Hill of Moreh

MOREH, HILL OF (mōr'ĕ, Heb. môreh, teacher). Mentioned only in Judg.7.1. Near this hill the Midianites were camped when Gideon attacked them. Although it cannot certainly be identified, most scholars believe the Hill of Moreh to be present-day Jebel Nabi Dahi, sometimes called the Little Hermon, to the NW of the Plain of Jezreel, about eight miles (thirteen km.) NW of Mount Gilboa and one mile (one and one-half km.) south of Nain.

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MOREH, HILL OF mŏr’ ə (Heb. מוֹרֶ֖ה, teacher), a place mentioned in Judges 7:1. The Midianites camped by (Heb. מִן, H4946) the Hill of Moreh, in the valley (of Jezreel, Judg 6:33), when they were attacked by Gideon. The exact locality of this Hill is uncertain. The reference to the valley of Jezreel excludes the possibility that this Hill must be sought in the vicinity of Shechem, as some scholars have suggested. In general it is identified with Jebel Nabi Dāhī, sometimes wrongly called the Little Hermon, eight m. NW of Mount Gilboa, one m. S of Nain.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)

The Hebrew moreh is derived from the verb yarah, "to teach," "to direct," and indicates one who directs, or gives oracular answers. We might therefore read "hill of the teacher," the height being associated with such a person who had his seat here. The hill is named only in describing the position of the Midianites before Gideon’s attack (Jud 7:1). If the identification of the Well of Harod with `Ain Jalud is correct, Gideon must have occupied the slopes to the East of Jezreel. The Midianite camp was in the valley of Jezreel (Jud 6:33). The Hebrew text in Jud 7:1, which has probably suffered some corruption, seems to mean that the Midianites lay North of the position held by Gideon, their lines running from the hill of Moreh in the plain. The hill can hardly have been other than Jebel ed-Duchy, often called Little Hermon, which rises boldly from the northern edge of the vale of Jezreel, with Shunem (Solam) lying at its western foot. Moore ("Judges," ICC, 200) would lay the scene in the neighborhood of Shechem, but there is no good reason to doubt the accuracy of the tradition which places it at the eastern end of the plain of Esdraelon.