GENNESARET

(Gen·nesʹa·ret) [perhaps, lute, harp; or, princely gardens].

1. A small, somewhat triangular plain bordering on the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee and measuring about 1.5 by 3 miles (2.4 by 4.8 kilometers). In this region, Jesus Christ performed works of miraculous healing. (Matt. 14:34-36; Mark 6:53-56) According to the Jewish historian Josephus, this plain was a beautiful, fruitful and well-watered region, where walnut, palm and olive trees thrived, and where figs and grapes were available for ten months out of the year.—Wars of the Jews, Book III, chap. X, par. 8.

2. The “lake of Gennesaret” was another name for the Sea of Galilee. (Luke 5:1) Some scholars believe that Gennesaret is probably the Greek form for the early Hebrew name Chinnereth. (Num. 34:11) Others suggest that this name may be derived from two Hebrew words meaning “princely gardens.”—See GALILEE, SEA OF.