Sea of Galilee

In the Bible

In the Old Testament it appears under the name "Chinnereth" or "Chinneroth" in descriptions of the boundaries of the land of Israel (Numbers 34:11; Joshua 12:3). In the New Testament it appears frequently in passages recording the Galilean ministry of Jesus Christ. The principal scenes are as follows:

• The calling of the fishermen Peter and Andrew, James and John as disciples (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20)
• Teaching the crowds from Peter's boat and then providing a catch of fish so great that the nets began to break (Luke 5:1-11)
• Teaching the Parable of the Sower from a boat (Mark 4:1-9)
• Calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41) and walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33)
• Healing the demon-possessed man of Gerasa on the other side of the lake (Mark 5:1-20)
• The risen Jesus appearing to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-14)

Name and Geography

In Hebrew it is called Yam Kinneret. Because yam denotes both a sea and a large lake, Korean Bible translations likewise render it as "sea." Luke uses the Greek word for "lake" and calls it "the lake of Gennesaret" (Luke 5:1). The Gospel of John also uses the name "the sea of Tiberias" (John 6:1). Tiberias was a city founded by Herod Antipas on the western shore and named after the Roman emperor Tiberius. The name "Chinnereth" is often explained as deriving from a word meaning "lyre" (harp), but this derivation is uncertain.

The Jordan River flows into the lake from the north and flows out again to the south. The lake's surface lies more than 200 meters (about 650 feet) below the level of the Mediterranean Sea. Because of the surrounding hills, the lake is known for sudden winds. In Jesus' time, fishing villages such as Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Magdala lay along the northwestern shore, and fishing was a principal livelihood.

Significance Across Scripture

Matthew presents Jesus' settling in Capernaum as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy that light would shine on "the way of the sea" and "Galilee of the Gentiles" (Matthew 4:15-16; Isaiah 9:1-7). The lake that served as a boundary marker in the Old Testament thus becomes, in the New Testament, the place where the proclamation of the kingdom of God began. The scenes in which Jesus commands the sea are also read in connection with the Old Testament portrayal of God as the one who rules the waters (Psalm 89:9).

Interpretation and Debated Points

Most denominations read the accounts of the storm and of the walking on the water as miracles that actually occurred. Alongside this reading, a spiritual interpretation that likens the storm-tossed boat to the situation of the church or of the individual believer has a long history. Since the patristic era, various symbolic interpretations have been attached to the 153 fish of John 21:11. The text itself, however, does not explain the meaning of the number.

A frequently used sermon illustration compares the two bodies of water: the Sea of Galilee is alive because it receives water and passes it on, while the Dead Sea is dead because it only receives. This is a lesson drawn from geographical facts; no such teaching appears in the biblical text. In 1986 a wooden boat believed to date from around the first century was discovered on the shore of the lake, offering a glimpse of what boats looked like in the Gospel era. There is, however, no basis for directly connecting this boat with Jesus or His disciples.

In the Korean Church

The Sea of Galilee is one of the most popular destinations on pilgrimages to the Holy Land undertaken by Korean Christians. Pilgrims take boat rides on the lake or tour Capernaum. The accounts of the calling of the disciples and of the storm are widely used as sermon texts on the themes of calling and trust.