Hermon (I)

I. HERMON, Chermon, Aërmon, or Baal-hermon. The Sidonians called it SirionDeut. iii. 9, 10.; and the Amorites Shenir. St. Jerom says, that this Mountain lies higher than Paneas, and that in summer-time, there was snow carried from thence to Tyre, that people might drink there in fresco. The Chaldee and Samaritan Interpreters call it Ad Deut. iv. 48.the Mountain of Snow, because it is always covered with it, by reason of its height. In the book of Deuteronomy, Sion is spoken of, Deut. iv. 48. שיאן הוא חרמוןDeut. iii. 8. iv. 48.as if it were a part of Mount Hermon. The Scripture places Mount Hermon as the northern boundary of the land beyond Jordan, and the brook Arnon as the southern. Baal-gad was situated in the plain of Libanus, at the foot of Mount Hermon; and Josh. xi. 17. Josh. xi. 3.the Hivites dwelt under the same Mountain in the land of Mizpeh, from Baal-Hermon unto the entring in of Hamath. Mount Hermon belonged to King Og, and lay at Judg. iii. 3. Josh. xii. 5. xiii. 3. Lib. Enoch. c. 1.the northern extremity of his dominions, before the Israelites made a conquest of them.

The Author of the apocryphal book of Enoch says, that the Angels, whom he calls Egregori, the Watchful, falling in love with women, held a meeting on Mount Hermon, in the Patriarch Jared’s time, and engaged themselves by oath, and by anathemas pronounced by them, never to separate till they had executed their resolution, which was to take unto them wives of the daughters of men. The anathemas by which they devoted themselves, if they failed in their promise, were the reason of this Mountain’s being called Hermon, that is to say, Anathema¹. The Psalmist says, that the Union of Psalm cxxxiii. 3. ציון Zion. שיאןPriests is as agreeable as the dew of Hermon which fell upon the hill of Zion. Hermon is the general name of a Mountain with several little Hills belonging to it, one whereof was called Sion, another Shenin, or Sirion. Thus the dew of Mount Hermon falls upon the Hill of Sion, which is joined to it, as sweet oil from Aaron’s beard upon the neck of his Tunick. It is true, Sion or Zion in Psalm cxxxiii. is written differently from that of Deuteronomy: but as these are Psalm lxxxix. 13.letters of the same sound and organ, we need not make any difficulty of confounding them.

Psal. xlii. 8.The same Psalmist says elsewhere, Thou hast made the north and the south, Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice before thee. The situation of Tabor is known. This Mountain lies between the Mediterranean to the west, and the sea of Tiberias to the east. Mount Hermon is to the north of both. In the Hebrew it is, Thou hast created the north and the right hand; that is to say, the north and the south. Tabor to the south, and Mount Hermon to the north, shall rejoice before thee. The two parts of this verse are, as it were, synoninious, and explain one another.

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