Mount Gerizim, about 2,900 feet (880 m) high, towers over the valley of Shechem, which lies between it and Mount Ebal to the north. It was at this place that the Israelites were commanded to assemble in order to hear the blessing pronounced on Gerizim, and the curse on Ebal (Deut 11:29; 27:12; Josh 8:33); from Gerizim Jotham offered his parable to the elders of Shechem in the town below (Judg 9:7).
In later times, Gerizim became the Samaritan religious center, and the biblical traditions of the altar built by Joshua on Ebal were transferred there.
A Samaritan temple, probably built to rival the Second Temple in Jerusalem, existed there during the Persian and Hellenistic periods, and was destroyed by John Hyrcanus in 111/110 B.C. Recent excavations have uncovered a large acropolis with a paved cultic temenos, fortifications and town houses. The existence of this religious center is reflected in the story of the visit by Jesus to Samaria (John chap. 4), on his way to Galilee; here he is told by the Samaritan woman that her fathers "worshiped on this mountain" that is, Mount Gerizim (John 4:20).
Concordance
Deut 11:29; 27:12. Josh 8:33. Judg 9:7
