Galilee

Galilee (הגליל), meaning circuit, is a large area in northern Israel, which divided to three parts: Upper Galilee, Lower Galilee and Western Galilee.

Solomon rewarded Hiram for certain services rendered him by the gift of an upland plain among the mountains of Naphtali. Hiram was dissatisfied with the gift, and called it "the land of Cabul". The Jews called it Galil.

Galilee embraces more than one-third of Israel, extending "from Dan on the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, to the ridges of Carmel and Gilboa on the south, and from the Jordan valley on the east away across the splendid plains of Jezreel and Akko to the shores of the Mediterranean on the west." In Roman times, Israel was divided into three provinces, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, which comprehended the whole northern section of the country, and was the largest of the three.

It was the scene of some of the most memorable events of Jewish history. Galilee also was the home of Jesus during at least thirty years of his life. The first three Gospels of the New Testament are chiefly taken up with Jesus' public ministry in this province.

See also: Sea of Galilee (also known as Sea of Tiberias)

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Initial text from Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897 -- Please update as needed