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Bible Encyclopedias
Lebanon
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or the loftiest and most celebrated mountain range in Syria, forming the northern boundary of Palestine, and running thence along the coast of the Mediterranean to the great pass which opens into the plain of Hamath. The range of Anti-Lebanon, usually included by geographers under the same general name, lies parallel to the other, commencing on the south at the fountains of the Jordan, and terminating in the plain of Hamath. The two are in fact but a northern partitions of the great central ridge or back-bone of the entire country. (See PALESTINE).
I. The Name. — In the O. Test. these mountain ranges are always called
לְבָנוֹן, Lebanon', to which, in prose, the art. is constantly prefixed,
הִלֻּבָנוֹן; in poetry the art. is sometimes prefixed and sometimes not, as in Isaiah 14:8, and Psalms 29:5. The origin of the name has been variously accounted for. It is derived from the root לָבָן, "to be white." הִר הִלְּבָנוֹן is thus emphatically "The White Mountain" of Syria. It is a singular fact that almost uniformly the names of the highest mountains in all countries have a like meaning-Mont Blanc, Himalaya (in Sanscrit signifying "snowy"), Ben Naeris, Snowdon, perhaps also Alps (from alb, "white," like the Latin albus, and not, as commonly thought, from alp, "high"). Some suppose the name originated in the white snow by which the ridge is covered a great part of the year (Bochart, Opera, 1:678; Gesenius, Thlesaurus, p. 741: Stanley, S. and P. p. 395). Others derive the name from the whitish color of the limestone rock of which the great body of the range is composed (Schulz, Leitungen des Hochsten, 5:471; Robhison, Biblic. Res. 2:493). The former seems the more natural explanation, and is confirmed by several circumstances. Jeremiah mentions the "snow of Lebanon" (18:14); in the Chald. paraphrase טוּר תַּלְגָא "snow mountain," is the name given to it, and this is equivalent to a not uncommon modern Arabic appellation, Jebel eth-Thelj (Gesenius, Thesaurus, l. c.; Abulfeda, Tab. Syr. p. 18). Others derive the name Lebanon from λιβανωτός, "frankincense," the gum of a tree called λίβανος (Reland, Palest. p. 312; Herod. 1:183), which is mentioned among the gifts presented by the magi to the infant Savior (Matthew 2:11). This, however, is in Hebrew לְבוֹנָה, Lebonah (Exodus 30:34; Isaiah 60:6). The Greek name of Lebanon, both in the Septuagint and classic authors, is uniformly Λίβανος (Strabo, 16:755; Ptol. 5:15). The Septuagint has sometimes Ἀντιλίβανος instead of Λίβανος (Deuteronomy 1:7; Deuteronomy 3:25 : Joshua 1:4; Joshua 9:1). The Latin name is Libanus (Pliny, 5:17), which is the reading of the Vulgate. It would appear that the Greek and Roman geographers regarded the name as derived from the snow. Tacitus speaks of it as a remarkable phenomenon that snow should lie where there is such intense heat (Hist. 5:6). Jerome writes, "Libanus λευκασμός — id est, clandor interpretatur" (Adersus Jovianum, in Opera, 2:286, ed. Migne); he also notes the identity of the name of this mountain and frankincense (in Osee, in Opera, 6:160). Arab geographers call the range Jebel Libnon (Abulfeda, Tab. Sgr. p. 163; Edrisi, p. 336, edit. Jaubert). This name, however, is now seldom heard among the people of Syria, and when used it is confined to the western range. Different parts of this range have distinct names — the northern section is called Jebel Akkur, the central Sunnin, and the southern J. ed- Druze. Other local names are also used.
The eastern range, as well as the western, is frequently included under the general name Lebanon in the Bible (Joshua 1:4; Judges 3:3); but in Joshua 13:5 it is correctly distinguished as "Lebanon toward the sunrising" (הִלְּבָנוֹן מַזְרִח הִשֶּׁמֶשׁ; Sept. Λίβανον ἀπὸἀνατολῶν ἡλίου, and translated in the Vulg. Libani quoque regio contra orientean). The southern section of this range was well known to the sacred writers as HERMON, and had in ancient times several descriptive titles given to it — Sirion, Shenir, Sion; just as it has in modern days — Jebel esh-Sheik, J. eth-Thelj, J. A ntâ r. Greek writers called the whole range Ἀντιλίβανος (Strabo, 16, p. 754; Ptolemy, 5:15), a word which is sometimes found in the Sept. as the rendering of the Hebrew Lebanon (ut supra). Latin authors also uniformly distinguish the eastern range by the name Antilibanus (Pliny, 5:20). The name is appropriate, describing its position, lying "opposite" or "over against" Lebanon (Strabo, 1. c.). Yet this distinction does not seem to have been known to Josephus, who uniformly calls the eastern as well as the western range Aivano; thus he speaks of the fountains of the Jordan as being near to Libanus (Atn. 5:3, 1), and of Abila as situated in Libanus (19:5, 1). The range of Anti-Lebanon is now called by all native geographers Jebel esh-Shurky, "East mountain," to distinguish it from Lebanon proper, which is sometimes termed Jebel el-Ghurby, "West mountain" (Robinson, Biblical Res. 2:437; Burckhardt, Travels in Syria, p. 4).
To insure greater definiteness, and to prevent repetition, the name Lebanon will be applied in this article to the western range, and Anti-Lebanon to the eastern.
II. Physical Geography. —
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