Hill country of Judea
A place in the Bible
The highlands of Judea, around Jerusalem. Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, lived there.
What happened here
- The Visitation: Mary went in haste to the hill country, to the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth.
- John the Baptist: when John was born, what happened was talked about throughout the hill country of Judea.
Today
The Bible does not give the name of the town. An ancient tradition places it in Ein Karem, near Jerusalem, where the Church of the Visitation stands today.
Where it appears in the Bible
Luke 1:39-40; Luke 1:65
What the Bible says
Luke 1:39-40
39And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. 40And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth.
Luke 1:65
And fear came upon all their neighbours; and all these things were noised abroad over all the hill country of Judea.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Luke 1:39-40; Custody of the Holy Land, “Ein Karem”