HOR

[mountain; hence Mount Hor literally means “mount of the mountain,” that is, an outstanding mountain, “the mountain”].

1. The mountain near Moserah on the border of Edom where Aaron died shortly before Israel’s entry into the Promised Land. With the assembly of Israel watching, Aaron, Moses and Aaron’s son Eleazar ascended Mount Hor. On the mountaintop Moses removed Aaron’s priestly garments and clothed Eleazar with them. After this, Aaron died, and Moses and Eleazar probably buried him there.—Num. 20:22-29; Deut. 32:50; compare Deuteronomy 10:6.

According to the historian Josephus, Mount Hor was one of the high mountains encompassing the Edomite city of Petra. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book IV, chap. IV, par. 7) Tradition has linked it with Jebel Harun (“Mountain of Aaron”), a twin-topped, red sandstone mountain having an elevation of some 4,800 feet (1,463 meters) and situated less than three miles (5 kilometers) W-SW of Petra. However, Jebel Harun does not seem to fit the Biblical description of Israel’s coming from Kadesh (Kadesh-barnea) to Mount Hor “on the frontier of the land of Edom.” (Num. 33:37-39, 41) Jebel Harun is not on Edom’s border, but within that country. Thus for Israel to have reached this traditional site would have meant trespassing on Edom’s territory. But this could not have occurred, since the Israelites had previously been denied passage through Edom. (Num. 20:14-22; Deut. 2:5-8) Hence, many scholars favor as a possible identification isolated, steep-sided white chalk Jebel Madurah, a mountain about twenty-six miles (c. 42 kilometers) SW of the Dead Sea.

2. A mountain marking the northern extremity of Canaan. (Num. 34:7, 8) No certain identification can be made. Some scholars believe that this Mount Hor (Heb., hor ha-harʹ) may be the same as Mount Hermon. Others suggest that hor ha-harʹ perhaps designates the entire Lebanon range or a prominent peak thereof.