HERMON hûr’ mən (חֶרְמֹֽון, a consecrated place, a sanctuary). The S spur of the Anti-lebanon chain of mountains, which runs parallel to the Lebanon range and is separated from it by the valley of Beqaa. It is c. 9,200 ft. above sea level, and is the highest mountain in Syria. It can be seen from many places in Pal., even from as far away as the Dead Sea. Because snow covers it for much of the year, the Arabs call it the “gray-haired mountain,” or the “mountain of the snow.” The water from its melting snows flow into the rivers of N Hauran and provide the principal source for the Jordan River. No trees grow above the snow line, but below it the sides are covered with trees (pine, oak, and poplar) and with vineyards. Its forests contain wolves and leopards, and sometimes Syrian bears. It is not a high summit with a distinctly marked base, but a whole cluster of mountains. Its three summits are nearly equal in height and are the same distance from each other. It extends from sixteen to twenty m. from N to S. In Deuteronomy 3:9 it says that the Sidonians call it Sirion, while the Amorites call it Senir. Sirion occurs outside of Deuteronomy 3:9 only in Psalm 29:6. Senir occurs outside of Deuteronomy 3:9 in 1 Chronicles 5:23, the Song of Solomon 4:8, and Ezekiel 27:5. Deuteronomy 4:48 has “Sion” in the KJV and “Mount Sirion” in the RSV. First Chronicles differentiates between Senir, Hermon and Baal-hermon. The Song of Solomon 4:8 speaks of the “peak of Senir and Hermon.” “Hermonites” is the mistaken KJV tr. in Psalm 42:6, which is corrected in the ASV to “Hermons,” and “Hermon” in the RSV. It was the N boundary of the Amorite kingdom (Deut 3:8; 4:48), and thus is said to lie in the territory of Og (Josh 12:5; 13:11). It was the N limit of the conquests of Joshua (Josh 11:17; 12:1; 13:5), and the N limit of the territory of Manasseh. The Hittites dwelt at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpeh (Josh 11:3). It is mentioned in the Bible as the N boundary of the Promised Land (Deut 3:8). In ancient times it was regarded as a sacred mountain, as its Heb. name suggests. In Judges 3:3 it is called “Mount Baal-hermon,” showing that Baal was worshiped there. Remains of shrines are found on the highest summit. It is thought by some scholars that the Transfiguration took place on Hermon. Its modern name is Jebel esh-Sheikh, “the mountain of the chief,” or Jebel eth-Thalj, “mount of snow.”