The Sea of Galilee
by Bill Boyd
The headwaters of the Sea of Galilee are up in the snows of Mount Hermon. The peaks of Hermon are over 9,200 feet above sea level. When waters from those peaks reach the Sea of Galilee, they will have dropped about 10,000 feet, because the surface of that inland lake is 700 feet below sea level. It is the lowest freshwater lake in the world. Hills surround this lake like the sides of a bowl. It is somewhat pear-shaped, being about 8 miles wide east to west, and about 12 miles long north to south.
The Via Maris has been called the oldest road in the world. It links Egypt with Damascus, and from Damascus roads go east into India and west into Europe. This road parallels the upper Jordan River until it reaches the Sea of Galilee. From there it skirts the north shore before carrying the traveler to the coastal plain of the Mediterranean. During the time of Jesus, there were more people living in the villages along this shore than in the city of Jerusalem. When Jesus came from Nazareth to Capernaum, he did not come to a backwater town. He came to a busy place where many were passing and where news of what he was doing would quickly spread far and wide.
It is a 33-mile walk around the shoreline. Beginning in the south, where the waters empty into the lower Jordan, and traveling clockwise, a traveler can visit the sites of the ancient villages that surrounded this sea.
Hammath is the first village of interest. It is located where hot springs still flow. It is mentioned in Joshua 19:35 as a fortified city given to the tribe of Napthali. This is the Hammothdor mentioned in Joshua 21:32 that was reserved for the Levites.
Tiberias was founded by Herod Antipas to curry the favor of Emperor Tiberius when Jesus was about 20 years old. The lake is sometimes called “the sea of Tiberius’ (John 6:1; 6:23, & 21:1).
Magdala lies at the foot of Mount Arbel. It is mentioned in Matthew 15:39, and it was the home of Mary Magdalene. A synagogue that dates to the time of Jesus has been excavated in Magdala, and it is almost certain that Jesus would have taught there (Matthew 4:23).
Gennesaret is a fertile plain through which passed the Via Maris. The sea has been called the lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1). A fishing boat was discovered in 1986 in the water near this plain that also dates to the time of Jesus. The remains of this boat are now on display near the sea.
Chinnereth is another village mentioned in Joshua 19:35. It lies at the edge of the Gennesaret plain, and it is one of the oldest cities near the shore. In the Old Testament, this sea is called the sea of Chinneroth (Joshua 12:3) or Chinnereth (Joshua 13:27), either from the name of this city, or from the Hebrew word for harp, because the sea is shaped somewhat like a harp.
A hill on the north shore is the traditional site of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). It is near here that Jesus called his first disciples (Luke 5:1-11), and where he met with them after his resurrection (John 21).
Capernaum became the home of Jesus. Here he performed many miracles. A 4th-century synagogue is built over the 1st-century synagogue where Jesus taught, and nearby the house of Peter has been identified.
Bethsaida, east of the upper Jordan, was a fishing village that was once the home of Phillip, Andrew, and Peter (John 1:44).
Gergesa, down on the eastern shore, is where Jesus encountered a legion of demons that went into the swine, and where the swine went down a steep place and perished in the sea (Matthew 8:28-34). It was somewhere along this shore where Jesus fed the multitudes (Matthew 14:13-21; 15:32-39).
The sea is an interesting place to visit. It is sometimes beautiful and sometimes stark, depending on the season of the year. It is known worldwide because it was the setting for much of the work of Jesus.
