MOUNT NEBO nē’ bō (הַר־נְבֹ֗ו, LXX ὄρος Ναβαῦ, meaning mountain of Nebo, an ancient pagan deity, or high mountain). A mountain across from Jericho from which Moses viewed the Promised Land.

The only way that one can conclude that the Arab. named Jebel en-Neba is the Mt. Nebo of the Bible is not to take literally the reference to the Western Sea. Mt. Nebo is mentioned only twice (Deut 32:49; 34:1). Some rather specific indications of its location are given in each passage. Deuteronomy 32:49 records God’s command to Moses, “Ascend this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho....” In 34:1 one reads, “Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho.” The places one can see from there are listed in this and the following verses: Gilead as far as Dan, Naphtali, Ephraim, Manasseh, all Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, the Plain, the Valley of Jericho as far as Zoar. On clear days most of these, as well as things beyond such as Mt. Hermon, can be seen. However, the mountain range on which Hebron and Jerusalem are situated obstructs the view of the Mediterranean. The easiest solution to this is to say that it is not literal. God “showed” them to Moses, but anyone else could not have seen them. Another solution is to understand that a mirage is meant. Sometimes it looks like water beyond the Palestinian watershed. Another explanation is to say the verse states only that Judah extends to the Western Sea—not that one can necessarily see that far. A fourth suggestion is that the Dead Sea is meant, not the Mediterranean.

Jebel en-Neba is a spur of the plain of Moab. It is almost opposite the N end of the Dead Sea and therefore not due E of Jericho. It rises c. 4,000 ft. above the Dead Sea or c. 2,700 above sea level. Pisgah, which is associated with Nebo in Deuteronomy 34:1, may be another name for the same peak, or Nebo may be a part of Pisgah. Since several elevations in that same vicinity afford the same view, it is not certain whether the one bearing the name Neba is necessarily the one Moses climbed. A saddle connects it to Ras Siyaghah, which was revered by early Christians. Many ruins, including those of a Byzantine church, appear there. Because of the uncertainties and because the Bible states in two places that Nebo is opposite Jericho, some scholars are still seeking a more satisfactory identification N of the traditional site.

Bibliography N. Glueck, Explorations in Eastern Palestine, II, AASOR XV (1934, 1935), 109-111; The Other Side of the Jordan (1940), 143-145; W. L. Reed in Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (rev. 1963), 692f.