and unique by itself, so Nebuchadnezzar is one not to be matched as a foe. The large, beveled stones among the ruins at the top belong to Roman times. The Lord's transfiguration Jerome and others assigned to Tabor. But the buildings on Tabor (see Josephus, B.J. 4:1, section 8, and 1 Chronicles 6:77) are inconsistent, with the solitude "apart" of which the narrative (Matthew 17:1-2) speaks. Moreover, the transfiguration took place near Caesarea Philippi; this fact, and the reference to the "snow," accord best with Mount Hermon being the scene (Mark 8:27; Mark 9:1-3). 2. The city of the Merarite Levites (1 Chronicles 6:77). (See CHISLOTH TABOR; Joshua 19:12). 3. "The plain of Tabor." Eelon, rather "the oak of Tabor" (1 Samuel 10:3). Identified by Ewald with the oak of Deborah (or Tabor differently pronounced), Rebekah's nurse (Genesis 35:8), and the palm of Deborah the prophetess (Judges 4:5; the distance from Rachel's sepulchre at Bethlehem is an objection), and the oak of the prophet of Bethel (1 Kings 13:14).

On the boundary of Zebulun (Joshua 19:12) (perhaps Iksul, W. of mount Tabor), "confidences of Tabor," i.e. "fort of Tabor" (compare 1 Chronicles 6:77).

(az' nahth-tay' bawr) Place name meaning, “ears of Tabor.” A border town of the tribe of Naphtali (Joshua 19:34 ). It may be modern Umm Jebeil near Mount Tabor.

(kihss' lahth-tay' bawr) NIV, REB spelling of Chisloth-Tabor. See Chisloth-Tabor .

Choice; purity; bruising

See Mount Tabor

Fears; purity

The ears of Tabor; the ears of purity or contrition

1. A conspicuous mountain in Galilee, about seven miles east of Nazareth. It formed a boundary to Issachar and Zebulon. Its sides are well wooded, and on the summit is an irregular plain of about a mile in circuit, with ruins of fortifications. The height of it is 1,843 feet. Joshua 19:22 ; Judges 4:6-14 ; Judges 8:18 ; Psalm 89:12 ; Jeremiah 46:18 ; Hosea 5:1 . It is now called Jebel et Tor, 32 41' N, 35 23' E . Tradition makes this the mount of Transfiguration; but it is more probable that some part of mount Hermon was chosen for the transfiguration. This has good moral associations (cf. Psalm 133:3 ), and would be more private than Tabor. 2. The 'plain of Tabor' in 1 Samuel 10:3 should be read the 'oak of Tabor' as in the R.V. 3. Levitical city in the tribe of Zebulun. 1 Chronicles 6:77 . The list of Levitical cities in Joshua 21 does not contain this name. See CHESULLOTH.

Tabor (tâ'bôr), a mound; or Mount Tabor. Judges 4:6. A single limestone mountain in central Palestine. It rises abruptly from the northeastern arm of the plain of Esdraelon, and stands entirely isolated except on the west, where a narrow ridge connects it with the hills of Nazareth. It is six miles east of Nazareth, and about 50 miles north of Jerusalem. As seen from a distance, it presents the appearance of a beautiful flattened cone, being symmetrical in its proportions, and rounded off like a hemisphere or the segment of a circle. Tabor makes a prominent figure in the Old, but is not named in the New Testament. It was the boundary between Issachar and Zebulun. Joshua 19:12; Joshua 19:22. Barak, at the command of Deborah, assembled his forces on Tabor, and descended thence, with "ten thousand men after him," into the plain, and conquered Sisera on the banks of the Kishon. Judges 4:6-15. The brothers of Gideon, each of whom "resembled the children of a king," were murdered here by Zebah and Zalmunna. Judges 8:18-19. There are the ruins of a fortress on the summit of Tabor.

-in Galilee. The name, in Hebrew, signifies a rising; and as it was centered in the midst of a wide country, it hath been called the Navel of Jezreel, similar to the holy land being called the midst of the earth, as the margin of the Bible renders it, the Navel of the earth. (See Ezekiel 38:12.) The mount of Tabor is spoken of, as beautifully covered with trees and herbage, and always affording a rich verdure. Hence, we find the Lord himself referring to mount Tabor as eminent among the mountains; "As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts; surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come." (Jeremiah 46:18.) And the Psalmist celebrates this mountain as rejoicing with Hermon in the Lord. (Psalms 89:12.) Some have thought that it was in mount Tabor the Lord Jesus was transfigured. And if so, the Psalmist, by the spirit of prophecy ages before, might well speak of the honour given to this mount, for JEHOVAH'S voice was then heard in it, when he said of Christ, "This is my beloved Son, hear him." (Luke 9:12.)

a mountain not far from Kadesh, in the tribe of Zebulun, and in the confines of Issachar and Naphtali. It has its name from its eminence, because it rises up in the midst of a wide champaign country, called the Valley of Jezreel, or the great plain. Maundrell tells us that the area at the top of this mountain is enclosed with trees, except to the south, from whence there is the most agreeable prospect in the world. Many have believed that our Lord's transfiguration took place on this mountain. This place is mentioned, 1 Samuel 10:3 . It is minutely described by both Pococke and Maundrell. The road from Nazareth lies for two hours between low hills; it then opens into the plain of Esdraelon. At about two or three furlongs within the plain, and six miles from Nazareth, rises this singular mount, which is almost entirely insulated, its figure representing a half sphere. "It is," says Pococke, "one of the finest hills I ever beheld, being a rich soil that produces excellent herbage, and is most beautifully adorned with groves and clumps of trees. The ascent is so easy, that we rode up the north side by a winding road. Some authors mention it as near four miles high, others as about two: the former may be true, as to the winding ascent up the hill. The top of it, about half a mile long, and near a quarter of a mile broad, is encompassed with a wall, which Josephus says was built in forty days: there was also a wall along the middle of it, which divided the south part, on which the city stood, from the north part, which is lower, and is called the meidan, or place, being probably used for exercises when there was a city here, which Josephus mentions by the name of Ataburion. Within the outer wall on the north side are several deep fosses, out of which, it is probable, the stones were dug to build the walls; and these fosses seem to have answered the end of cisterns, to preserve the rain water, and were also some defence to the city. There are likewise a great number of cisterns under ground for preserving the rain water. To the south, where the ascent was most easy, there are fosses cut on the outside, to render the access to the walls more difficult. Some of the gates, also, of the old city remain, as Bab-el-houah, ‘the gate of the winds,' to the west; and Bab-el-kubbe, ‘the arched gate,' a small one to the south. Antiochus, king of Syria, took the fortress on the top of this hill. Vespasian, also, got possession of it; and, after that, Josephus fortified it with strong walls. But what has made it more famous than any thing else is the common opinion, from the time of St. Jerom, that the transfiguration of our Saviour was on this mountain." Van Egmont and Heyman give the following account: "This mountain, though somewhat rugged and difficult, we ascended on horseback, making several circuits round it, which took us up about three quarters of an hour. It is one of the highest in the whole country, being thirty stadia, or about four English miles, a circumstance that rendered it more famous. And it is the most beautiful I ever saw, with regard to verdure, being every where decorated with small oak trees, and the ground universally enamelled with a variety of plants and flowers, except on the south side, where it is not so fully covered with verdure. On this mountain are great numbers of red partridges, and some wild boars; and we were so fortunate as to see the Arabs hunting them. We left, but not without reluctancy, this delightful place, and found at the bottom of it a mean village, called Deboura, or Tabour, a name said to be derived from the celebrated Deborah mentioned in Judges." Pococke notices this village, which stands on a rising ground at the foot of Mount Tabor westward; and the learned traveller thinks, that it may be the same as the Daberath, or Daberah mentioned in the book of Joshua, as on the borders of Zabulon and Issachar. "Any one," he adds, "who examines the fourth chapter of Judges, may see that this is probably the spot where Barak and Deborah met at Mount Tabor with their forces, and went to pursue Sisera; and on this account, it might have its name from that great prophetess, who then judged and governed Israel; for Josephus relates, that Deborah and Barak gathered the army together at this mountain." "From the top of Tabor," says Maundrell, "you have a prospect which, if nothing else, will reward the labour of ascending it. It is impossible for man's eyes to behold a higher gratification of this nature. On the north- west you discern at a distance the Mediterranean, and all round you have the spacious and beautiful plains of Esdraelon and Galilee. Turning a little southward, you have in view the high mountains of Gilboa, fatal to Saul and his sons. Due east you discover the sea of Tiberias, distant about one day's journey. A few points to the north appears that which they call the mount of Beatitudes. Not far from this little hill is the city Saphet: it stands upon a very eminent and conspicuous mountain, and is seen far and near." Beyond this is seen a much higher mountain, capped with snow, a part of the chain of Antilibanus. To the south-west is Carmel, and on the south the hills of Samaria.

(1): (v. i.) To play on a tabor, or little drum. (2): (v. i.) To strike lightly and frequently. (3): (v. t.) To make (a sound) with a tabor. (4): (n.) A small drum used as an accompaniment to a pipe or fife, both being played by the same person.

(Arabic: Jebel et Tour; mountain of mountains) Distinguished for its picturesque site and outline, rises above the Plains of Esdraelon, fives miles southeast of Nazareth. It played an important part in the history of Israel, was the boundary between the tribes of Issachar and Zabulon. Here Debbora assembled 10,000 Israelites under Barac to attack and destroy Sisara and his army (Judges 4); poetically treated by the prophets, Jeremiah 46; Osee, 5; and Psalms 88. Traditional scene of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.

(chihss' lohth-tay' bawr) See Chesulloth .

An isolated mountain of Galilee, on the northeastern side of the plain of Esdraelon, an arm of which extends beyond the mountain in the same direction. It is of limestone formation, conical in form, and well-wooded, especially on the north side, with fine oaks and other trees and odoriferous plants. It rises 1,350 feet above the plain at its base, which Isaiah 400 feet above the Mediterranean, and by a winding path on the north-west side one may ride to its summit in an hour. There is a small oblong plain on the summit, surrounded by a larger but less regular tract, perhaps a mile inn circumference. The prospect from Mount Tabor is extensive and beautiful. Dr. Robinson and many others speak of it as one of the finest in Paletine; and Lord Nugent declared it the most splendid he could recollect having ever seen from any natural height. See Jeremiah 46:18 . Its general features are the same as those of the view from the heights of Nazareth, five miles to the west. See Psalm 80:12 . On the summit of Tabor a fortified town anciently stood, probably of the same name, 1 Chronicles 6:77 . This was in existence, and was garrisoned by the Romans in the time of Christ, which conflicts with the tradition that makes Tabor the scene of the transfiguration. Ruins of ancient walls enclose the area of the summit; and at various points there are remains of fortifications and dwellings, some of which are of the age of the crusaders, and others of more ancient date. Tabor lay on the borders of Issachar and Zebulun, Joshua 19:12,22 . The host of Barak encamped upon it, before the battle with Sisera, Judges 4:6,12,14 . At a later day it appears to have been desecrated by idolatry, Hosea 5:1 .

AZNOTH-TABOR . The lower slopes of Mt. Tabor, marking the S.W. corner of the portion of Naphtali ( Joshua 19:34 ).

TA'BOR, n. Eng. tap. A small drum used as an accompaniment to a pipe or fife. TA'BOR, To strike lightly and frequently. Her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, taboring upon their breasts. Nahum 2 1. To play on a tabor or little drum.