Armenian kingdom of Urartu, based on Lake Van, Jewish Virtual Library

In the biblical age, Armenia was conceived as the mountainous expanse in the north dominating the route from Ereẓ Israel to Mesopotamia (via Haran or its neighborhood) and extending to (and beyond) the boundaries of the known world.

The forested heights near the sources of the Euphrates and the Tigris stimulated Jewish commentators to develop geographical concepts concerning this area regarding Paradise (Gen. 2:8 ff.), the divine “mount of meeting” in the north (Isa. 14:13), the connection of the two (Ezek. 28:13–16), and the rebirth of mankind after the Flood (Gen. 8:4 ff.).

The name Ararat (Gen. 8:4II Kings 19:37Jer. 51:27) recalls the indigenous Armenian kingdom of Urartu, based on Lake Van.

by Jewish Virtual Library

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