Hillsides in the Bible often serve as significant locations for events, teachings, and symbolic meanings. They are frequently mentioned throughout the Scriptures, providing settings for divine encounters, battles, and teachings. The topography of the ancient Near East, with its numerous hills and valleys, naturally made hillsides prominent in biblical narratives.

Symbolism and Significance

Hillsides in the Bible often symbolize places of revelation and divine encounter. They are elevated locations where individuals can draw closer to God, both physically and spiritually. The elevation of a hillside can represent a place of refuge, perspective, and communion with the divine. In the Psalms, hills are often depicted as places of strength and stability: "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2).

Notable Hillsides in Scripture

1. Mount Sinai: Although more of a mountain than a hillside, Mount Sinai is a critical location where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. This event underscores the hillside as a place of divine law and covenant (Exodus 19-20).

2. Mount Carmel: The site of Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal, Mount Carmel is a hillside that represents God's power and the triumph of true worship over idolatry (1 Kings 18:19-40).

3. The Sermon on the Mount: Jesus delivered one of His most famous teachings on a hillside, known as the Sermon on the Mount. This location emphasizes the hillside as a place of teaching and spiritual insight (Matthew 5-7).

4. The Mount of Olives: Frequently mentioned in the New Testament, the Mount of Olives is a hillside that holds eschatological significance. It is the place where Jesus prayed before His crucifixion and where He ascended into heaven (Matthew 26:30, Acts 1:9-12).

Hillsides as Places of Refuge and Battle

Hillsides also serve as strategic locations in biblical narratives, often providing refuge or a vantage point in times of conflict. David sought refuge in the hills when fleeing from Saul, highlighting the hillside as a place of safety and divine protection (1 Samuel 23:14). Additionally, battles often took place on or near hillsides, where the terrain could be used to an army's advantage (Judges 7:1-8).

Worship and Idolatry

While hillsides are often associated with divine encounters, they are also places where idolatry occurred. The "high places" mentioned in the Old Testament were often located on hillsides and were sites of pagan worship that the Israelites were commanded to destroy (2 Kings 23:5). This duality underscores the importance of the heart's orientation in worship, whether on a hillside or elsewhere.

Conclusion

Hillsides in the Bible are multifaceted, serving as places of divine encounter, teaching, refuge, and sometimes idolatry. They remind believers of the importance of seeking God, whether in times of peace or conflict, and the need to maintain pure worship.2048. eremos -- solitary, desolate
... Here and there, in clefts and basins, and on the hillsides, grade on grade, you
observe a patch of corn, a clump of olives, a single palm' " (, 22).]. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2048.htm - 8k

"Come Thou and all Thy House into the Ark. "
... Well, things went on as usual. Little lambs skipped on the hillsides each spring. ...
They flee up the hillsides. And there is a wail going up: "Noah! Noah! Noah! ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/the overcoming life/come thou and all thy.htm

The Economic Challenge to the Church
... and other outbuildings, form a marked contrast with the patches of corn in irregular
fields cleared from the brush and scrub trees on hillsides in Tennessee or ...
/.../church cooperation in community life/chapter iii the economic challenge.htm

Thou Spreadest Before Me a Table in the Presence of Mine Enemies.
... and poison the herd; while around the feeding places and grazing grounds very often
lie hid, in thickets and holes and caves in the hillsides, wild animals ...
/.../callan/the shepherd of my soul/ix thou spreadest before me.htm

The Great Stone Face
... inhabitants. Some of these good people dwelt in log huts, with the black forest
all around them, on the steep and difficult hillsides. ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the great stone face.htm

Dissolving views.
... And they "tracked Him down" here and there on the hillsides, among clumps of trees,
until suddenly they come upon Him quietly praying with a wondrous calm in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on prayer/dissolving views.htm

Courageous Volunteers.
... Now He would lessen their numbers, but in doing it He will pick out the best.
The men are encamped on the hillsides overlooking a valley. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/courageous volunteers.htm

A Composite Picture.
... The hilltop back of Nazareth village, the slopes of Olivet, the hillsides
overlooking the Galilean lake, were His favourite places. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on prayer/a composite picture.htm

The Shepherd Boy of Bethlehem.
... he come hither.". So Jesse sent out into the sheepfolds on the hillsides
outside the city to bring the lad David in. What did the ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xix the shepherd boy.htm

The Lord and the Little Ones --Leaving Galilee.
... the people came out of their houses and lived in bowers on the streets and public
squares, or upon the flat roofs of the houses, and the hillsides round were ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxviii the lord and.htm

The Good Shepherd.
... voice. "As we ate and looked, almost spellbound, the silent hillsides around
us were in a moment filled with sounds and life. The ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/the good shepherd.htm

Hillsides (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Hillsides (1 Occurrence). 1 Samuel 13:6 When the
men of Israel saw the danger they were in, (for the people ...
/h/hillsides.htm - 6k

Botany
... He is one of the most destructive of animals, and as he has for long ages been allowed
to graze freely all over the hillsides, it is not wonderful that in many ...
/b/botany.htm - 38k

Woods (37 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw the danger they were in, (for the people
were troubled,) they took cover in cracks in the hillsides and in the woods ...
/w/woods.htm - 18k

Myrtle (7 Occurrences)
... On the bare hillsides it is a low bush, but under favorable conditions of moisture
it attains a considerable height (compare Zechariah 1:8, 10). ...
/m/myrtle.htm - 12k

Cracks (9 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw the danger they were in, (for the people
were troubled,) they took cover in cracks in the hillsides and in the woods ...
/c/cracks.htm - 9k

Semites
... (2) We must return to the historic and the more natural location of the ancient
Semitic home on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys of Armenia. ...
/s/semites.htm - 27k

Semitic
... (2) We must return to the historic and the more natural location of the ancient
Semitic home on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys of Armenia. ...
/s/semitic.htm - 28k

Hollows (5 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw the danger they were in, (for the people
were troubled,) they took cover in cracks in the hillsides and in the woods ...
/h/hollows.htm - 7k

Holes (36 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw the danger they were in, (for the people
were troubled,) they took cover in cracks in the hillsides and in the woods ...
/h/holes.htm - 17k

Agriculture
... later. To make use of the soil on the hillsides, terracing was frequently
necessary. Examples of these old terraces still exist. ...
/a/agriculture.htm - 27k

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus