Hill; Hill Country

From BibleEncyclopedia.Net

hil´kun-tri:

The common translation of three Hebrew words:

(1) גּבעה, gibh‛āh, from root meaning “to be curved,” is almost always translated “hill”; it is a pecuIiarly appropriate designation for the very rounded hills of Palestine; it is never used for a range of mountains. Several times it occurs as a place-name, “Gibeah of Judah” (Jos_15:20, Jos_15:57); “Gibeah of Benjamin” or “Saul” (Jdg_19:12-16, etc.); “Gibeah of Phinehas” (Jos_24:33 margin), etc. (see Gibeah). Many such hills were used for idolatrous rites (1Ki_14:23; 2Ki_17:10; Jer_2:20, etc.).

(2) הר, har, frequently translated in the King James Version “hill,” is in the Revised Version (British and American) usually translated “mountain” (compare Gen_7:19; Jos_15:9; Jos_18:15 f, and many other references), or “hillcountry.” Thus we have the “hill-country of the Amorites” (Deu_1:7, Deu_1:19, Deu_1:20); the “hill-country of Gilead” (Deu_3:12); the “hill-country of Ephraim” (Jos_17:15, Jos_17:16, Jos_17:18; Jos_19:50; Jos_20:7, etc.); the “hill-country of Judah” (Jos_11:21; Jos_20:7; Jos_21:11; 2Ch_27:4, etc.; and (ἡ ὀρεινή, hē oreinḗ) Luk_1:39, Luk_1:65); the “hill-country of Naphtali” (Jos_20:7). For geographical descriptions see Palestine; Country; Ephraim; Judah, etc.

(3) עפל, ‛ōphel, is translated by “hill” in 2Ki_5:24; Isa_32:14; Mic_4:8, but may possibly mean “tower” or “fort.” In other passages the word occurs with the article as a place-name. See Ophel.