Sower's Cove 1

View of the "Sower's Cove" on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee — looking north northeast. Notice on the left [north] side of the image the "natural" theater that begins at the lakeshore, near the single tree, and that splays up the hillside. It is totally natural, although it has the features of the "cavea" of Greek and Roman theaters.

This place is located 0.6 mi. [1 km.] west of Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Many have suggested that it may have been the place where Jesus, being pressed on by the crowd, got into a boat, and from near the shore, preached to the assembled crowd (see Matthew 13:1–23; Mark 4:1–20; and Luke 8:4–15).

B. Crisler did tests in the area, and sounds from down near the tree can be heard far up the slope of the hillside — that is, up the left side of the image. He has estimated that 5,000 people could fit into this natural theater.

The content of the parables that Jesus is recorded as saying at this time (Matthew 13) fit in very well with this agricultural setting — sowing, seed, ground, rocks, thorns, road, etc.

For a close up view of the area near where the boat would have pushed out from shore Click Here.

For another view of the cove, from above, Click Here.

A description of Crisler's study can be found in the following article: Crisler, B. "The Acoustics and Crowd Capacity of Natural Theaters in Palestine." Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 39, no. 4 (1976):128–41.

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To view additional images of the Sower's Cove Click Here.

Image from the Zondervan Atlas of the Bible, p. 209. To view/use additional images from the Atlas Click Here.