Mount Ephraim (Hebrew:הר אפרים), or alternativelyMount of Ephraim, was the historical name for the central mountainous district ofIsrael once alloted by theTribe of Ephraim (Joshua 17:15; 19:50; 20:7), extending fromBethel to the plain ofJezreel. InJoshua's time (Joshua 17:18), approximately sometime between the 18th century BCE and the 13th century BCE, these hills were densely wooded. They were intersected by well-watered, fertile valleys, referred to inJeremiah 50:19.
Later, the region became known asSamaria, after the capital city of the northernKingdom of Israel which was centered in the area.
Joshua was buried atTimnath-heres among the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill ofGaash (Judges 2:9). This region is also called the "mountains of Israel" (Joshua 11:21) and the "mountains of Samaria" (Jeremiah 31:5, 6:Amos 3:9).
Israel's fourthjudge and prophetessDeborah lived in this region. Her home was called "the palm tree of Deborah", and was betweenBethel andRamah in Benjamin (Judges 4:5).
'Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:(Ephraim was the new king after the pass of the King of Solomon.)[1]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897).Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.{{cite encyclopedia}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)