Carmel

כַּרְמֶל · kar.mel · H3760Gכַּרְמְלִי · kar.me.li · H37612 other spellings“circumcised lamb; harvest; full of ears of corn” Hitchcock's 186924 mentions in 9 books, most in 1 Samuel (8)

Where it is

31.43° N, 35.13° E

Coordinates and map: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · drawn without map tiles

Mentioned most in

1 Samuel · 8 Joshua · 3 2 Samuel · 3 1 Chronicles · 2 Isaiah · 2 Jeremiah · 2 + 3 books

Counted from 24 references · STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

About this place

Carmel, also known as Racal, was a town located in the hill country of Judah (Joshua 15:55). It is mentioned several times in the Bible, particularly in relation to David's life. Carmel was the home of Nabal, a wealthy but foolish man who refused to assist David and his men (1Sa.25.2-11). Nabal's wife, Abigail, intervened and provided for David's needs, demonstrating her wisdom and resourcefulness (1Sa.25.14-35).

After Nabal's death, David married Abigail, and she became one of his wives (1Sa.25.40-42). Later, when David was fleeing from Saul, he sent his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, to stay in Carmel (1Sa.27.3). The town is also mentioned in the list of places that received spoils from David's victory over the Amalekites (1Sa.30.29).

In the Song of Solomon, the beauty of the bride's head is compared to Mount Carmel (Sng.7.5), likely referring to the lush vegetation and majesty of the mountain. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and Nahum use Carmel as a symbol of fertility, beauty, and God's judgment (Isaiah 33:9, 35:2; Jeremiah 46:18, 50:19; Amo.1.2, 9:3; Nam.1.4).

Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Every mention

24 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)

Joshua3 mentions

Joshua 12:22the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;Joshua 15:55Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Jutah,Joshua 19:26Allammelech, Amad, Mishal. It reached to Carmel westward, and to Shihorlibnath.

1 Samuel8 mentions

1 Samuel 15:12Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and Samuel was told, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, turned, passed on, and went down to Gilgal.”1 Samuel 25:2There was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.1 Samuel 25:5David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name.1 Samuel 25:7Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds have now been with us, and we didn’t harm them. Nothing was missing from them all the time they were in Carmel.1 Samuel 25:40When David’s servants had come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you, to take you to him as wife.”1 Samuel 27:3David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife.1 Samuel 30:5David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.1 Samuel 30:29to those who were in Racal, to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,

2 Samuel3 mentions

2 Samuel 2:2So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.2 Samuel 3:3and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;2 Samuel 23:35Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

1 Chronicles2 mentions

1 Chronicles 3:1Now these were the sons of David, who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess;1 Chronicles 11:37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai,

Song of Solomon1 mention

Song of Solomon 7:5Your head on you is like Carmel. The hair of your head like purple. The king is held captive in its tresses.

Isaiah2 mentions

Isaiah 33:9The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.Isaiah 35:2It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. Lebanon’s glory will be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They will see Yahweh’s glory, the excellence of…

Jeremiah2 mentions

Jeremiah 46:18“As I live,” says the King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies, “surely like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so he will come.Jeremiah 50:19I will bring Israel again to his pasture, and he will feed on Carmel and Bashan. His soul will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead.

Amos2 mentions

Amos 1:2He said: “Yahweh will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds will mourn, and the top of Carmel will wither.”Amos 9:3Though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out from there; and though they be hidden from my sight in the bottom of the sea, there I will command the…

Nahum1 mention

Nahum 1:4He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel languish. The flower of Lebanon languishes.

What the dictionary says

A park; generally with the article, “the park.”

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)

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Sources

STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · www.openbible.info/geo/
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain