Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898)
GALILEE, SEA OF, a small lake of deep interest to the Bible-reader as the scene of some of the most remarkable works of Jesus. The lake is named from the district or province of Galilee. It was known by several other names, as the sea of Chinnereth, Num 34:11; Deut 3:17, or Chinneroth. Josh 11:2; 1 Chr 12:3, or Cinneroth, 1 Kgs 15:20, probably from a town of that name which stood on its shore. Josh 19:35; the lake of "Gennezareth," which is a
form of the name also given to the sea by many authors, is not found in the A.V. of our English Bible.Gennesaret, Luke 5:1, from the plain or land of that name on its north-western side. Matt 14:34; Mark 6:53; the sea of Tiberias, from the celebrated city of that name, John 6:1; and the sea, Matt 4:15. It is also called Gennesar in the Apocryjphal book of Maccabees, 1 Mace. 11:67. Its present name is Bahr Tabariyeh. It is worthy of note that all
the towns whose names were applied to this lake were situated upon its western side. Situation and Extent. — This sea is 60 miles north-east from Jerusalem, and 27 east of the Mediterranean Sea. Its form is an irregular oval or pear-shape, the broad end being toward the north. Its length is 12 1/2 miles according to Wilson, 16 1/2 according to Baedeker, and its breadth from 4 to 7 1/2 miles. Its level varies at different seasons, and is from
600 to 700 feet below the Mediterranean, the mean depression being about 626 feet, and its depth 160 feet. Physical Features. — The lake is surrounded by an almost continuous wall of hills, broken or receding occasionally, as at Tiberias, the plain of Gennesaret, and at the Jordan. The hills are of limestone, basalt, and volcanic rocks, indications of volcanic action being also specially abundant in the Jordanic chasm, though Wilson sees
nothing to indicate a volcanic origin of the lake. Hot springs abound; earthquakes are frequent. The Jordan runs through the lake, coloring its water for a mile. The water of the lake is slightly salty, but drunk by the people. Fish abound, many species having been found. Tristram says: "The shoals were marvellous black masses of many hundred yards long, with the black fins projecting out of the water as thickly as they could pack. No wonder that
any net should break which enclosed such a shoal! Yet though the lake swarms with fish as I could not have believed water could swarm, there are but two boats existing on its whole extent besides a ferry-boat." (Land of Israel, p. 430.) Baedeker notes three miserable fishing-boats. These are all that are left to remind the traveller of the numerous boats which our Saviour saw on the Sea of Galilee. Josephus describes a naval engagement which took
place on its waters between the Jews and the soldiers of Vespasian. Violent and Sketch-Map of the Sea of Galilee. (Palestine Exploration Fund.) sudden storms are common now on the lake, as in our Lord's day. Scripture History. — This lake is mentioned in the O.T. but seldom, and then rather incidentally, as in Num 34:11; Deut 3:17; Josh 11:2; 1 Chr 12:3; 1 Kgs 15:20. Its chief interest is its association with the public ministry of our Saviour.
Upon its shores was "his own city," Matt 9:1; from fishing-boats on Galilee he called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, and his partners James and John, who were thenceforth "to catch men," Matt 4:18,Matt 4:22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11; on it he stilled the tempest and made the winds and the sea obev him. Matt 8:23-27; Matt 14:22-33; see also Matt 17:27; Mark 7:31-35; at the Sea of Tiberias Christ also showed himself to the disciples after his
resurrection. John 21. Of the nine or more populous cities which stood upon its shores, the more important were Bethsaida, Capernaum, Chorazin, Tiberias, and Magdala. Present Appearance. — Porter gives an eloquent description of the lake as it appeared to him from his tent-door, on a lovely spot, at evening: " The silence was profound. Even Nature seemed to have fallen asleep. The river glided noiselessly past; the sea was spread before me like
a polished mirror. . . . East of the lake the side of Bashan's lofty plateau rose as a mountain-chain, and at its northern end my eye rested on the very scene of that miracle of mercy where thousands were fed, and at its southern end on that of the miracle of judgment, where 'the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place, and perished in the waters.' Away to the west the shattered ramparts of Tiberias seemed to rise out of the bosom of
the lake, and behind them a dark mountain, in whose caverned cliffs repose the ashes of many a learned rabbin, while over all appeared the graceful rounded top of Tabor. Farther to the right, on the white strand, I saw the huts of Magdala, with the coast of Gennesaret extending from it northward to Capernaum — Christ's own city." At the present time the lake is almost utterly forsaken: only three or four fisher-boats can be found there; while
at the time of Christ it was covered with sailing-vessels, and the surrounding western shore (the plain of Gennesaret) was, according to the glowing description of Josephus, a paradise of beauty and fertility. F.R. and C.R. Conder describe the famous sea as pear-shaped, and resembling in size the English lake Windermere. They add: "It is surrounded with precipices of limestone, except on the north, where a shelving slope leads to the shore from a
plateau of basalt extending from the foot of the highest range of Upper Galilee. The scenery of the lake is bare, and much tamer The Sea of Galilee from Tiberias. (After original Photograph.) than that of the Dead Sea. The beach is narrow except on the north-west, where the cliffs recede, leaving a fertile plain (Gennesaret), 2 1/2 miles long and 1 mile broad, watered by several fine springs. The pebbly open shore on the north is broken into
numerous bays, and is fringed with dark oleander bushes. On the south-eastern side is a palm-grove, and a few palms dot the western shore. The ruddy cliffs on the west and the steep slopes on the east are bare and desolate, but the sweet waters of the lake, in calm weather mirroring the surrounding hills and shining in the sun, present a beautiful scene, especially at evening. The sea is remarkable for its shoals of fish, for the violence of its
sudden thunder-storms, and for the hot springs along its shores. The neighborhood of the lake is also peculiarly subject to volcanic disturbances." —Handbook of the Bible, p. 215 (1879). The Rev. Dr. S. Manning encountered a sudden and violent storm on this lake, illustrating many of the details of N.T. history: "I had taken a boat, on a bright, cloudless morning, to explore the eastern shores and the point where the Jordan enters the lake.
There was not a ripple on the water, not a perceptible current in the air. Almost without warning, the wind rose: the waves, crested with foam, began to break over the sides of the boat. I was sitting on a cushion, or 'pillow,' on the flat, raised stern, 'in the hinder part of the ship,' and watched the crew 'toiling and rowing.' But all their efforts were in vain. They were unable to make any way, for 'the wind was contrary.' At length one of
them jumped overboard, and, partly swimming, partly wading, towed the vessel ashore." —Holy Fields, p. 205. Capt. Wilson experienced a similar sudden storm.