Meaning of SEA OF GALILEE

Lake of Gennesaret. Freshwater lake fed by the Jordan River. In ancient times it was called the Sea of Cinereth (Num. 34:11); later, Lake of Gennesaret (Lk. 5:1; Ant. 18:2, 1; cf. 13:5, 7; 1 Macc. 11:67), and Sea of Galilee or Tiberias (Jn. 6:1 ; 21:1. In Arabic it is still called "Bahr Tabariya."

This lake is surrounded by hills, except where the Jordan enters and leaves. The hills on its western bank reach 304 meters and more; The heights of the southwestern bank are similar, but those of the northwest are lower and less steep.

Although its water is fresh, this lake is called a sea, because of its considerable extension in relation to the country. From mouth to mouth, the Sea of Galilee exceeds 20 km; Its greatest width, in front of Magdala, is 12 km.

Its western bank does not present any major features, while the eastern bank has a large bay that runs from Tell Hum, in the north, to Tiberias, in the south. It is located about 208 m. below the level of the Mediterranean, which gives it a semitropical climate. Hermon, crowned with perpetual snow, is not far away; Sometimes sudden and violent storms arise on its slopes, which descend on the lake.

Its waters abound in fish; In the time of Christ, the fishermen of the Lake of Galilee had a good livelihood there. Zebedee had hired hands employed in his fishing business (Mark 1:20). Tristram lists 22 species of fish: 2 from “Blenniidae”, 7 from “Chromidae”, 1 from “Siluridae” and 12 from “Cyprinidae”.

Certain species have been named after biblical characters, such as "Chromis Andreae", "Chromis Simonis" and "C. Magdalenae. The best fish in this lake are the catfish ("Clarias macranthus") and the barbel ("Barbus longiceps").

The catfish, called heartfish by Josephus (Wars 3:10, 8), belongs to the same family as the catfish, and reaches up to 90 cm. long The most abundant is “Chromis tiberiadis”. Schools of these fish measuring up to 4,000 m2 have been observed. Fishing is carried out with a net, from boats, or from the coast. These same species of fish are found in the Jordan and its tributaries.