Hill, Hill Country

hil'-kun-tri: The common translation of three Hebrew words:

(1) gibh`ah, from root meaning "to be curved," is almost always translated "hill"; it is a pecuIiarly appropriate designation for the very rounded hills of Palestine; it is never used for a range of mountains. Several times it occurs as a place-name, "Gibeah of Judah" (Josh 15:20; Josh 15:57); "Gibeah of Benjamin" or "Saul" (Judg 19:12-16, etc.); "Gibeah of Phinehas" (Josh 24:33 margin), etc. (see GIBEAH). Many such hills were used for idolatrous rites (1 Kgs 14:23; 2 Kgs 17:10; Jer 2:20, etc.).

(2) har, frequently translated in the King James Version "hill," is in the Revised Version (British and American) usually translated "mountain" (compare Gen 7:19; Josh 15:9; Josh 18:15 f, and many other references), or "hillcountry." Thus we have the "hill-country of the Amorites" (Deut 1:7; Deut 1:19; Deut 1:20); the "hill-country of Gilead" (Deut 3:12); the "hill-country of Ephraim" (Josh 17:15; Josh 17:16; Josh 17:18; Josh 19:50; Josh 20:7, etc.); the "hill-country of Judah" (Josh 11:21; Josh 20:7; Josh 21:11; 2 Chr 27:4, etc.; and (he oreine) Luke 1:39; Luke 1:65); the "hill-country of Naphtali" (Josh 20:7). For geographical descriptions see PALESTINE; COUNTRY; EPHRAIM; JUDAH, etc.

(3) `ophel, is translated by "hill" in 2 Kgs 5:24; Isa 32:14; Mic 4:8, but may possibly mean "tower" or "fort." In other passages the word occurs with the article as a place-name.

See OPHEL.

E. W. G. Masterman