HALAK, MOUNT hā’ lăk (הָ֤ר הֶֽחָלָק, smooth mountain). A mountain that formed the southern limit of the conquests of Joshua (Josh 11:17; 12:7). It is referred to as “Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir.” It is prob. to be identified with Jebel Halaq on the NW side of the Wadi Marra.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
A mountain that marked the southern limit of the conquests of Joshua (Jos 11:17; 12:7). It is spoken of as the "mount Halak (literally, "the bare" or "smooth mountain") that goeth up to Seir." The latter passage locates it on the West of the Arabah. The southern boundary of the land is defined by the ascent of Akrabbim (Nu 34:4; Jos 15:3). This may with some certainty be identified with the pass known today as naqb es-Safa, "pass of the smooth rock," through which runs the road from the South to Hebron. To the Southwest opens Wady Maderah, a continuation of Waddy el-Fiqrah, in which there rises a conspicuous hill, Jebel Maderah, composed of limestone, answering well the description of a bare or smooth mountain. It is a striking feature of the landscape viewed from all sides, and may well be the mount here referred to.
See also HOR, MOUNT.
