Look on any map of Israel (see Tribal Lands) and the Sea of Galilee is difficult to miss. It's the large body of water in Galilee, in the northern part of the land of Israel, directly east of Mount Carmel. Damascus is to the northeast, the valley of Armageddon is to the southwest.
As bodies of (fresh) water in the Middle East go, the Sea of Galilee is quite large. It's about 12½ miles (20 kilometers) from north to south, and 7½ miles (12 kilometers) east to west at its widest. The Jordan River effectively flows through the Sea of Galilee, entering in the north and exiting in the south.
Lake in Israel with a surface area of 166 km², a length of 23 km and a maximum width of 13 km. The maximum depth is 46 metres.
Although the surface of the lake is at 207 metres below sea level, the water is fresh. The Sea of Galilee is part of the Rift Valley system. The lake is part of the Jordan River system.
A beach surrounds the entire lake. The lake has a rich life and many birds live around it. Economic activity for the lake is restricted to fishing. The Sea of Galilee provides Israel with half of all its supply of fresh water. The main city along the lake is Tiberias.For Christianity, the Sea of Galilee is of great importance, as it was the centre of much of the activity of Jesus and his disciples. In the Gospels it is often referred to as the Lake of Gennesaret.
For Christianity, the Sea of Galilee is of great importance, as it was the centre of much of the activity of Jesus and his disciples. In the Gospels it is often referred to as the Lake of Gennesaret.
Much of the ministry of Jesus Christ, and numerous of His miracles (see Miracles Of Jesus Christ) took place in the area of the Sea of Galilee.
From the fishermen (see The Fisher) of the Sea of Galilee came at least four of The Twelve Apostles - Peter, Andrew, James and John.
Jesus stilled the raging storm on the Sea of Galilee that was about to swamp their boat. Jesus, and Peter to a limited extent, walked on the water there.
Near its shores Jesus fed the five thousand men, women and children from the miraculous multiplication of five loaves of bread and two fish.
Mary of Magdala, the first human to see and speak with the Savior after His resurrection, was from the town of Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Sea of Galilee in Smiths Bible Dictionary. So called from the province of Galilee, which bordered on the western side. Mt 4:18 It was also called the "Sea of Tiberias," from the celebrated city of that name. Joh 6:1 At its northwestern angle was a beautiful and fertile plain called "Gennesaret," and from that it derived the name of "Lake of Gennesaret." Lu 5:1 It was called in the Old Testament "the Sea of Chinnereth" or "Cinneroth," Nu 34:11; Jos 12:3 from a town of that name which stood on or near its shore. Jos 19:35 Its modern name is Bahr Tubariyeh.
Most of our Lord's public life was spent in the environs of this sea. The surrounding region was then the most densely peopled in all Israel. no less than nine very populous cities stood on the very shores of the lake. The Sea of Galilee is of an oval long and six broad. It is 60 miles northeast of Jerusalem and 27 east of the Mediterranean Sea.
The river Jordan enters it at its northern end and passes out at its southern end. In fact the bed of the lake is just a lower section of the Great Jordan valley. Its more remarkable feature is its deep depression, being no less than 700 feet below the level of the ocean. The scenery is bleak and monotonous, being surrounded by a high and almost unbroken wall of hills, on account of which it is exposed to frequent sudden and violent storms.
The great depression makes the climate of the shores almost tropical. This is very sensibly felt by the traveller in going down from the plains of Galilee. In summer the heat is intense, and even in early spring the air has something of an Egyptian balminess. The water of the lake is sweet, cool and transparent; and as the beach is everywhere pebbly is has a beautiful sparkling look. It abounds in fish now as in ancient times. There were large fisheries on the lake, and much commerce was carried on upon it.
