Was Mount Moriah the same place as Calvary, the place of the crucifiction?

Was the mountain in the land of Moriah, upon which Isaac was offered, the mountain on which our Lord was crucified?

It is important to notice the exact wording of Scripture. Abraham was told to go “INTO THE LAND OF MORIAR” and offer Isaac there “UPON ONE OF THE MOUNTAINS WHICH I WILL TELL THEE OF,” so that the exact place is unknown. Probably the principal height was Moriah, and the scene of Genesis 22: one of the lower spurs of the mountain. Mount Moriah or Zion is actually at Jerusalem, and in 2 Chronicles 3:1 we learn that Solomon’s temple was there. Now, it is nowhere said in Scripture that Calvary was a mountain, or even a “green hill,” but is simply called “a place.” But then it must be remembered that the whole of Jerusalem and its suburbs is a mountainous district. We read of “the mountains round about Jerusalem” (Psalm 125:2), so that though our Lord was crucified outside Jerusalem, and not actually on Moriah, it MAY have been the spot where Isaac was offered. All the verbs of John 8:6 are in the aorist tense, and thus connect Abraham’s joy with a special incident, when “he rejoiced to see the day of Christ.” And he called the name of the place “Jehovah-Jireh” i.e. “in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” The word, “mount,” is the Hebrew for “mountain” (har), and includes a mountainous district, properly describing “the place called Calvary.” However, we must not be too dogmatic on the point raised.

W.H.

Other pages in this section

No one has commented on this article.

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]

Main Menu