Scenes From the Promised Land

Gennesaret​—‘Wonderful and Beautiful’

“Alongside Lake Gennesareth is a stretch of country with the same name, wonderful in its characteristics and in its beauty. Thanks to the rich soil there is not a plant that does not flourish there, and the inhabitants grow everything: the air is so temperate that it suits the most diverse species. . . . Not only does it produce the most surprisingly diverse fruits; it maintains a continuous supply. . . . It is watered by a spring with great fertilizing power.”

Thus historian Josephus described the triangular plain on the northwestern edge of what is commonly known as the Sea of Galilee. The photographs above may give you an idea of how productive this plain was, one of the most fertile in Galilee.a This area was so significant in ancient times that the Gospel writer Luke called the adjacent freshwater sea “the lake of Gennesaret.”​—Luke 5:1.

He used that expression when relating that Jesus came to this area and found four men who became apostles. Were they farmers who lived off the fertile soil, raising grapes, walnuts, olives, or figs? No. Such crops abounded on the Plain of Gennesaret, but these men were fishermen, and it is easy to understand why they were.

Likely the streams through the plain carried to the sea vegetation that could become a feast for fish. So the waters teemed with a variety of fish, leading to a sizable fishing industry. Peter and Andrew were commercial fishermen there, as were James and John, the sons of fisherman Zebedee.​—Matthew 4:18-22; Luke 5:2-11.

Often the fishing was done by spreading dragnets from a boat. That is what Peter and Andrew were doing when Jesus approached. A long seine, or dragnet, was spread in a semicircle. Wooden floats held up the top edge, while weights along the bottom kept the net stretched toward the seabed. Large numbers of fish could be caught in such a net. Then it was drawn into the boat or dragged into shallower water, to be emptied on shore. Fish fit for food would be separated from the unsuitable. Note the accuracy of detail at Luke 5:4-7 and John 21:6-11. Do you recall that Jesus mentioned this method of fishing in his illustration of the dragnet? (Matthew 13:47, 48) In addition, Matthew 4:21 highlights that often the fishermen had to spend time mending nets torn on rocks or by the fish.

If you traveled along this coastline of Gennesaret, you would probably see a couple of spots said to be where events in Jesus’ ministry occurred. One is a green hill on which, according to tradition, Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount. This location does not conflict with the Gospel accounts, for Jesus was near the Plain of Gennesaret when delivering that sermon.​—Matthew 5:1–7:29; Luke 6:17–7:1.

Another spot claimed to be authentic does not match the Biblical facts. You will find a church supposedly built where Jesus fed 4,000 from seven loaves and a few fishes. (Matthew 15:32-38; Mark 8:1-9) Rather than placing this on the Plain of Gennesaret, Mark’s account mentions “the regions of Decapolis,” which was across the sea over seven miles [11 km] away.​—Mark 7:31.

Matthew and Mark say that after performing this miracle, Jesus traveled by boat to Magadan, or Dalmanutha. (Matthew 15:39; Mark 8:10) Scholars link this region with Magdala (Migdal), just south of the Plain of Gennesaret, toward Tiberias. According to The Macmillan Bible Atlas, Magdala was “famous for its fish-curing industry.” The bountiful fishing in this part of the lake certainly could make such an industry practical and profitable.

Interestingly, a drought in 1985/86 lowered the water level in the Sea of Galilee, exposing stretches of the lake bed. Near the Plain of Gennesaret, two men found the remains of an ancient boat. Archaeologists were able to recover this wooden fishing boat dating from around the time when Jesus visited the Lake and Plain of Gennesaret.

[Footnotes]

[Picture Credit Line on page 24]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

[Picture Credit Line on page 24]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

[Picture Credit Line on page 25]

Garo Nalbandian

[Picture Credit Line on page 25]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.