The ridge east of the city of Jerusalem and seperated from it by the valley of Kidron. Higher than the city, it provides a grand panaromic view of the city. It is always assumed to have been covered with olives trees in ancient times; hence its name.
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The Mount of Olives is mentioned only twice in the Old Testament, the first in the account of David's desperate journey to escape Absalom when the latter attempted to usurp the throne from his father (2 Sam 15:30). Zechariah prophesies an escatological coming of Yahweh, when he will stand on the Mount of Olives and battle and defeat the armies of his enemies (Zec 14:3-4). The slopes of the ridge is a favoured burial site for Jews, hoping to be the first to meet him when that happens.
View Jerusalem from Mount Olives ☰
Jewish tombs on the south-western slopes of Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives was a place of frequent visits by Jesus and his disciples whenever he was in Jerusalem. Here occurred on of the most important of Jesus's discourses on the last days—what commentators refer to as the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24:3-25:46, Mk 13:3-37 & Lk 21:5-36). Jesus and his disciples also had to traverse this ridge in order to get to Bethany and Bethphage, where they often stayed. It was in a village on this mount too where Jesus had sent two disciples to find the colt tied there on which he would ride to make his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Lk 19:29). Here too he would spend the last night of his early life in travail of soul in the Gethsemane (Matt 26:36ff; Mk 14:32ff).
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