Original Word: מוֹרֶה
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: Mowreh
Pronunciation: moh-reh'
Phonetic Spelling: (mo-reh')
KJV: Moreh
NASB: Moreh
Word Origin: [the same as H4175 (מוֹרֶה - Teacher)]

1. Moreh, a Canaanite
2. also a hill (perhaps named from him)

Moreh

Or Moreh {mo-reh'}; the same as mowreh; Moreh, a Canaanite; also a hill (perhaps named from him) -- Moreh.

see HEBREW mowreh

Word Origin
from yarah
Definition
a place near Shechem, also a hill of unc. location
NASB Translation
Moreh (3).

Geographical Setting

• The term Moreh identifies two closely related sites in central Israel: an oak-grove at Shechem on the eastern flank of Mount Ebal, and a hill that anchors the north-eastern corner of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Jordan River. Both places lie on the major north-south ridge route that linked the highlands of Ephraim to Galilee, making Moreh a natural gathering point for travelers, merchants, armies, and—importantly—covenant ceremonies.
• The hill of Moreh rises about six hundred meters above sea level, overlooking the fertile plain where the Kishon River begins its westward flow. The oak (or terebinth) of Moreh stood near the ancient city of Shechem, protected by a perennial spring and surrounded by arable terraces. In the patriarchal period the area was occupied by Canaanite clans; in the Judges era it bordered the tribal allotments of Manasseh, Issachar, and Naphtali.

Biblical Occurrences

1. Genesis 12:6—Abram “passed through the land to the site of the oak of Moreh at Shechem”, where the LORD appeared and confirmed His promise to give the land to Abram’s offspring.
2. Deuteronomy 11:30—Moses locates Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal “opposite Gilgal near the oaks of Moreh” as the stage for proclaiming covenant blessing and curse.
3. Judges 7:1—Gideon’s force camps by the spring of Harod while the Midianite host lies “in the valley near the hill of Moreh”.

Historical Background

• Shechem was an early Bronze-Age city-state and remained an important administrative center through the Late Bronze Age. Its city gate and cultic precinct have been excavated at modern Tel Balata, less than a kilometer from the traditional location of the oak of Moreh.
• The Jezreel Valley, dominated by the hill of Moreh, was the strategic corridor through which northern invaders penetrated the Israelite heartland. Control of this hill therefore meant control of the valley floor.
• Egyptian execration texts and the Amarna letters mention Shechem’s rulers, situating the oak of Moreh in an area of considerable regional influence even before Abram’s arrival.

Covenant and Worship Significance

• Abram’s altar at Moreh marks the patriarch’s first recorded act of worship in Canaan. The chosen site, already sacred to the local population, is redeployed for Yahweh’s revelation and the reception of the land promise—an early sign that the LORD redeems rather than merely replaces human culture.
• Centuries later, Joshua renewed that same covenant at Shechem (Joshua 24), underscoring Moreh’s role as a testimonial landmark for Israel’s fidelity.
• The proximity of Moreh to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal accentuates its liturgical importance. Moses’ directive (Deuteronomy 11:29-32) required Israel to recite blessing and curse in that very setting, dramatizing the choice between obedience and rebellion at the nation’s geographic and spiritual crossroads.

Strategic Military Context

• Gideon’s initial mustering at the spring of Harod faces the Midianite camp beneath the hill of Moreh. The location forces Gideon to trust divine strategy rather than numbers; the LORD purposely thins the Israelite ranks so that victory cannot be attributed to human strength (Judges 7:2).
• Subsequent prophetic and historical references to the Jezreel theater (for example, 1 Samuel 29 and 2 Kings 9) hint that Israel repeatedly measured kingship and covenant loyalty against the backdrop of Moreh’s slopes.

Symbolic and Theological Themes

• Instruction and revelation: The Hebrew root behind Moreh overlaps with the idea of “teaching.” At both oak and hill the LORD teaches His people—promising land (Genesis 12), clarifying covenant terms (Deuteronomy 11), and demonstrating sovereign deliverance (Judges 7).
• Choice and allegiance: Moreh sits between blessing and curse, faith and fear. Abram’s altar, Moses’ ceremony, and Gideon’s battle each present decisive moments that shape redemptive history.
• Continuity of promise: From patriarch to prophet, Moreh functions as a visible reminder that the same God guides successive generations, keeping covenant in spite of human weakness.

Archaeological and Historical Insights

• The massive stones unearthed at Tel Balata may correspond to the large tree or sacred pillar imagery tied to the oak of Moreh, where legal agreements were typically ratified in the ancient Near East.
• Surveys around modern Nabi Dahi—traditional site of the hill of Moreh—have located late Bronze and early Iron Age pottery, confirming human occupation in Gideon’s era and lending plausibility to the Biblical narrative’s topography.
• The oak motif appears in extra-Biblical Canaanite texts as a symbol of divine presence. Scripture deliberately reorients that symbolism, showing that true revelation belongs to the LORD alone.

Ministry Applications

• Worship at life’s thresholds: Like Abram, believers are called to establish altars of thanksgiving whenever God leads them into new territory.
• Clarity before commitment: Moses’ arrangement on the slopes of Moreh urges modern congregations to articulate covenant obligations plainly, fostering informed obedience rather than vague religiosity.
• Dependence in conflict: Gideon’s experience invites the Church to trust God’s sufficiency rather than numerical or technological advantage, especially when confronting cultural “Midianites.”
• Memorialization: Physical or communal markers—whether a church building cornerstone, a baptismal certificate, or a family testimony—can serve as contemporary “oaks of Moreh,” reminding God’s people of His unchanging promises.

Prophetic and Christological Trajectory

• The hill of Moreh lies within the broader Jezreel expectation of Hosea and the eschatological hope that valleys of judgment become gateways of hope (Hosea 2:15).
• Hebrews 6:13-18 links God’s oath to Abraham with the believer’s assurance in Christ; the altar at Moreh stands at the head of that unbroken chain of promise ultimately sealed by the cross and empty tomb.
• Gideon’s reduction of forces prefigures the gospel paradox that power is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9); Jesus, like Gideon, delivers by means the world deems insufficient—namely, the shame of the cross.

Summary

Moreh encapsulates pivotal moments in salvation history: the giving of land, the defining of covenant, and the demonstration of divine victory. Oak and hill together illustrate that revelation, decision, and deliverance all converge where God meets His people. In every era the believer is summoned to stand at his own Moreh—hearing the Word, embracing the promise, and engaging the battle in the confidence that the LORD who taught Abram, instructed Israel, and empowered Gideon remains faithful today.

הַמּוֹרֶ֖ה המורה מֹרֶֽה׃ מוֹרֶ֑ה מורה מרה׃ ham·mō·w·reh hammoReh hammōwreh mō·reh mō·w·reh moReh mōreh mōwrehInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts