Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal: The Mountains of Blessing and Curse

Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal Israel are twin mountains flanking the valley of Shechem in the heart of the Samarian mountains, designated by Moses as the mountains of blessing and curse. The ceremony that Moses commanded, and that Joshua later performed, is one of the most dramatic rituals in the Bible, and the geography of the two mountains, facing each other across a narrow valley, makes the scene vivid and immediate.

The Geography: A Natural Amphitheater

Mount Gerizim (881 meters) and Mount Ebal (940 meters) rise steeply on either side of a narrow east-west valley, no more than about 500 meters wide at its base. The valley between them forms a natural amphitheater with extraordinary acoustics: sound carries clearly from one mountainside to the other, and voices projected from the valley floor can be heard high up on both slopes. The southern mountain, Gerizim, receives more rainfall and is greener and more fertile. The northern mountain, Ebal, is higher but more barren and rocky. This geographic contrast may explain why tradition assigned the blessings to the lush southern slope and the curses to the stark northern one. The ancient city of Shechem sat at the eastern end of this valley pass, controlling a major crossroads in the central highlands.

Moses’ Command

Moses gave the instruction before the Israelites crossed the Jordan: “When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses” (Deuteronomy 11:29). Six tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, and six on Mount Ebal to pronounce the curses. The Levites, standing in the valley between the mountains, recited the blessings and curses, and the people responded “Amen” (Deuteronomy 27:11-26). The text specifies a detailed script of twelve curses, covering idolatry, dishonoring parents, moving boundary stones, leading the blind astray, and perverting justice for the vulnerable.

Joshua’s Ceremony

Joshua performed the ceremony after the conquest of Ai: “Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them” (Joshua 8:34-35). Joshua also built an altar on Mount Ebal and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings (Joshua 8:30-31). The acoustics of the valley between Gerizim and Ebal are remarkable: voices carry clearly from one mountainside to the other, and guides who demonstrate the phenomenon leave visitors with a tangible understanding of how the ceremony could have worked with hundreds of thousands of people participating.

Mount Gerizim

Mount Gerizim is the sacred mountain of the Samaritans, who believe it, not Jerusalem, is the place God chose for his Temple. The Samaritans maintain a community on the mountain to this day and perform the Passover sacrifice on its summit each year, the only community in the world that still practices the biblical animal sacrifice. The nearby community of Har Bracha offers panoramic views over the entire Shechem valley from the slopes of Gerizim.

Mount Ebal

Mount Ebal is the higher of the two mountains and the more barren, consistent with its role as the mountain of the curse. On its slopes, an ancient stone structure was discovered by the archaeologist Adam Zertal in 1980 and identified by him as Joshua’s altar, a claim that remains debated but has drawn significant scholarly and public attention. The structure matches several biblical specifications: unworked stones, a ramp rather than steps, and abundant animal bone ash consistent with burnt offerings.

Visit with Hoshen Tours

Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal are the mountains of blessing and curse, central to the biblical covenant. Hoshen Tours pairs them with the overlook at Har Bracha, the altar debate at Joshua’s Altar, the encounter at Jacob’s Well, and Abraham’s first camp at Alon Moreh.