Mount Gilboa 

Mount Gilboa rises on the eastern edge of the plain of Esdraelon, which is a lowland area that divides Galilee in the north and Samaria in the south. It presents an imposing appearance, but the highest point, Sheikh Burqan, is not more than 1,696 ft. above sea level.

Mount Gilboa is mentioned several times in the life of Jesus as a geographical landmark during his travels. It is mentioned incidentally as a mount that was skirted while traveling certain places because that area was the home of the Samaritans, who held deep-seated animosity towards the Jews. The Jews had similar animosities towards the Samaritans and tried to avoid contact with them.

Mount Gilboa is most significantly the site of an apostolic encampment in 27 CE, during which Jesus delivered his discourse on prayer. It was on Mount Gilboa that Jesus taught the apostles the model prayer that many are familiar with today. And, as a result of a chance meeting, Jesus’ apostles and the disciples of John the Baptist held an important three-week conference together during this encampment on Mount Gilboa.

From September through October of 27 CE, Jesus and his apostles made an encampment on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. Jesus desired to seclude his apostles for a time there while they were waiting for developments regarding the fate of John the Baptist, who was being held in Herod’s prison. The main topics of discussion during this time of seclusion were prayer and worship, after Thomas requested Jesus to “teach us how to pray.”

Accordingly, Jesus gave the apostles his discourse on prayer during their third week on Mount Gilboa. Among other things, he taught them that prayer was a personal and spontaneous expression and to pray in secret; to go off by themselves amidst the quiet surroundings of nature, or to go in their rooms and shut the doors when they engaged in prayer. Jesus was then asked by James to provide a prayer to teach new believers, so he gave the apostles the Believer’s Prayer as a model prayer that he had taught his brothers and sisters many years before (known today as the Lord's Prayer).

Later in their stay on Mount Gilboa, after a chance meeting in town with John the Baptist’s newly appointed apostles, a three-week conference was held between Jesus’ apostles and John’s apostles. The purpose of this conference was to harmonize these two groups and agree on certain aspects of their ministry, mainly Jesus’ recent teachings on prayer, and the matter of water baptism.

The Gilboa camp was broken up on November 2, 27 CE.