HERMON
«Sacred mountain». Mount called Sirion by the Sidonians and Senir by the Amorites (Deut. 3:8, 9), this last name specially designating a part of the chain (1 Chron. 5:23). Hermon was sometimes called “Mount Zion” (Deut. 4:48).
Under Moses and Joshua this summit constituted the northeastern limit of Israel’s conquests (Deut. 3:8, 9; Josh. 11:3, 17; 12:1; 13:5, 11; 1 Chron. 5:23).
Hebrew poetry associates it with Tabor (Ps. 89:13), Zion (Ps. 133:3), Lebanon (Song. 4:8), but Hermon surpasses them all.
Located at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon chain, it rises to more than 2,800 meters high. From its summit, which can be seen from many places in Palestine, there is a wonderful panoramic view, reaching Lebanon, the plain of Damascus, Tyre, Carmel, the mountains and plains of the Upper and Lower Galilee, Lake Hulé and the Sea of Galilee.
Hermon has three summits. The highest is the one found to the southeast. The full translation of Ps. 42:6, 7 is: “It is of you that I think, from the land of Jordan, from the Hermones.” This plural probably designates the entire mountain range.
The summit is crowned with perpetual snow; From it the elongated glaciers descend towards numerous valleys.
The transfiguration of our Lord probably took place in one of the areas removed from him, rather than on the top of the mountain. The Arabic name for Hermon is Djebel es-Sheikh.