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Timherries (talk | contribs) →Biblical account: tag was in reference to Jewish Virtual Library reference, which has been replaced |
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According to the [[Hebrew Bible]], as related in [[Deuteronomy]], when they first entered [[Canaan]], the [[Israelites]] celebrated the event with ceremonies of blessings and cursings: the ceremonies of blessings took place on Mount Gerizim, and the cursings on nearby [[Mount Ebal]].<ref name="auto"/><ref name=Magen>Yitzakh Magen, 'The Dating of the First Phase of the Samaritan Temple on Mt Gerizim in Light of Archaeological Evidence,' in Oded Lipschitz, Gary N. Knoppers, Rainer Albertz (eds.) ''Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century B.C.E.,'' Eisenbrauns, 2007 pp. 157ff, 183.</ref> The ''[[Pulpit Commentary]]'' suggests that these mountains were selected probably "because they stand in the center of the Land both from north to south, and from east to west". A commentary in the [[Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges]] argues that "the face of Gerizim, the mount of blessing, is the more fertile; the opposite face of Ebal, the mount of curse, much the more bare",<ref>Smith, G. A., [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/deuteronomy/11.htm Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges] on Deuteronomy 11, accessed 2015-11-25.</ref> but the ''Pulpit Commentary'' states that both Gerizim and Ebal are "equally barren-looking, though neither is wholly destitute of culture and vegetation".<ref>[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/deuteronomy/11.htm Pulpit Commentary on Deuteronomy 11], accessed 2015-11-25.</ref>
The [[Masoretic Text]] says that Moses had also commanded the Israelites to build an altar on Mount Ebal, constructed from natural (rather than cut) stones, to place stones there and whiten them with [[calcium oxide|lime]],<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> to make [[korban|sacrificial offerings on the altar]], eat there, and write the [[Law of Moses|Mosaic Law]] in stones there.<ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|27:4-8|OJB}}</ref>
All versions of the biblical text then have Moses' specifying how the Israelites should split between the two groups that were to pronounce blessings from Mount Gerizim and to pronounce curses from Mount Ebal. The tribes [[Tribe of Simeon|of Simeon]], [[Tribe of Levi|Levi]], [[Tribe of Judah|Judah]], [[Tribe of Issachar|Issachar]], [[Tribe of Joseph|Joseph]], and [[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjamin]] were to be sent to Gerizim, while those [[Tribe of Reuben|of Reuben]], [[Tribe of Gad|Gad]], [[Tribe of Asher|Asher]], [[Tribe of Zebulun|Zebulun]], [[Tribe of Dan|Dan]], and [[Tribe of Naphtali|Naphtali]] were to remain on Ebal.<ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|27:11–13|HE}}</ref>
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