Where is Mount Moriah is located?

October 17, 2021
ā€œGo to the land of Moriahā€ (Shutterstock)
ā€œGo to the land of Moriahā€ (Shutterstock)

The famous story of the Binding of Isaac begins with God telling Abraham to take his beloved son Isaac ā€œto the land of Moriahā€ however, nowhere else in Genesis is Moriah mentioned. So where is the land of Moriah?

We do have some clues in the text. Genesis 21:33 places Abraham at the time in Beā€™er Sheva and 22:4 says that he travelled on his donkey for three days before encountering Moriah. With a little Google research, I discovered that a donkey can travel approximately 20 miles per day and so, Abrahamā€™s destination must be around 60 miles from Beā€™er Sheva. There are no other clues in the text, so how are we to know where Abraham took his son Isaac for the monumental test of faith??

The Bible is not meant to be read in a vacuum, and we must be familiar with it deeply in order to grasp a basic understanding. There is only one other place in the Bible that mentions Moriah, and that is the second book of Chronicles:

The Book of Chronicles tells us precisely that Moriah is in Jerusalem, the site of the Temple (See ancient map of Israel)! Sure enough, Jerusalem is exactly 60 miles from Beer Sheva, a 3-day donkey trek just as the Bible describes!

Now that we know the location of Mount Moriah, what does Moriah mean in Hebrew?

There are several explanations by Jewish sages as to the meaning of Moriah, that illuminate different aspects of the significance of this very holy site.

One opinion is that Moriah is related to the word Horaā€™a, meaning ā€˜teachingā€™, very similar to the word ā€˜Torah.ā€™ After all, Mount Moriah was where the Temple stood, where the Sanhedrin court ruled from, where the Tablets rested in the Holy Ark, and where Torah spread to the rest of the world.

Another opinion connects Moriah to Yirā€™ah which means ā€œfearā€ since it is the place that fear of heaven emanates to the world. Through his willingness to sacrifice his son, Abraham demonstrated unparalleled fear of God as attested in the text itself:

At that moment Abraham passed the ultimate test of faith when he showed that he was willing to listen to God, no matter what. On Mount Moriah, Abraham demonstrated utmost fear of God.

Learning the geography of the Land of Israel, and understanding the Hebrew meaning of the Bible can lead to a much greater appreciation for Godā€™s word. Now that we know the precise location and meaning of Mount Moriah, may we be inspired with both the teaching and the fear of Heaven that emanates from the heart of Jerusalem!

Rabbi Tuly Weisz

Rabbi Tuly Weisz is the founder of Israel365 and the editor of ā€œThe Israel Bible,ā€ the first Bible dedicated to highlighting the relationship between the Land and the People of Israel. Rabbi Tuly is a columnist for Israel365news, the Jerusalem Post, Fox News and Newsmax who writes passionately about Israel, the Bible and Jewish-Christian relations. In addition to his writings, Rabbi Tuly has appeared alongside Alan Dershowitz on ILTV, on CBNā€™s ā€œ700 Clubā€, Daystar, Israel National News, TBN and numerous other television appearances. Rabbi Weisz attended Yeshiva University (BA), Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (Rabbinic Ordination) and the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law (JD) and served as the Rabbi of the Beth Jacob Congregation in Columbus, Ohio before making Aliyah to Israel. Rabbi Tuly lives with his wife and is blessed with 6 children and lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel.

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