"high place." Near Merom the northern Canaanite kings and their allies were defeated by Joshua (Joshua 11:5, 7). Generally, these "waters" are identified with the lake that the waters of the Jordan used to form, almost 18 km north of Lake Galilee.
This lake, recently drained by the State of Israel to dedicate the land taken from the waters for agricultural purposes, measured around 6.6 km long by 5.5 km wide; The lake basin is at 210 m. above the Sea of Galilee and its surface was two meters above the level of the Mediterranean.
This is almost certainly the Semechonite Lake mentioned by Josephus (Ant. 5:5, 1; Wars 4:1, 1). It occupied the southern area of a swamp more than 24 km long and 8 km high. It is called the Hulêh Valley, and the body of water was called Bahret el-Hulêh, Lake of Hulêh.
This Arabic term, which also designates the plain south of Hamath, seems to perpetuate the mountain of the district of Ulatha, between Trachonitis and Galilee (Ant. 15:10, 3).
Apart from the traditional position, there are expositors who identify Merom with the current Meirõn, west of Safed, and others are in favor of identifying this place with Mãrûn el-Rãs, where the perennial waters of the "'Aubã" oasis are found. Nearby there are a hundred fountains.
Meaning of MEROM
"high place." Near Merom the northern Canaanite kings and their allies were defeated by Joshua (Joshua 11:5, 7). Generally, these "waters" are identified with the lake that the waters of the Jordan used to form, almost 18 km north of Lake Galilee.
