Mount Hor

Mount Hor was the name of a mountain located at the border of the land of Edom (Numbers 20:23; 33:37). Mount Hor was the first place where the Israelites came (20:22) after wandering nearly 40 years (Deuteronomy 2:14).

The Lord did not allow the high priest Aaron, the brother of Moses, to enter Canaan. This was because he had refused to obey what the Lord instructed at Meribah (Numbers 20:7–13, 24). Moses stripped him of his priestly garments, which were then put on Aaron's son, Eleazar. Then Aaron died on the top of Mount Hor (Numbers 20:25–29) at the age of 123.

Later Moses experienced a similar punishment. Deuteronomy 32:49–51 compares his death on Mount Nebo to the death of Aaron on Mount Hor. According to Deuteronomy 10:6, Aaron died and the Israelites buried him at Moserah. This was probably the Moseroth of Numbers 33:30–31. It must have been very close to or perhaps part of Mount Hor.

The location of Mount Hor remains uncertain. The traditional site is Jebel Nebi Harun (which means “the mountain of the prophet Aaron”). It is almost 1.5 kilometers (4,800 feet) high and is the tallest mountain in Edom.

Muslim tradition identifies a small building on the top of Jebel Nebi Harun as the tomb of Aaron. However, Jebel Nebi Harun is near Petra, in the middle of Edom. This location seems too far east of Kadesh.

It is more likely that Mount Hor is Jebel Madeira. This mountain is on the northwest border of Edom, about 24 kilometers (15 miles) northeast of Kadesh. The Hebrew word hor probably means “mount” (as in Genesis 49:26). So that Mount Hor might mean “mountain of mountains” or “high mountain” rather than being a proper name.

Mount Hor was also the name of a mountain located in the far north (Numbers 34:7–8). Scholars usually identify it as either Mount Hermon or Jebel Akkar. It may also have been a general name for an unusually high mountain.