In contrast to the plateau regions to the north and south of it, Gilead is a mountainous, hilly region. The highest peak reaches 4,090 ft. The region is well watered by rain (24-32 inches per year), heavy dew in the summer and springs. Terracing was required for productive farming.
Olive trees and vineyards are ideally suited to terraces because they require less space. Wheat could be grown on the lower foothill regions of Gilead. Gilead was rich in balms (Jer 8:22, 46:11) because of the trees (2 Sam 18:8; Jer 8:22). Gilead was heavily forested, and this was an ideal area for grazing animals.
1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.
2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.
4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.
5 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
6 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
Mount Hermon, from the Hebrew word pronounced ker-mone, meaning abrupt, is the eastern extension of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Consisting of a ridge about 20 miles (32 kilometers) long with three peaks rising up to 9,200 feet (2,800 meters) above The Mediterranean Sea, it marked the northern boundary of Israel (Deuteronomy 3:8, 4:48, Joshua 11:3, 11:17, 12:1, 13:11).
Mount Hermon’s majestic snow-covered peaks can be seen from far south into Israel, to the west in Lebanon, and to the east in Syria. About 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of The Sea Of Galilee, it would have been a well-known sight for Jesus Christ all of His life, from Nazareth, and then later from Capernaum.
Before the invention of modern refrigeration, Mount Hermon was a source of ice, as indicated by another name that it is known by – ice mountain. In modern times, many people go skiing on its slopes in season.
Throughout Bible History, Mount Hermon was known variously as “the Hermonites” (Psalm 42:6 KJV) because of its multiple summits. It was known to the Sidonians as “Sirion,” and to the Amorites as “Senir” or “Shenir” (Deuteronomy 3:9). Others called it “Baal-Hermon” (Judges 3:3, 1 Chronicles 5:23) and “Sion” or “Siyon” (Deuteronomy 4:48).
Many believe that The Transfiguration occurred somewhere on Mount Hermon (Matt 17:1–8, Mk 9:2–8, Lk 9:28–36).
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.
9 Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.
10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! How much better is thy love than wine! And the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
11 Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
12 A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.