Sea of Galilee in the Torah
כנרת
Known in the Tanakh as the Sea of Chinnereth (Kinnereth), this freshwater lake in the Galilee is Israel's primary water source. The region surrounding the lake was allotted to the tribe of Naphtali. The prophet Isaiah spoke of the 'way of the sea' — the great trade route that passed along its shores, connecting Egypt to Mesopotamia.
Wikimedia Commons
Berthold Werner (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Key Verses
5 selected passages mentioning Sea of Galilee
From Chinnereth to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea
וְהָֽעֲרָבָ֖ה וְהַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן וּגְבֻ֑ל מִכִּנֶּ֗רֶת וְעַ֨ד יָ֤ם הָֽעֲרָבָה֙ יָ֣ם הַמֶּ֔לַח תַּ֛חַת אַשְׁדֹּ֥ת הַפִּסְגָּ֖ה מִזְרָֽחָה׃
fContinuing vv. 8–10; cf. 4.47–49. [We also seized] the Arabah, from the foot of the slopes of Pisgah on the east, to the edge of the Jordan, and from Chinnereth down to the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea.
The land of Naphtali — the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations
כִּ֣י לֹ֣א מוּעָף֮ לַאֲשֶׁ֣ר מוּצָ֣ק לָהּ֒ כָּעֵ֣ת הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן הֵקַ֞ל אַ֤רְצָה זְבֻלוּן֙ וְאַ֣רְצָה נַפְתָּלִ֔י וְהָאַחֲר֖וֹן הִכְבִּ֑יד דֶּ֤רֶךְ הַיָּם֙ עֵ֣בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן גְּלִ֖יל הַגּוֹיִֽם׃
For if there were to berif there were to be So 1QIsᵃ; the others have “there is not.” any break of day for that [land] that is in straits, only the former [king] would have brought abasement to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali—while the later one would have brought honor to the Way of the Sea, the other side of the Jordan, and Galilee of the Nations.sMeaning of verse uncertain. The rendering here assumes that “the former [king]” refers to Pekah and “the later” to Hoshea (cf. 2 Kings 15.29–30). For the construction lu…ka-ʻeth, see Judg. 13.23.
The Sea of Chinneroth eastward
וְהָעֲרָבָה֩ עַד־יָ֨ם כִּנְר֜וֹת מִזְרָ֗חָה וְ֠עַ֠ד יָ֣ם הָעֲרָבָ֤ה יָם־הַמֶּ֙לַח֙ מִזְרָ֔חָה דֶּ֖רֶךְ בֵּ֣ית הַיְשִׁמ֑וֹת וּמִ֨תֵּימָ֔ן תַּ֖חַת אַשְׁדּ֥וֹת הַפִּסְגָּֽה׃
and over the eastern Arabah up to the Sea of Chinnereth and, southward by way of Beth-jeshimoth at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah on the east, down to the Sea of the Arabah, that is, the Dead Sea.
The fortified cities of the tribe of Naphtali include Chinnereth
וְעָרֵ֖י מִבְצָ֑ר הַצִּדִּ֣ים צֵ֔ר וְחַמַּ֖ת רַקַּ֥ת וְכִנָּֽרֶת׃
Its fortified towns were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,
The border goes down to the Sea of Chinnereth on the east
וְיָרַ֨ד הַגְּבֻ֧ל מִשְּׁפָ֛ם הָרִבְלָ֖ה מִקֶּ֣דֶם לָעָ֑יִן וְיָרַ֣ד הַגְּבֻ֔ל וּמָחָ֛ה עַל־כֶּ֥תֶף יָם־כִּנֶּ֖רֶת קֵֽדְמָה׃
From Shepham the boundary shall descend to Riblah on the east side of Ain; from there the boundary shall continue downward and abut on the eastern slopes of the Sea of Chinnereth.dSea of Chinnereth I.e., the Sea (or Lake) of Galilee.
8 more verses mention Sea of Galilee across the Tanakh
Israel Wall Art
